NAGPUR: In a land of innumerable gods, if there is one who is worshipped throughout the length and breadth of India, then it is Shiva. An ascetic for the yogi, a father for those seeking blessings, a householder for innumerable women who perform Shiv archana , Mahadev is a holistic god. He is the benevolent one who combines truth with beauty for the larger good and thus the phrase, satyam, shivam sundaram. This makes Shivratri a much revered and celebrated festival for millions who fast and perform night long pujas. Shiv is considered to be ajanma and avinashi. Shivratri is the night of manifestation of Shivlinga. It is the culmination of nine nights of shiv navratri. Kapil Chandrayan, a student of scriptures and astrology, says, "According to the shastras, Shiv is worshipped only in the form of a ling. But at home, shivlings made with gold, silver or sphatik should be kept. Stone lings which are fixed are for temples." Also known as Mahakaal or Mrityuanjay, Shiv worship is also performed by Aghoris, who pursue a communion with the Lord by living and performing rituals in crematoriums. "They worship the third face of the Lord, which is said to be destructive. This form of Shiva is said to reside at ghats. Also, for those who wish to surmount the threat of akaal mrityu or are in deep distress, Shiv puja or propitiating Mahakaal on this day becomes the last resort," says Chandrayan. What is ideally prescribed for observing Shivratri is fasting through the day and jagaran at night, which should be spent in singing bhajans and worshipping the Lord. "The night is divided in five different prahars and jaap of five different names of the Lord is done. At 12.30am or around midnight, there is a period of 40 minutes during which rudrabhishekh should be performed," says Kapil. Most of the essentials for performing Shiv worship are things which have a cooling effect. "Shiv, also known as Neelkanth, desires all things which are cool. The preferred colour is white. So there is milk, akshat (rice), dhatura flower, panchamrit, bhang and sugarcane juice, with which abhishek is performed," informs Chandrayan. Red colour is a taboo and bhasma abhishek should only be performed in the temple. The rituals aside, Shiv is a philosophy for many. Mukund Kulkarni, a scholar of cultural studies, says, "The name Shiv also means kalyan. In the trinity, he is considered the destroyer, but in fact he only protects and nurtures creation by holding the halahal (poison) in his neck. These lines, written by an unknown poet, sum up best the meaning of Shiva: 'Main madhu se anibhigya aaj bhi, jeevan bhar vishpaan kiya, kiya nahin vidhvans vishwa ka, jeevan bhar nirman kiya'." Bel is a must Shiv puja is incomplete unless Belpatri is offered to the lord. The leaves which have a trifoliate shape have multiple significance when used for Shiv worship. Like other offerings, they too have a cooling effect. The bel leaves also represent trikaal, trigun, tridosh, trivritti and trilok. Experts say 108 is the ideal number of leaves that should be offered to the Lord.