6 most powerful and famous temples of Lord Shiva to visit on Mahashivratri

Mahashivratri, the ‘Great Night of Lord Shiva’, is one of the most sacred and powerful days when it comes to the worship of Lord Shiva. Some say it is the day Shiva married Parvati, others say it is the night he performed the Tandav, and some others claim that it is when Lord Shiva drank the halahal, the poison that came from the Samudra manthan. And while not many know which of these is true, everyone knows that the energies of Lord Shiva on this night are pure, pristine, and for some, overwhelming. And so, here we mention 6 powerful temples to visit on or before Mahashivratri.

One of the twelve jyotirlingas in India, the Kashi Vishwanath temple is in Varanasi, UP. It is considered one of the most powerful and holiest temples of Lord Shiva, and the shayan aarti (nighttime aarti) here is a privilege to attend. It is believed that Kashi is the city where Lord Shiva himself lives and the people of Kashi talk to Lord Shiva like he is their friend, their family, and a part of them. And thus the Kashi Vishwanath temple is believed to be the place where people can attain moksha, if not in life, atleast in the moment.

A temple that is accessed after a trek of over 18 kilometers, the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand is located in a dreamy location. Surrounded by the snow-clad Himalayas, Lord Shiva resides in the temple with Nandi, his bull and friend, right in front. It is said that when the Pandavas wanted to ask for forgiveness from Lord Shiva, he hid in the form of a hump. When Bhim spotted the bull, he quickly realised that it was Lord Shiva, but as Lord Shiva too sensed it, he quickly lept under the ground and left his hump at the region where the Kedarnath temple is today.

Another famous and powerful temple is the Somnath of Gujarat. It is a temple that truly stood the test of time and had to endure endless wars and attempts at invasions. The Somnath temple sees crowds of devotees in the days following up to Mahashivratri, and on the day of Shivratri as devotees come in for Shiv Abhishek, bhajans, and night-long prayers.

Another one of the most powerful and spiritually charged temples of Lord Shiva is Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain. The Mahakaleshwar temple is famous for its bhasm aarti where Lord Shiva is covered in sacred ash and is then adorned with a different look and face every single day. He is covered in flowers, beads, rudraksh, and much more, and looks at his devotees with a certain human-like gaze. Mahakaleshwar temple is also the only temple of Lord Shiva to face the South direction.

In Baidyanath temple, Jharkhand, Lord Shiva is not just a God, but also a healer, a ‘Baidya’. The Baidyanath temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and is known as a place of healing, as Lord Shiva is believed to have taken the form of a doctor. According to legend, Ravan, the demon king of Lanka, performed severe penance and impressed Lord Shiva with his devotion. And Lord Shiva granted him a Lingam to place in his kingdom but with the condition that it should not be kept on the ground before reaching Lanka. However, Ravan was tricked into placing it in Deoghar, where it became a Jyotirlinga.

Also known as the ‘Kailash of the South’, the Mallikarjuna temple in Srisailam is one of the most powerful temples in India for it combines the power of Shiva and Shakti. How? Mallikarjuna temple has a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti peeth within the same temple complex and the power and energy that this place holds is simply unmatchable. Shakti is worshipped here in the form of Shri Bhramaramba.