KARACHI: The majestic Shree Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple built on different levels in a rocky cave in Clifton wore a new look this year for the three-day grand festival of Maha Shivratri that concluded here on Thursday.

Maha Shivratri celebrates the occasion of Lord Shiva’s wedding with Parvati Devi. The festivities at the temple over the three days did in fact remind one of a house busy in wedding preparations. There were volunteers helping with cooking a feast for the hundreds of yatris or pilgrims. Some peeled potatoes, some peas, as some cleaned the rice. And they did it while fasting.

Both men and women were observing fast which is mandatory if you are healthy. The husbands and wives were fasting for their marriage to remain happy and those who were not married were fasting in the hope of finding a loving and caring match.

The temple priest, Maharaj Ravi Ramesh, told Dawn that the women also prepared puja thalis or plates with offerings for the gods that include flowers, a coconut, some rice, incense sticks and a small diya to take to the beach barefoot just before dawn for aarti. After that they break their fasts to enjoy the bhojan or meals which they had all helped cook in the temple kitchen.

Although puja is carried out in all Hindu temples here throughout the three days, the Shree Ratneswar Mahadev Temple is ideally situated for the festival as it is near the beach. This year, it has been undergoing renovations, which really made it dazzle during this festival.

“From dusk to dawn we do Shiva pujafour times every three hours. During this time, we bathe Lord Shiva’s murti [statue] with milk, yogurt, honey, sugar, ashes and bael patra, or golden apple leaves, for the coming true of our wishes,” said the maharaj. “It also happens most of the time that someone would bring holy water from the Ganges River to bathe Shiva,” he added.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2025