🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 132 (from laksa142)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa132.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical, ml_categories_json AS ml_categories_json, ml_types_json AS ml_types_json, ml_intent_types_json AS ml_intent_types_json, meta_language AS meta_language, attrs_author AS attrs_author, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_publish_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_original_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_original_publish_time, ifNull(attrs_is_republished, 0) AS attrs_is_republished, ifNull(attrs_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_nr_words, ifNull(attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, ifNull(body_ext_links_number, 0) AS body_ext_links_number, ifNull(body_int_links_number, 0) AS body_int_links_number, ifNull(meta_nofollow, 0) AS meta_nofollow, ifNull(meta_noarchive, 0) AS meta_noarchive, ifNull(props_was_rendered, 0) AS props_was_rendered, ifNull(src_redirect, \'\') AS src_redirect, ifNull(download_time_msec, 0) AS download_time_msec, ifNull(download_ttfb_msec, 0) AS download_ttfb_msec, ifNull(download_size, 0) AS download_size FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml","crawl_time":1769227087,"first_indexed_time":1562492365,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"uk,co,bbc!www,\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml s443","src_root_hash":"2272746388958996332","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"BBC - Religions - Hinduism: Mahashivratri","meta_descriptions":["Mahashivratri is a Hindu festival dedicated to Shiva, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Mahashivratri\nFind this year's date in the multifaith calendar\nBathing the Shiva linga\n©\nMahashivratri (also known as Shivaratri) is a Hindu festival dedicated to\nShiva\n, who destroys the universe, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity.\nNight and day\nWhile most Hindu festivals are celebrated during the day, Mahashivratri is celebrated during the night and day that come just before the new moon.\nEach new moon is dedicated to Shiva, but Mahashivratri is especially important because it is the night when he danced the 'Tandav', his cosmic dance.\nIt also celebrates the wedding of Shiva and Sati, the mother divine. Night represents evil, injustice, ignorance, sin, violence, and misfortune.\nTradition says that Shiva, like his symbol the new moon, appeared in order to save the world from darkness and ignorance, before the world entered complete darkness.\nThe festival\nDevotees of Shiva observe a fast during Mahashivratri and stay up all night at a place of worship.\nShiva is offered special food made from the fruits of the season, root vegetables, and coconuts, during ritual worship.\nThose who observe the Mahashivratri fast only break their fast the next morning, and eat the\nprasad\n(food offerings) offered to Shiva.\nDevotees at the temple\n©\nYoung girls observe the fast and worship Shiva so that he may bless them with good husbands. They sing devotional songs in praise of the lord, and holy texts are chanted throughout the night.\nThe pandits in the temples perform the\npuja\n(religious worship) according to the scriptures. This is done four times during the night.\nIn temples, Shiva linga - the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva - is worshipped. Devotees flock to the temples to perform the ritual of bathing the Shiva linga.\nIt is bathed with milk, water and honey, and then anointed with sandalwood paste, and decorated with flowers and garlands.\nThe legend of Lubdhaka\nThe legend surrounding the festival of Mahashivratri says that Lubdhaka, a poor tribal man and a devotee of Shiva, once went into the deep forests to collect firewood.\nAt nightfall, he became lost and could not find his way home.\nShiva\n©\nIn the darkness, Lubdhaka climbed a bel tree, and sought safety and shelter in its branches until dawn.\nAll night, he could hear the growls of tigers and wild animals, and was too frightened to leave the tree.\nIn order to keep himself awake, he plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and then dropped it, while chanting the name of Shiva.\nBy sunrise, he had dropped thousands of leaves on to a Shiva lingam, which he had not seen in the darkness. Lubdhaka's all-night worship pleased Shiva.\nBy the grace of Shiva the tigers and wild animals went away, and Lubdhaka not only survived but was rewarded with 'divine bliss'.\nTop","attrs_markdown":"## Cookies on the BBC website\nWe use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We also use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the BBC website. However, if you would like to, you can [change your cookie settings](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/privacy\/cookies\/managing\/cookie-settings.html) at any time.