Even though mahashivratri puja is celebrated across the country, rituals remain usually almost same. Occurring on the 14th night after the new moon is seen, Shivratri is to be held on 4th March this year. On this auspicious occasion, devotees seek blessings from the Lord Shiva in order to have their sins washed away and have a prosperous life ahead. It is believed that Shiva and Shakti come together on this day. In case you have been baffled about how to do shiva puja on MahaShivaratri, this article gives you all the necessary information that you need.

What are the Timings of MahaShivratri Puja?

Scheduled to be held on 4th March, 2019, MahaShivratri Puja is said to be celebrated to destruct any kind of negative energy and illusion as well. Here are the timings of Chaturdashitithi, puja and breaking the fast:

During the MahaShivaratri 2019, Chaturdashitithi begins at 4:34 p.m. on 4th of March, 2019 and ends at 7:07 p.m. on the same day. The NishitaKal puja is scheduled to be held in between 12:25 a.m. and 01:14 a.m. The puja timings of mahashivratri 2019 date and day are as follow:

The First Prahar Puja happens in between 06:41 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

The Second Prahar Puja happens in between 9:45 p.m. and 12:49 a.m.

The Third Prahar Puja happens in between 12:49 a.m. and 3:54 a.m.

The Fourth Prahar Puja happens in between 3:54 a.m. and 6:48 a.m.

You can break your fast in between 6:58 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. on 5th of March, 2019

What is the Ideal Way of Worshipping Lord Shiva?

Following the ideal way to worship Lord Shiva, you will attain blessings from him and will be protected from being affected by the negative energy as well. Here is the method of doing puja on mahashivaratrithat has been described in the Shiva Purana and has been being followed by priests for years:

Every Three Hours: Priest perform the puja of the deity every three hours on the occasion of Shivaratri. Devotees keep chanting ‘Om NamahShivaya’ during these hours while ringing the bells at the temple.

Bathing the Lingam: The first stage of doing the puja is bathing the Shiva Lingam. Priests usually bath the lingam with honey, milk, ghee, sugar, yogurt and water as well. This symbolizes the way a soul is purified upon taking a bath. The six items mentioned above are said to be absolutely indispensable during the bathing ceremony.

The Vermillion Paste: On completion of the bath, vermillion paste is applied on the Shiva lingam. Once the vermillion paste is applied, a bilva leaf is placed at the top of the lingam. You must ensure that it has three leaves in it.

Offering Jujube Fruit: Now you can offer the jujube fruit to the Lord Shiva. Jujube fruit is considered to be the symbol of fulfillment of desires.

Betel Leaves: Priests now will offer the betel leaves which are said to satisfy the Lord Shiva with pleasures of the world.

Garlands: At this stage, you can put a garland of flowers on the lingam. Devotees are allowed to burn incense sticks at this stage. True devotees often hug the lingam after offering puja to it.

As the puja continues, devotees stay awake throughout the night and keep chanting Om NamahShivaya. Devotees who pray to the god sincerely are said to be blessed with longevity and prosperity. On completion of the puja next morning, devotees can break the fast with light food.

What are the Things that You Must do During the Puja?

First of all, you must get up very early in the morning to get started for the shivratri celebration. Devotees are supposed to take bath in the evening as well in case they are planning to visit the temple again. Depending on your convenience, you have to perform the puja at least one time or all four times on the day of Shivaratri. In case you are performing all four prahar pujas, you are expected to use water, curd abhishek, ghee abhishek and honey abhishek respectively during the prahars. Continuous chanting of the mantra Om NamahShivaya is absolutely mandatory for those who are performing puja at home or temple. If you are doing puja at home, you should consider using madar flower, vibhuti, bilva leaves, chandan, kumkum and so on to worship the Lord Shiva and satisfy him. Many agree over the fact that devotees should have one meal on the day before the Mahashivaratri in order to ensure that there is no undigested food present inside the body.