Shivarathiri Festival Kolam

Why Lord Shiva is worshiped in the form of Linga?        

           Once upon a time Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu started quarreling. The topic was that who is stronger between them. Then Lord Shiva appeared as a Linga and said whoever reaches the top of the Linga will be declared the winner. Both of them started to climb on the Linga but none of them reached the top. From that day it was declared that Lord Shiva is the strongest of all. And this form of Shiva is mostly worshiped.

Why is Shivarathiri celebrated?

           According to a legend, Parvati performed tapas, prayed and meditated on this day to ward off any evil that might befall her husband on the moonless night. Since then, Maha Shivaratri is believed to be an auspicious occasion for women to pray for the well-being of their husbands and sons.  

          Here is the Kolam of Lord Shiva in the form of Linga drawn at our Pooja room:


 


Here is the same Kolam with two lamps near Lord Shiva: