Maha Shivratri or 'Great Night of Lord Shiva' is one of the most significant festivals for Hindus across the world. Maha Shivratri is dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Shiva and is celebrated on the Chaturdashi Krishna Paksha of Phalguna month (as per Purnimant calendar) and Magha (as per Amavasyant calendar).
On Shivratri, devotees take a holy dip in the Ganga or any river in the vicinity and Shiva temples across the country see thousands of devotees with milk, fruits, and other offerings for Lord Shiva, or as he is lovingly called 'Bholenath'.
Ahead of Maha Shivratri on Thursday, know what offerings (bhog or naivedhya) you can prepare for Lord Shiva and then consume to break the fast.
Panchamrit
Panchamrita is a mixture of five foods used in Hindu as well as Jain worship and puja and 'Abhiṣeka'.
To prepare Panchamrit, you would need a cup of raw milk, one banana (optional), a fistful of raisins (optional), 2/3 teaspoons of ghee, 1/2 cup curd, 4/5 teaspoons of honey, and/or 1/2 cup of sugar crystals. If you are adding the fruits, you need to add Mishri. All you need to do is to blend all the ingredients and 'panchamrit' is ready.
Sheetal Prasad
To make Sheetal Prasad, you would need Makhana, coconut, Kaju (cashew), raisins and badam (roughly chopped), 1-2 teaspoon wheat flour, one cup raw milk, 1/2 cup jaggery, 1-2 teaspoon ghee, and one mashed banana. Mix all these ingredients together, and the prasad is ready.
Payasam
To prepare Payasam, you would need one-liter milk, 1/4 cup of rice, one-and-a-half cup sugar, or jaggery. In a pan, heat some milk, and once it boils, add rice. Add sugar or jaggery to the mix until it dissolves and then add dry fruits to the payasam. Turn off the flame and once the Payasam cools down, transfer it to a bowl.
Panjiri
Take about 1 tablespoon of pure desi ghee and add 1/2 cup of 'atta' (wheat flour) in a pan and roast it until it browns. Then add the roughly chopped Panch Mewa (makhana, cashews, almonds, grated coconut and raisins, or any other dry fruit). Add jaggery powder or sugar and mix well.