\n\n- Continue\n- [Find out more](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/privacy\/cookies\/bbc)\n\n[British Broadcasting Corporation![BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/staticarchive\/2e00d1d53e9c3bd91993196aa19a1d88589969f0.png)Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/)\n\n**[Accessibility links]()**\n\n- [Skip to content](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-content)\n- [Skip to local navigation](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-local-nav)\n- [Skip to bbc.co.uk navigation](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-nav-main)\n- [Skip to bbc.co.uk search](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-search)\n- [Accessibility Help](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/accessibility\/)\n\n[This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/globalresources\/mothballing)\n\n[Religions](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/ \"Religions\")\n\n# Mahashivratri\n*Last updated 2009-08-28*\n\nMahashivratri is a Hindu festival dedicated to Shiva, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity.\n\n## On this page\n- [Find out more](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml#findoutmore \"See more related content\")\n### Page options\n- [Print this page](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml)\n\n### Mahashivratri\n[Find this year's date in the multifaith calendar](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/tools\/calendar\/faith.shtml?hindu)\n\n![A Hindu monk in orange robes pours water over the phallic symbol of Shiva](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/staticarchive\/4433a91cc91ccaff3e0a194fee01896d0fd590ac.jpg) Bathing the Shiva linga [©](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/copyright.shtml)\n\nMahashivratri (also known as Shivaratri) is a Hindu festival dedicated to [Shiva](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/deities\/shiva.shtml), who destroys the universe, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity.\n\n### Night and day\nWhile most Hindu festivals are celebrated during the day, Mahashivratri is celebrated during the night and day that come just before the new moon.\n\nEach new moon is dedicated to Shiva, but Mahashivratri is especially important because it is the night when he danced the 'Tandav', his cosmic dance.\n\nIt also celebrates the wedding of Shiva and Sati, the mother divine. Night represents evil, injustice, ignorance, sin, violence, and misfortune.\n\nTradition says that Shiva, like his symbol the new moon, appeared in order to save the world from darkness and ignorance, before the world entered complete darkness.\n\n### The festival\nDevotees of Shiva observe a fast during Mahashivratri and stay up all night at a place of worship.\n\nShiva is offered special food made from the fruits of the season, root vegetables, and coconuts, during ritual worship.\n\nThose who observe the Mahashivratri fast only break their fast the next morning, and eat the *prasad* (food offerings) offered to Shiva.\n\n![ Devotees at the temple](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/staticarchive\/72b2554a570cd2985ce9b5687dc045e7f1b58e45.jpg) Devotees at the temple [©](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/copyright.shtml)\n\nYoung girls observe the fast and worship Shiva so that he may bless them with good husbands. They sing devotional songs in praise of the lord, and holy texts are chanted throughout the night.\n\nThe pandits in the temples perform the [puja](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/worship\/worship.shtml) (religious worship) according to the scriptures. This is done four times during the night.\n\nIn temples, Shiva linga - the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva - is worshipped. Devotees flock to the temples to perform the ritual of bathing the Shiva linga.\n\nIt is bathed with milk, water and honey, and then anointed with sandalwood paste, and decorated with flowers and garlands.\n\n### The legend of Lubdhaka\nThe legend surrounding the festival of Mahashivratri says that Lubdhaka, a poor tribal man and a devotee of Shiva, once went into the deep forests to collect firewood.\n\nAt nightfall, he became lost and could not find his way home.\n\n![Shiva sitting in the lotus position](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/staticarchive\/1e7640245741bd8890ca8824678880c1296edfe1.jpg) Shiva [©](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/copyright.shtml)\n\nIn the darkness, Lubdhaka climbed a bel tree, and sought safety and shelter in its branches until dawn.\n\nAll night, he could hear the growls of tigers and wild animals, and was too frightened to leave the tree.\n\nIn order to keep himself awake, he plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and then dropped it, while chanting the name of Shiva.\n\nBy sunrise, he had dropped thousands of leaves on to a Shiva lingam, which he had not seen in the darkness. Lubdhaka's all-night worship pleased Shiva.\n\nBy the grace of Shiva the tigers and wild animals went away, and Lubdhaka not only survived but was rewarded with 'divine bliss'.