Mahashivratri 2024 : Significance, Date, Know Why We Offer Belpatra on the Shiv Linga

 Mahashivratri 2024: Mahashivratri is the special occassion to worship the Lord Shiva, commonly known as the god of Gods. Maha shivratri is the one of the major festivals of Hindus celebrated across the country with great grandeur. Mahashivratri festival is celebrated across the country with immense happiness and enthusiasm in which devotees use to worship Lord Shiva, known as the trinity God.

Worship lord Shiva with the many important things to be offered to the lord Shankar including Bhang, Dharura, Belpatra and lothers. Devotees use to offer flowers, fruits with water (Jal which is known as Jalabhishek) to the Linga of Lord Shiva. Apart from flowers and fruits, devotees use to offers Bhang and Dhatura also to impress Lord Shiva. However, the Belpatra is one of the common thing which is being offered to Lord Shiva Ling on the day of Savan Somvar.. 

However, each and every day of the holy month Savan is important to worship Lord Shiva and if its Somvar or Monday its has its own importance to impress the lord shiva by the devotees. But the first Somvar of the Savan has its own significance in a  bid to worship Lord Shiva or Lord Shankar or Lord Mahadev.

Maha Shivratri 2023 is the crucial day for which devotees use to worship Lord Shiva the Adi Guru or the First Guru. Devotees started the worshipping the Lord Shiva on the occasion of Maha Shivratri 2024 after bathing in very morning and are queued in the temples to offer the flowers, fruits with water (Jal which is known as Jalabhishek) to the Linga of Lord Shiva.

People use to fast and consume only fruits and milk related products. Devotees avoid taking any kind of grains on the occassion of Maha Shivratri 2023 and using to Fast which is understood that fasting purified the body and also our consciousness. 

The Vedic Scriptures and Shiv Purana use to say that devotees worship Lord Shiva with the Belpatra on the 14th day of the waning moon in the month of Maagha or Phalguna which provide more pleasure to the Lord Shiva. 

According to the Vedic Scriptures and Shiv Purana, Lord Shiva said to Goddess Parvati that when devotees worship him with the Belpatra on the 14th day of the waning moon in the month of Phalgun (the last month of the 12 of Hindi month), it provide more pleasure to him. 

There is another reason which has been mentioned in the various holy books that Belpatra which is a collection of three patra (Set of Three leaves) is looks like the Trinetra, which is the another name of Lord Shiva who is known as the god with Tri Netra (Three Eyes.)

It has mentioned in other holy book that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati got married on the day of Mahashivratri and since then the festival is used to celebrate.