Maha Shivratri
Maha ShivratriReuters

Lord Shiva devotees celebrate Maha Shivratri on March 7 this year. Several followers take a holy dip at various pilgrimage destinations on this auspicious festival and some of them also smear ash on their bodies as part of special prayer to Mahadev, the god of destruction.

The festival is not just celebrated in India but also in other regions, including Nepal, where the Lord is worshipped. Maha Shivratri is believed to be the day when Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati. Thus, the day marks the union of Shiva and Shakti, the two greatest forces of the universe.

Shivratri night means a lot to unmarried women who worship to get a husband like Lord Shiva. Also, devotees worship to achieve success and to drive away evil spirits. It is believed that Hindu devotees stay awake all night to give company to Lord Shiva, who was not supposed to fall sleep after drinking the ocean poison after Samudra Manthan.

As devotees pray to the Lord, they chant "Om Namah Shivaya!" and "Har Har Mahadev." On this auspicious festival, several celebrities, including Akshay Kumar, Shruti Haasan, Anupam Kher and Rohit Roy, have wished their fans on social media.

Take a look at the tweets here:

Akshay Kumar

Happy birthday to @AnupamPkher ji and happy #Mahashivratri to you all! Remember feed someone instead of wasting milk today. #JaiHo :-)

Anupam Kher

Happy Maha-Shivratri to all of YOU and Happy Birthday to ME.:) #JaiHo

Shruti Haasan

Happy Mahashivratri to everyone !!

Sonu Nigam

Shubh Mahashivratri to all of you.... OmNamahShivaay..

Ayushmann Khurrana

'Boom' Shankar!! #Mahashivratri

Kartik Aaryan

A Very Happy #Mahashivratri to all of you :))

Hema Malini

In Mathura on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. May the Lord shower his blessings on all of us on this holy day

Kushal Tandon

Bam bam Bhole .... Happy maha Shivratri to all ...... Har har mahadev

Tanuj Garg

Happy #Mahashivratri everyone !

Mika Singh

Good morning ॐ Happy mahashivratri Aum Namah: Shivae May Lord Shiv & Maa Parvati Bless you always

Rohit Roy

Bare Bhaiya performing the Maha shivratri aarti at home.. Wish u all a very happy Maha shivratri... May lord shiva bless u all

Karanvir Bohra

Wishing all you #shivbhakts a #happymahashivratri