Visiting Varanasi for Mahashivratri? Here's what you should know!
Your guide to spending Mahashivratri in Kashi
Kashi, Varanasi (the original name is Anandvan) is not only the most ancient living city in the whole world, it is an entire grid of consciousness.
During Mahashivratri, the city of Kashi comes alive. Here are a few things that you need to know if you are here for Mahashivratri (8th March 2024) and in the future.
Key tips to keep in mind:
1. Mahashivratri is celebrated as the wedding of Shiva and Parvati. There is a huge ‘Baraat’ which goes out, including all the different devatas, asuras, various communities, ganas as Shiva is the lord of the entire universe - all the beings of the universe are present in the union of the universe itself! You can watch the Baraat from the main road near the Vishwanath temple which culminates at the road at Dasaswamedh ghat, in the night time.
2. One of India’s BEST music festivals known as Dhrupad mela starts for the four days that lead up to Mahashivratri. Dhrupad is the most oldest form of classical music. It comes from the Sama Veda and Dhrupad Mela has been going on for centuries! It is located at Tulsi Ghat and is a Jagran that starts at 7pm and ends at 7am in the morning. Highly recommend this immersive experience.
3. Mahashivratri is of course the best time to do Rudra Abhishek rituals. This is a 1 - 1.5 hours ritual where Shiva is made a complete offering, you can get a Rudra abhishek conducted by an authentic Karmakandi pandit in your locality, or if you are in a teerth Kshetra. There are huge spiritual benefits of doing a Rudra abhishek ritual!
4. Be sure to visit more of the lesser known temples during the day, all the way across to Panchganga ghat where you have Bindu Madhav temple, the ancient Puranic temples near Sankata Mata mandir, Mahamrityunjaya mandir, the different graha temples like Chandreshwar, Brihaspateshwar etc. Many people come to Kashi for the special Panchkroshi yatra which starts at night the day before Shivratri, however there is a lot of crowd.
5. There will be a lot of opportunity to do danam during Shivratri, one of the best things to do in Kashi is Annadanam or donations of food. You can buy some wheat and rice and offer it to the people sitting with the bowls. Apart from this danam directly in temples for which I shared my contact of Rudreshwar Mahadev for regular danam options, this year it will be Swarna danam or donations of gold, you can contribute any amount even 111 Rs and this is highly significant to receive abundance and health. His contact is 7355334772 for direct danam and rituals even if you are elsewhere.
6. Be sure to take a Ganga snaan on the day of Mahashivratri. Most people come to take bath at Dasaswamedh Ghat, however if you want more space you can go either to Kedar Ghat or Panchganga Ghat for less crowd.
7. Regarding safety and ESPEICALLY of safety for solo female travellers, there’s a lot that I have to write on that and will cover in a separate article!
8. Bhang, let’s come to this last haha because we can’t have an article on Mahashivratri without Bhang. Yes, Bhang is a Prasadi of Shiva. You can get it in the lassi shops but most are NOT authentic. One place you can try for lassi is Baba Lassi in Bangali Tola. Having said this, I never take bhang lassi, I only take it directly from the temple because that is the real bhang which is offered to shiva. PLEASE be sure to only consume small amounts. If you are taking for the first time do not take more than one spoon! It’s extremely strong. Be safe and always pray to shiva and consume as a Prasadi not as a drug.
That’s all for now, wishing you all a Shubh Mahashivratri!!!