Maha Shivaratri
Great night of Shiva; Chaturdashi prevailing at Nishita (midnight).
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- CategoryFestival Major
- DeityBhagavan Shiva
- FastingFast with night-long worship in four praharas; Parana next morning.
- Defining tithi / momentKrishna Paksha Chaturdashi: to
- Lunar monthMagha Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Phalguna Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta)
Timings on Saturday, 6 March 2027
- Nishita Kaal to 0 h 45 min · 06/03/2027 (Sat)
Rule applied: Smarta — The tithi covers the required time on this day only.
Puja vidhi
Mantra & Bhakti
Recipes, stories and temples
Prasad to make
- Panchamrit
- Sabudana khichdi
- Kuttu puri (buckwheat puri)
- Singhare ka halwa (water chestnut flour halwa)
- Makhana kheer (fox nut kheer)
Story for children
Temples that celebrate it specially
- Shree Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple
- Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple
- Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga
- Shri Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga
- Shri Kedarnath Temple
- Shree Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple
- Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple
- Shri Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
- Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
- Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple
- Shri Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
How the date is determined
- In the Amanta system (months end at the new moon) this is Magha Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi; in the Purnimanta system used in most of North India (months end at the full moon) the same day is called Phalguna Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi.
- It falls on the day when this tithi prevails during Nishita Kaal — the eighth of the fifteen night muhurtas, around local midnight.
- If the tithi covers the whole of that period on both days, the second day is taken.
- If the tithi prevails at that time on two consecutive days, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken.
- If the tithi does not touch that period on any day (a kshaya tithi), the Hindu day on which the tithi prevails longest is used.
- In a year with an Adhik month of the same name, it is observed in the regular (Nija) month.
Traditional variation
This is the date given by the rule shown above for the selected place. It is not the only valid date: regional Panchangs, family customs and sampradayas may observe it on a different day.
Rule source: Maha Shivaratri: Amanta Magha (Purnimanta Phalguna) Krishna Chaturdashi. Shivaratri-nirnaya (Nirnaya Sindhu and Dharma Sindhu, Pariccheda 2, Shivaratri): Krishna Chaturdashi at Nishita (the 8th of the 15 night muhurtas). Two nights with unequal coverage → the night of greater (complete) coverage (Nirnaya Sindhu, Pariccheda 1, karmakala-vyapti). The whole Nishita of both nights (a Chaturdashi of over about 25 hours) → the second night: the Amavasya-joined Chaturdashi of the tithi-yugma rule (Chaturdashi–Amavasya pair), and the only one of the two nights with Chaturdashi at Pradosh. DoPT holiday Office Memoranda: 4 Mar 2019, 21 Feb 2020, 11 Mar 2021, 18 Feb 2023, 8 Mar 2024, 26 Feb 2025, 15 Feb 2026, 6 Mar 2027. DoPT 2018 differs (14 Feb): Chaturdashi (13 Feb 22:34 – 15 Feb 00:46 IST) covered the whole Nishita of 13/14 Feb and 37 of the 51 minutes of 14/15 Feb; this rule takes 13 Feb.
Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.
Calculated with engine 1.4.2 · rules rules-2026-09-29-a0a4505e · profile north-lahiri-calibrated v1 · ayanamsa lahiri_drik_compat · astronomy-engine@2.1.19 · Australia/Melbourne
Dates in 2026
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15/02/2026 (Sun)
Magha Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Phalguna Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta) |
Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi: to |
|
Standard rule applied |
Dates in 2027
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06/03/2027 (Sat)
Next
Magha Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Phalguna Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta) |
Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi: to |
|
Standard rule applied |