Maha Shivratri 2026

What this countdown tracks

Maha Shivratri 2026 — the "Great Night of Shiva" — falling on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Hindus across India and the diaspora observe an all-night vigil of fasting, chanting, and abhishekam (ritual bathing) of the Shivling, marking the most important date on the Shaivite calendar.

About this festival

Maha Shivratri is observed on the 14th night of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) of the lunisolar Hindu month of Phalguna (or Magha in some traditions). Shivratri — "Shiva's night" — falls every lunar month, but the Phalguna observance is "Maha" (great) Shivratri, the holiest of them all. Several traditions explain its significance: it is the night Shiva married Parvati; the night Shiva performed the Tandava, the cosmic dance of creation, preservation and destruction; the night of the appearance of the Shivling at Lingodbhava; and the night Shiva drank the Halahala poison churned from the cosmic ocean to save the universe.

Unlike most Hindu festivals, Maha Shivratri is observed primarily at night rather than at dawn. Devotees fast from sunrise on the day to sunrise the following morning, breaking the fast only after the all-night vigil. Many take a single fruit-and-milk meal in mid-day; the strict fast (nirjala) excludes even water. The night is divided into four prahars (three-hour watches), and a separate puja is performed in each, with abhishekam of the Shivling using milk, honey, ghee, yoghurt, water, sandalwood paste, bel leaves and fragrant oils.

How it's observed

The most-visited Maha Shivratri sites in India are the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines — Somnath in Gujarat, Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi, Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain, Trimbakeshwar near Nashik, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar near Pune, Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, Nageshwar in Gujarat, Baidyanath in Jharkhand, Mallikarjuna in Andhra Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, and Grishneshwar near Ellora. The night-long footfall at Kashi Vishwanath alone is in the millions; Mahakaleshwar's Bhasma Aarti (sacred-ash worship at 4 a.m.) is the most-attended ritual of the year.

Maha Shivratri is also a major day in Nepal — Pashupatinath in Kathmandu hosts more than 1 million devotees and tens of thousands of sadhus, with the Indian government providing a special border-crossing arrangement. In Mauritius, where Hindus are 48% of the population, the Maha Shivratri pilgrimage to the volcanic crater lake Ganga Talao is a national holiday and the largest pilgrimage outside India. Trinidad, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Bali all observe Maha Shivratri at major Shaivite temples.

The day-and-night fast is broken at dawn the next morning with prasad — typically a meal that includes thandai (a cold drink with almonds, fennel, cardamom and bhang in some traditions), kheer, fruits, and ladoo.

Past observances

• February 26, 2025 — Maha Shivratri 2025
• March 8, 2024 — Maha Shivratri 2024
• February 18, 2023 — Maha Shivratri 2023
• March 1, 2022 — Maha Shivratri 2022
• March 11, 2021 — Maha Shivratri 2021
• February 21, 2020 — Maha Shivratri 2020

How to observe

Drik Panchang and the Hindu American Foundation publish prahar timings for cities worldwide. Indian state broadcasters Doordarshan and Aastha cover the Bhasma Aarti at Mahakaleshwar live. Pashupatinath in Kathmandu is live-streamed by Nepali state television. Most major Shaivite temples now stream their abhishekam and aarti on YouTube.

Related countdowns

Maha Shivratri 2026 sits in the broader Hindu calendar alongside Maha Shivratri 2027, Hanuman Jayanti 2026, Akshaya Tritiya 2026 and Diwali 2026.

FAQ

When is Maha Shivratri 2026? Sunday, February 15, 2026; the night-long vigil begins at sunset February 14 and ends at sunrise February 15 in some traditions, or runs through the night of February 14–15. How is the fast observed? From sunrise to sunrise, with many devotees taking only a single fruit-and-milk meal at mid-day; the strict nirjala fast excludes even water. Where are the biggest pilgrimages? Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain), Pashupatinath (Kathmandu), and Ganga Talao (Mauritius). What's the Bhasma Aarti at Mahakaleshwar? The 4 a.m. ritual at the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga where the Shivling is anointed with sacred ash; one of Hinduism's most distinctive rituals.