Quick facts
- Date
- Saturday, 6 March 2027
- Hindu date
- Krishna paksha Chaturdashi
Phalguna (Purnimanta) · Magha (Amanta) - Tithi begins / ends
- 12:04 PM → 1:47 PM, 7 Mar
- Nishita Kaal
- 12:09 AM, 7 Mar – 12:57 AM, 7 Mar
- Sunrise · Sunset (New Delhi)
- 6:41 AM · 6:24 PM
- Vikram Samvat
- 2083 (Gujarati: 2083)
Dates
| Year | Date | Hindu date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | Krishna paksha Chaturdashi | Open in calendar |
Dates are for New Delhi. Dates that have already passed are not listed. Later years are added once they have been checked.
About Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri is the great night of Shiva, observed on the fourteenth tithi (Chaturdashi) of the dark fortnight in the month of Magha in the Amanta calendar, which is Phalguna in the Purnimanta calendar. Devotees fast, bathe the Shivalinga with water, milk and honey, and keep an all-night vigil.
It is celebrated at Shiva temples across India and Nepal, with especially large gatherings at Varanasi, Ujjain, Somnath and Pashupatinath.
How the date is decided
Maha Shivaratri is kept on the night when Chaturdashi is running at Nishita Kaal, the window around midnight. The date shown is the date on which that night begins, as most calendars list it, even though the midnight itself falls after midnight on the following date.
How it is observed
- Fast through the day and keep awake through the night, chanting “Om Namah Shivaya”.
- Offer water, milk, bilva leaves and flowers to the Shivalinga.
- Many worship in four prahars (watches) of the night; the Nishita Kaal around midnight is the most important.
Puja vidhi: how to do the puja
- Keep a fast through the day, with fruit or nirjala.
- Bathe the Shivling (abhishek) with water, then milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar (panchamrit), and again with water, at a temple or at home.
- Offer bilva (bel) leaves, three-leafed and unbroken, with dhatura, aak and white flowers, bhasma and chandan. Turmeric, kumkum and tulsi are not offered on a Shivling.
- Chant "Om Namah Shivaya", the Rudrashtakam or the Shiv Chalisa.
- Keep a night vigil (jagran) with a puja in each of the four prahars; the nishita kaal puja shown above is the most important.
- Break the fast the next morning after sunrise (parana).
Puja samagri checklist
Tick things off as you gather them; your list is kept on this device.
Katha: The hunter in the bel tree
A poor hunter, out late on the night of Shivratri without knowing it, climbed a bel tree to wait for game. To keep his view clear he plucked leaves through the night, and they fell, with drops from his water pot, onto a Shivling hidden below. Each time a deer came, he let it go when it pleaded to return to its family.
Fasting, waking, offering bel leaves and showing mercy, he had kept the whole vrat without meaning to, and Shiva blessed him. The night is also remembered as the wedding of Shiva and Parvati, and as the night Shiva appeared as an endless pillar of light.
Aarti: Om Jai Shiv Omkara
Read it in Roman letters
The most widely sung Shiva aarti, attributed to Swami Shivanand. Words vary slightly between families.
Maha Shivaratri 2027 in other cities
| City | Date | Compared with New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| London | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| New York | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Toronto | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Sydney | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Dubai | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Singapore | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | same as New Delhi |
| Johannesburg | Saturday, 6 March 2027 | same as New Delhi |
Frequently asked questions
When is Maha Shivaratri in 2027?
Maha Shivaratri 2027 falls on Saturday, 6 March 2027 (New Delhi). The tithi runs from 12:04 PM to 1:47 PM, 7 Mar.
Why does the date of Maha Shivaratri change every year?
Maha Shivaratri follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It is tied to Krishna paksha Chaturdashi of the month of Phalguna (Purnimanta) · Magha (Amanta), not to a fixed Gregorian date. A lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year, so the date moves earlier by roughly that much each year, until a leap month (Adhik Maas) is added and it jumps back.
Is Maha Shivaratri on the same day everywhere?
For the cities checked (New Delhi, London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Dubai, Singapore, Johannesburg) the date is the same. Dates can still differ in other places, because tithis are read at local sunrise or sunset.