\n\n[Top](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml#top \"go to the top\")\n\n## Find out more\n- [Shiva](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/deities\/shiva.shtml \"Read more on Shiva\")\n\n[Top](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml#top \"go to the top\")\n\n## « [More Hinduism](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/ \"More Hinduism\")\n## See also\n- [Religion and Ethics home](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/ \"Go to the Religion and Ethics homepage\")\n- [Interfaith calendar](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/tools\/calendar\/ \"Go to the Interfaith calendar\")\n- [Ethics guides](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/ethics\/guide\/ \"Go to Ethics Guides\")\n\n## Around the BBC\n- [In pictures - Life at the temple](http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/1\/hi\/in_pictures\/4721745.stm)\n\n## Elsewhere on the web\n- [Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies](http:\/\/www.ochs.org.uk\/)\n- [Heart of Hinduism](http:\/\/hinduism.iskcon.com\/)\n- [Indian Temples](http:\/\/www.indiantemples.com\/)\n- [Early Hinduism](http:\/\/www.ancientindia.co.uk\/hinduism\/home_set.html)\n\n## BBC iD\n[Sign in](https:\/\/ssl.bbc.co.uk\/id\/signin)\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/ssl.bbc.co.uk\/id\/settings)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/ssl.bbc.co.uk\/id\/signout)\n## BBC navigation\n- [News](http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/)\n- [Sport](http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/)\n- [Weather](http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/weather\/)\n- [iPlayer](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/iplayer\/)\n- [TV](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/tv\/)\n- [Radio](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/radio\/)\n- [More…](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/religion\/religions\/hinduism\/holydays\/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-nav)\n\n- [CBBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/cbbc\/)\n- [CBeebies](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/cbeebies\/)\n- [Comedy](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/comedy\/)\n- [Food](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/food\/)\n- [History](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/history\/)\n\n- [Learning](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/learning\/)\n- [Music](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/music\/)\n- [Science](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/science\/)\n- [Nature](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/nature\/)\n- [Local](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/local\/)\n\n- [Northern Ireland](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/northernireland\/)\n- [Scotland](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/scotland\/)\n- [Wales](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/wales\/)\n- [Full A-Z of BBC sites](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/a-z\/)\n\n## BBC links\n- - [Mobile site](http:\/\/m.bbc.co.uk\/)\n  - [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/terms\/)\n  - [About the BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/aboutthebbc\/)\n- - [Privacy](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/privacy\/)\n  - [Accessibility Help](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/accessibility\/)\n- - [Cookies](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/privacy\/cookies\/about)\n  - [Contact the BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/contact\/)\n- - [Parental Guidance](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/guidance\/)\n\n![BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/staticarchive\/a8e42f8fe987b7cc9bf2d43b74b2c74b2448d2e3.png)\n\nBBC © 2014 [The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/help\/web\/links\/)\n\n**This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.**\n\n![](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/staticarchive\/56d45f8a17f5078a20af9962c992ca4678450765.gif)","attrs_readable_markdown":null,"meta_canonical":null,"ml_categories_json":"{\"\/People_and_Society\":994,\"\/People_and_Society\/Religion_and_Belief\":993}","ml_types_json":"{\"\/Article\":877,\"\/Article\/Story\":376}","ml_intent_types_json":"{\"Informational\":999}","meta_language":"en-gb","attrs_author":null,"attrs_publish_time":1059609600,"attrs_original_publish_time":1059609600,"attrs_is_republished":0,"attrs_nr_words":"797","attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words":"469","body_ext_links_number":6,"body_int_links_number":76,"meta_nofollow":0,"meta_noarchive":0,"props_was_rendered":1,"src_redirect":"","download_time_msec":90,"download_ttfb_msec":88,"download_size":36713}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

