Vrat · Shiva

Masik Shivratri

The monthly night of Shiva, on the fourteenth day of the waning moon. Devotees fast and worship Shiva at night.

Next Masik Shivratri
Saturday 7 November 2026
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Saturday 7 November 2026

Krishna Chaturdashi tithi

Begins
10:48 am
Ends
11:28 am, 8 Nov
Sunrise
6:37 am
Sunset
5:32 pm
Moonrise
5:41 am, 8 Nov
Moonset
4:02 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Saturday 7 November 2026

Nishita Kaal puja

11:39 pm to 12:31 am, 8 Nov

Chaturdashi begins
10:48 am
Chaturdashi ends
11:28 am, 8 Nov

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Fast during the day
  • Worship Shiva at night
  • Chant Om Namah Shivaya

What it remembers

Masik Shivratri falls on the fourteenth night of the dark fortnight of every month, the night before the new moon. It is the monthly form of Maha Shivratri: devotees fast through the day, worship Shiva at night, especially at Nishita Kaal around midnight, and many keep it all year as a vow.

The monthly great night

Each month’s Krishna Chaturdashi is Shiva’s night, the Shivratri, and the one in Phalguna (Magha in the purnimanta reckoning) is the great one, Maha Shivratri. The Ishana Samhita says Shiva first appeared as the endless column of light at midnight on a Chaturdashi; every month’s fourteenth night recalls it.

Lakshmi, Saraswati and the gods

The Puranas tell that Lakshmi, Saraswati, Gayatri, Sita, Parvati and Rati all kept the Masik Shivratri vrat, and that it brings what is sought to those who keep it for a year and more. Many begin it on Maha Shivratri and keep it monthly after.

Darkest before the new moon

The fourteenth of the waning moon is the darkest night but one. The yogic tradition holds that the body’s energies rise on this night, so it is kept awake and in stillness, as Maha Shivratri is.

The night puja

The puja is kept at night, and above all in Nishita Kaal around midnight. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. Fast through the day: on fruit and milk, or without food.
  2. Bathe in the evening and worship Shiva at night as a linga or image.
  3. Bathe the linga with water, milk, curd, honey and ghee, then water, and offer bilva leaves, white flowers, dhatura and ash.
  4. At Nishita Kaal, around midnight, do the main puja and chant Om Namah Shivaya or the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra.
  5. Keep awake for part of the night, or the whole night, with bhajans.
  6. Break the fast the next morning after sunrise.

What you need

  • A Shiva linga or image
  • Water, milk, curd, honey and ghee for the abhishek
  • Bilva leaves, white flowers and dhatura
  • Vibhuti, a ghee lamp and incense

Across India

Across India

Kept as a monthly vow, at home and at Shiva temples, with the night puja at midnight.

Tamil Nadu

Masa Sivaratri: abhishek through the four watches of the night at the great Shiva temples.

Varanasi and Ujjain

Special night worship at Kashi Vishwanath and Mahakaleshwar each month.

The yogic tradition

Kept as a night of sadhana: awake, still, with the spine upright.

When it falls

Once a month, on Krishna Chaturdashi. Kept on the day the tithi holds at midnight. In the month of Maha Shivratri, Maha Shivratri takes its place.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Coming Masik Shivratri dates

New Delhi, India time

  • Sat 7 Nov 2026
  • Mon 7 Dec 2026
  • Tue 5 Jan 2027
  • Thu 4 Feb 2027
  • Mon 5 Apr 2027
  • Tue 4 May 2027
  • Thu 3 June 2027
  • Fri 2 July 2027
  • Sat 31 July 2027
  • Mon 30 Aug 2027
  • Tue 28 Sept 2027
  • Wed 27 Oct 2027

Questions

When is Masik Shivratri in 2026?

Saturday 7 November 2026, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Masik Shivratri fall?

Once a month, on Krishna Chaturdashi. Kept on the day the tithi holds at midnight. In the month of Maha Shivratri, Maha Shivratri takes its place.

How is Masik Shivratri kept?

Families fast during the day, worship Shiva at night and chant Om Namah Shivaya. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Masik Shivratri?

Shiva. The monthly night of Shiva, on the fourteenth day of the waning moon. Devotees fast and worship Shiva at night.

How is Masik Shivratri different from Maha Shivratri?

Every month’s fourteenth dark night is a Shivratri. The one in Phalguna (Magha in the purnimanta reckoning) is Maha Shivratri, kept by everyone; the monthly ones are a vrat for the devoted. That month has no separate Masik Shivratri.

What is Nishita Kaal?

The muhurta around midnight, a fifteenth of the night centred on its middle, when Shiva is said to have appeared as the linga. The page shows it for your city.

How is the date set?

The day is the one whose midnight falls in Chaturdashi. If Chaturdashi holds at no midnight, the day whose night it covers most is kept.

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