Photos: Hindus celebrate Maha Shivaratri
March 10, 2013
Priests carry a shrine of Lord Shiva, a Hindu deity, to bless devotees as they pray during the annual Maha Shivaratri festival at Shivam Kovil in Colombo March 10, 2013. Sri Lanka's Hindu devotees celebrate the annual Maha Shivaratri festival by fasting for an entire day and holding a night long vigil at Hindu temples island wide. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte ( SRI LANKA )
Indian Hindu devotees wait in line to pay their respects to a Shiva Lingam, a stone sculpture representing the phallus of Lord Shiva, at the Shivala Temple in Amritsar on March 10, 2013, on the occasion of the Maha Shivaratri festival dedicated to the Hindu God, Lord Shiva. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images ( 518046393 )
Indian Hindu devotees wait in line to pay their respects to a Shiva Lingam, a stone sculpture representing the phallus of Lord Shiva, at the Shivala Temple in Amritsar on March 10, 2013, on the occasion of the Maha Shivaratri festival dedicated to the Hindu God, Lord Shiva. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images ( 518046400 )
Indian Hindu devotees offer prayers to a Shiva Lingam, a stone sculpture representing the phallus of Hindu god Lord Shiva, on Maha Shivaratri at the Keesaragutta Temple on the outskirts of Hyderabad on March 10, 2013. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty Images ( 518047551 )
Indian Hindu devotees offer prayers to a Shiva Lingam, a stone sculpture representing the phallus of Hindu god Lord Shiva, on Maha Shivaratri at the Keesaragutta Temple on the outskirts of Hyderabad on March 10, 2013. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty Images ( 518047522 )
A Sadhu smokes marijuana from a clay pipe as a holy offering for Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction, at the Pashupatinath temple during Maha Shivaratri in Kathmandu on March 10, 2013. Hindus mark the Maha Shivratri festival by offering special prayers and fasting. Hundreds of sadhu arrived in Pashupatinath to take part in the Maha Shivaratri festival. PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images ( 518050786 )
Naga sadhus - Hindu holy men - take out a religious procession to offer holy water from the Ganga river at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on March 10, 2013 on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri and the last day of the Kumbh. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. AFP PHOTO/ SANJAY KANOJIA ( 518048301 )
Naga sadhus - Hindu holy men - take out a religious procession to offer holy water from the Ganga river at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on March 10, 2013 on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri and the last day of the Kumbh. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images ( 518047900 )
Naga sadhus - Hindu holy men - take out a religious procession to offer holy water from the Ganga river at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on March 10, 2013 on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri and the last day of the Kumbh. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images ( 518048198 )
Naga sadhus - Hindu holy men - take out a religious procession to offer holy water from the Ganga river at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on March 10, 2013 on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri and the last day of the Kumbh. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images ( 518048184 )
Indian Hindu artists dressed as Lord Shiva and his consort Parwati ride in a religious procession in Varanasi on March 10, 2013 on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri and the last day of the Kumbh. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images ( 518048336 )
Indian devotees dressed as lord Shiva (L) and Goddess Kali (R) look on in a procession during the Maha Shivaratri festival in Amritsar on March 10, 2013, on the occasion of the festival dedicated to the Hindu God, Lord Shiva, Maha Shivaratri. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images ( 518050751 )
A Sadhu smokes marijuana from a clay pipe as a holy offering for Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction, at the Pashupatinath temple during Maha Shivaratri in Kathmandu on March 10, 2013. Hindus mark the Maha Shivratri festival by offering special prayers and fasting. Hundreds of sadhu arrived in Pashupatinath to take part in the Maha Shivaratri festival. PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images ( 518050815 )
Indian Hindu devotees carry a cake onto a mini truck, to distribute to the devotees during the Maha Shivaratri festival dedicated to the Hindu God Lord Shiva, in Amritsar on March 10, 2013. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images ( 518052256 )
A Hindu devotee prays during the annual Maha Shivaratri festival at Shivam Kovil in Colombo March 10, 2013. Sri Lanka's Hindu devotees celebrate the annual Maha Shivaratri festival by fasting for an entire day and holding a night long vigil at Hindu temples island wide. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte ( SRI LANKA )
A Hindu devotee prays during the annual Maha Shivaratri festival at Shivam Kovil in Colombo on March 10, 2013. Sri Lanka's Hindu devotees celebrate the annual Maha Shivaratri festival by fasting for an entire day and holding a night long vigil at Hindu temples island wide. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte ( SRI LANKA )
Hindu devotees pray during the annual Maha Shivaratri festival at Shivam Kovil in Colombo March 10, 2013. Sri Lanka's Hindu devotees celebrate the annual Maha Shivaratri festival by fasting for an entire day and holding a night long vigil at Hindu temples island wide. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte ( SRI LANKA )
A Sri Lankan Hindu devotee offers prayers while holding an oil lamp during the Maha Shivaratri festival at a temple in Colombo on March 10, 2013. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images ( 518052548 )
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