3 months ago

🚫

ROBOTS BLOCKED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	3 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

Page Details

Property

Value

URL

https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml

Last Crawled

2026-01-24 03:58:07 (3 months ago)

First Indexed

2019-07-07 09:39:25 (6 years ago)

HTTP Status Code

200

Content

Meta Title

BBC - Religions - Hinduism: Mahashivratri

Meta Description

Mahashivratri is a Hindu festival dedicated to Shiva, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity.

Meta Canonical

null

Boilerpipe Text

Mahashivratri Find this year's date in the multifaith calendar Bathing the Shiva linga © Mahashivratri (also known as Shivaratri) is a Hindu festival dedicated to Shiva , who destroys the universe, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity. Night and day While most Hindu festivals are celebrated during the day, Mahashivratri is celebrated during the night and day that come just before the new moon. Each new moon is dedicated to Shiva, but Mahashivratri is especially important because it is the night when he danced the 'Tandav', his cosmic dance. It also celebrates the wedding of Shiva and Sati, the mother divine. Night represents evil, injustice, ignorance, sin, violence, and misfortune. Tradition says that Shiva, like his symbol the new moon, appeared in order to save the world from darkness and ignorance, before the world entered complete darkness. The festival Devotees of Shiva observe a fast during Mahashivratri and stay up all night at a place of worship. Shiva is offered special food made from the fruits of the season, root vegetables, and coconuts, during ritual worship. Those who observe the Mahashivratri fast only break their fast the next morning, and eat the prasad (food offerings) offered to Shiva. Devotees at the temple © Young girls observe the fast and worship Shiva so that he may bless them with good husbands. They sing devotional songs in praise of the lord, and holy texts are chanted throughout the night. The pandits in the temples perform the puja (religious worship) according to the scriptures. This is done four times during the night. In temples, Shiva linga - the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva - is worshipped. Devotees flock to the temples to perform the ritual of bathing the Shiva linga. It is bathed with milk, water and honey, and then anointed with sandalwood paste, and decorated with flowers and garlands. The legend of Lubdhaka The legend surrounding the festival of Mahashivratri says that Lubdhaka, a poor tribal man and a devotee of Shiva, once went into the deep forests to collect firewood. At nightfall, he became lost and could not find his way home. Shiva © In the darkness, Lubdhaka climbed a bel tree, and sought safety and shelter in its branches until dawn. All night, he could hear the growls of tigers and wild animals, and was too frightened to leave the tree. In order to keep himself awake, he plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and then dropped it, while chanting the name of Shiva. By sunrise, he had dropped thousands of leaves on to a Shiva lingam, which he had not seen in the darkness. Lubdhaka's all-night worship pleased Shiva. By the grace of Shiva the tigers and wild animals went away, and Lubdhaka not only survived but was rewarded with 'divine bliss'. Top

