Maha ShivRatri Celebrated with Devotion and Fervor in Houston

HOUSTON: Thousands of devotee’s gathered on March 7, Monday to celebrate Shivratri at the Sanatan Shiv Shakti Temple located at 6640 Harwin. Maha Shivratri is celebrated around the world and has many symbolisms and stories attached to it. Among householders, it is considered the night when Shiva married Parvati. Among the ambitious, Shiva is said to have defeated all his enemies on this day. For spiritual seekers, this is the day when Shiva merged with Mount Kailash. These stories reflect the auspicious nature of this most significant of nights. In Houston, since early morning Monday the devotee started coming to the temple for Darshan and Blessings. The head priest of the temple Pandit Virat Mehta as always welcomed all who came to the temple. Celebrating the festival of Shivaratri devotees observe day and night fast and perform ritual worship of Shiva Lingam to appease Lord Shiva. The program culminated with enchanting dance drama performed by the local non-profit Kalakriti Performing Arts (www.kalakritiusa.org), depicting the episode of Lord Shiva’s life where he marries Parvati. The 30 min episode was full of colorful costumes and charming choreography by artistic director Kusum Sharma. The Maha Arti was done at 7:45 pm and throughout the night Pooja’s were held by Pandit’s Virat Mehta, Prakash and Hardik.

For more details on Shiv Shakti Temple please visit www.shivshaktimandir.org