Shiv Raatri is one of the most important festivals of Hinduism glorifying Lord Shiva, who is known as the Destroyer in the Hindu Trinity of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Protector and Preserver), and Shiva. He is propitiated through the medium of a lingham. Lord Shiva is worshipped to ward off dangers and evils assailing mankind. Devotees pray with utmost reverence (bhakti) to the Lord and see God in everything around them. They attempt to reach the pinnacle of divinity through meditation and concentration on Shiva chanting OM NAMAH SHIVAAYA. The Lord bestows auspicious blessings in abundance on devotees who pray with sincerity and makes the devotees immortal. According to Hindu scriptures, anyone who fasts on Shiv Raatri and prostrating before the Lord would gain salvation. Thus, many Hindus fast and visit the temple. The day is so auspicious that Lord Shiva sheds grace on anyone who even accidentally and unintentionally utters or listens to his name.

Shiv Raatri is a national holiday in India and the country is virtually closed down with every Hindu (80% of the country of 1.2 billion) in a worshipping mode. Forget about shopping and dining out (except at hotels). Alcohol consumption was also prohibited (except in hotels). Temples are packed and there is a lot of pushing and shoving to get inside the temple; getting inside the inner santum of where the murthis are positioned is impossible. Murthis made of marble adorn the larger temples in the big cities.

In NY, thousands visited the temples during Sunday and Monday nights to propitiate the Lord. In Mumbai where I visited the Shiva Temple in Juhu Beach, there were long lines of processions to enter the temple from early Saturday continuing non-stop well into Sunday and probably until the festival concluded on Tuesday morning.

As in Guyana and NY, in India, Shiva was worshipped through the medium of ritualistic poojas, meditation, singing, and chanting of verses from the scriptures. Bliss, piousness and peace pervaded as one can hear the pandit rattling his verses. People performed non-stop aartees on the Shiva Murthi and the lingham. Incense burned continuously. Fire glowed eternally in the havan kund as devotees made offerings of samagri and other paraphernalia. The long lines of worshippers offered jaal including water from the Holy Ganges on the Shiva Lingam. In NY, the rituals were similar with devotees guided by the pandits. Like in India, there were also long lines of devotees at the Guyanese Mandirs in NY to make offerings in the kund; but hundreds of millions visited the temples in India as opposed to only tens of thousands in Guyana and NY. Unlike in NY, the temples and the streets were beautifully decorated all over India where I traveled in Delhi, Rajasthan, Mumbai, and Uttar Pradesh, where most Guyanese trace their roots. Beautifully decorated Murthis of Lord Shiva are on display everywhere, almost in every street. Police escorts are posted at every street corner and in front of every temple because of threats from terrorists. Multi-colored electronic flights flash in front of every mandir and streets are well lit comparable to Xmas or Diwali in Guyana. The sceneries were those of a wedding – beautiful lights, balloons, and streamers – decorations not seen in NY for Shiv Raatri. One other difference is in NY; as people prayed, devotional songs were sung and the pandits delivered a discourse on Lord Shiva.
VISHNU BISRAM