Why does Lord Shiva wear a snake around his neck? Click here to know the story of Vasuki

Mahashivaratri also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. The Hindu calendar is lunisolar, but most festival dates are specified using the lunar part of the calendar. We are all excited about Mahashivaratri. 

This year Mahashivaratri is falling on 18 February 2023. There are 12 Jyotirlingas and many temples in the country of Lord Shiva, but these 12 Jyotirlingas have their own importance.

Please tell that, according to popular belief, Mahadev himself is sitting in the form of light in these 12 Jyotirlingas.

The glory of the description of 12 Jyotirlingas has been described in Shiv Puran Katha. These 12 Jyotirlingas are Mallikarjunam, Vaidyanatham, Kedarnatham, Somanatham, Bhimashankaram, Nageswaram, Visveswaram, Trimbakeshwara, Rameswaram, Ghrishneswaram, Mamleshwaram, and Mahakaleswaram. 

The things common to all the 12 Jyotirlingas and temples are the serpent around Lord Shiva's neck, the Ganges in his hair, the moon on his head, and the trishul-damru in his hand.

For your information, let us tell you that there are different importance behind wearing all these things. Nag considers Mahadev as his deity. A snake's garland is also wrapped around his neck. According to legend, Nagraj Vasuki was an ardent devotee of Mahadev. 

He was always engrossed in his worship. During the Samudra Manthan, Nagraj Vasuki worked as a rope.

Mahadev was impressed by the devotion of Nagraj. Tell that, he gave a boon to Vasuki to be wrapped around his neck. After which Nagraj Vasuki became immortal. The festival of Nag Panchami is celebrated in the month of Sawan.