Markdown

## Cookies on the BBC website We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We also use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the BBC website. However, if you would like to, you can [change your cookie settings](https://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/cookies/managing/cookie-settings.html) at any time. - Continue - [Find out more](https://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/cookies/bbc) [British Broadcasting Corporation![BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/2e00d1d53e9c3bd91993196aa19a1d88589969f0.png)Home](https://www.bbc.co.uk/) **[Accessibility links]()** - [Skip to content](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-content) - [Skip to local navigation](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-local-nav) - [Skip to bbc.co.uk navigation](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-nav-main) - [Skip to bbc.co.uk search](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-search) - [Accessibility Help](https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/) [This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/globalresources/mothballing) [Religions](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/ "Religions") # Mahashivratri *Last updated 2009-08-28* Mahashivratri is a Hindu festival dedicated to Shiva, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity. ## On this page - [Find out more](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml#findoutmore "See more related content") ### Page options - [Print this page](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml) ### Mahashivratri [Find this year's date in the multifaith calendar](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/tools/calendar/faith.shtml?hindu) ![A Hindu monk in orange robes pours water over the phallic symbol of Shiva](https://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/4433a91cc91ccaff3e0a194fee01896d0fd590ac.jpg) Bathing the Shiva linga [©](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/copyright.shtml) Mahashivratri (also known as Shivaratri) is a Hindu festival dedicated to [Shiva](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/deities/shiva.shtml), who destroys the universe, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity. ### Night and day While most Hindu festivals are celebrated during the day, Mahashivratri is celebrated during the night and day that come just before the new moon. Each new moon is dedicated to Shiva, but Mahashivratri is especially important because it is the night when he danced the 'Tandav', his cosmic dance. It also celebrates the wedding of Shiva and Sati, the mother divine. Night represents evil, injustice, ignorance, sin, violence, and misfortune. Tradition says that Shiva, like his symbol the new moon, appeared in order to save the world from darkness and ignorance, before the world entered complete darkness. ### The festival Devotees of Shiva observe a fast during Mahashivratri and stay up all night at a place of worship. Shiva is offered special food made from the fruits of the season, root vegetables, and coconuts, during ritual worship. Those who observe the Mahashivratri fast only break their fast the next morning, and eat the *prasad* (food offerings) offered to Shiva. ![ Devotees at the temple](https://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/72b2554a570cd2985ce9b5687dc045e7f1b58e45.jpg) Devotees at the temple [©](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/copyright.shtml) Young girls observe the fast and worship Shiva so that he may bless them with good husbands. They sing devotional songs in praise of the lord, and holy texts are chanted throughout the night. The pandits in the temples perform the [puja](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/worship/worship.shtml) (religious worship) according to the scriptures. This is done four times during the night. In temples, Shiva linga - the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva - is worshipped. Devotees flock to the temples to perform the ritual of bathing the Shiva linga. It is bathed with milk, water and honey, and then anointed with sandalwood paste, and decorated with flowers and garlands. ### The legend of Lubdhaka The legend surrounding the festival of Mahashivratri says that Lubdhaka, a poor tribal man and a devotee of Shiva, once went into the deep forests to collect firewood. At nightfall, he became lost and could not find his way home. ![Shiva sitting in the lotus position](https://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/1e7640245741bd8890ca8824678880c1296edfe1.jpg) Shiva [©](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/copyright.shtml) In the darkness, Lubdhaka climbed a bel tree, and sought safety and shelter in its branches until dawn. All night, he could hear the growls of tigers and wild animals, and was too frightened to leave the tree. In order to keep himself awake, he plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and then dropped it, while chanting the name of Shiva. By sunrise, he had dropped thousands of leaves on to a Shiva lingam, which he had not seen in the darkness. Lubdhaka's all-night worship pleased Shiva. By the grace of Shiva the tigers and wild animals went away, and Lubdhaka not only survived but was rewarded with 'divine bliss'. [Top](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml#top "go to the top") ## Find out more - [Shiva](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/deities/shiva.shtml "Read more on Shiva") [Top](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml#top "go to the top") ## « [More Hinduism](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ "More Hinduism") ## See also - [Religion and Ethics home](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ "Go to the Religion and Ethics homepage") - [Interfaith calendar](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/tools/calendar/ "Go to the Interfaith calendar") - [Ethics guides](https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/guide/ "Go to Ethics Guides") ## Around the BBC - [In pictures - Life at the temple](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4721745.stm) ## Elsewhere on the web - [Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies](http://www.ochs.org.uk/) - [Heart of Hinduism](http://hinduism.iskcon.com/) - [Indian Temples](http://www.indiantemples.com/) - [Early Hinduism](http://www.ancientindia.co.uk/hinduism/home_set.html) ## BBC iD [Sign in](https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/id/signin) - [Settings](https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/id/settings) - [Sign out](https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/id/signout) ## BBC navigation - [News](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/) - [Sport](http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/) - [Weather](http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/) - [iPlayer](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/) - [TV](https://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/) - [Radio](https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/) - [More…](https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml#blq-nav) - [CBBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/) - [CBeebies](https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/) - [Comedy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/) - [Food](https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/) - [History](https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/) - [Learning](https://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/) - [Music](https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/) - [Science](https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/) - [Nature](https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/) - [Local](https://www.bbc.co.uk/local/) - [Northern Ireland](https://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/) - [Scotland](https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/) - [Wales](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/) - [Full A-Z of BBC sites](https://www.bbc.co.uk/a-z/) ## BBC links - - [Mobile site](http://m.bbc.co.uk/) - [Terms of Use](https://www.bbc.co.uk/terms/) - [About the BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/) - - [Privacy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/) - [Accessibility Help](https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/) - - [Cookies](https://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/cookies/about) - [Contact the BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/) - - [Parental Guidance](https://www.bbc.co.uk/guidance/) ![BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/a8e42f8fe987b7cc9bf2d43b74b2c74b2448d2e3.png) BBC © 2014 [The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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