The Night of Shiva
on Jane in India (India), 03/Mar/2011 15:18, 34 days ago
Please note this is a cached copy of the post and will not include pictures etc. Please click here to view in original context.

Yesterday was a holiday - Maha Shivaratri - an important date in the Hindu calendar for worshipping Lord Shiva.Lord ShivaIt was a lovely sunny day so a bunch of us went on a girly road trip to Puri, had lunch (pizza with real cheese, oh la la), went for a dip in the Bay of Bengal and a stroll around Puri. We came back in the early evening and swung by Lingaraj Temple, which is near my house, to witness the festivities. Lingaraj is a Shiva temple so the streets were packed with people on their way to worship. There was a huge queue outside the temple, but as non-Hindu's aren't allowed in, we just went to the viewing platform for a look. It was a really nice sight - the temple grounds were packed with people sitting and chatting by lighted candles. As part of the tradition, people fast for the full day then go the temple to offer their worship and prayer. There is a nightlong vigil, which goes on until the sun comes up! I didn't stick around that long, but just long enough to get a glimpse of the action, and to drink a green coconut.Worshippers at Lingaraj TempleNice day, thanks Shiva.