SOUNDS of Shiva shambho shambho and Hara Hara Mahadeva reverberated through our bus as it moved through Durban, stopping at temples along the way where devotees could offer their obeisance to Lord Shiva.
It was Wednesday evening, February 26, and Hindus around the world were celebrating Maha Shivaratri; the great night of Lord Shiva.
It is one of the most sacred celebrations on the Hindu calendar and devotees usually fast, chant, pray and sing bhajans (sacred songs) at home or in temples throughout the night.
Globally the event was live streamed across the world from various regions in India. In Durban and Gauteng, the occasion was even more special as the Hindu Unity Forum of South Africa (Hufsa) had organised a Shiva Yatra or spiritual journey for those who wanted to visit various temples throughout the night.
That’s how I found myself on one of the many buses, wedged between two female devotees who I’d never met.
We started out as strangers when we boarded the bus at 5pm on Wednesday, by the time we said goodbye on Thursday at 6am we were friends, promising to do it again next year.
In 2025 Maha Shivaratri had the added significance of falling on the last day of the Maha Kumbh Mela, a sacred gathering of tens of millions of Hindus which occurs every 144 years. There they gather to bathe at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three sacred rivers, to wash away their sins.
In Durban our first stop was at the Durban Hindu Temple behind the court in Somtseu Road.
Then we were back on the bus for our next stop at the Shree Shiva Subramanyar Temple in Sirdar Road, Clairwood. We got there in time for the hawaan and had supper before moving to the next stop at the Railway Barracks Shree Emperumal Temple in Chatsworth.
At the Chinmaya Mission in Chatsworth, hundreds of devotees stood in snaking queues which started outside the temple, holding lotas (vessels) filled with milk to offer to Lord Shiva.
There Swami Abehedananda spent hours throughout the night seated in the lotus position while performing abishegam by continuously pouring milk over the Shivling (representation of Lord Shiva) while chanting mantras.
The intensity of the spiritual vibration was so palpable that you could not leave unchanged.
In other venues around the temple, groups gathered to enjoy the spiritual concerts, prasad (food that had been offered to the God and blessed) or just sit in the garden and meditate.
Other stops were made at Vishwaroop Temple and Dharmasala in Tongaat, the Shree Gopal Lal Temple in Temple Valley, Phoenix, Stonebridge Mariammen temple in Phoenix, Ramakrishna Centre in Glen Anil, Asherville Saiva Sithanta Sungum and then back to the Durban Hindu Temple. Along the way there were a few other “bonus” temple stops and all of them were filled to capacity.
In Gauteng, devotees also boarded buses and made their way to various temples in different towns.
The one thing that stood out for me was the significant role of women in all the gatherings. They led many of the programmes, especially the music, and were responsible for welcoming the crowds and ensuring that everyone was taken care of.
While those on the Shiva Yatra could soak up the bliss and bathe in the potent energies of Lord Shiva, for the Hufsa organisers like Praneal Singh, Vinay bhai and and Ami bhen, it was a busy night ensuring that everyone was accounted for, picking up people at the designated stops and ensuring that everything went according to plan.
In Clairwood the buses had a lot of clever manoeuvring to do as some of the roads were waterlogged as a result of the heavy rains in the nights before the event. However, Singh said he was “ecstatic” as the event and number of attendees had grown considerably from last year.
Throughout the night various social media platforms were flooded with videos and pictures as devotees shared their highlights with each other.
The Yatra was free for all devotees as the buses and everything else were made possible by generous sponsors.
Apart from the bhajans, the blessings and the biryani there were many laughs as well, especially when we got curious looks from people who could clearly see we had come from the temple and then went straight to the casino - but that's where some had parked their cars. It was indeed the great night of Lord Shiva and the best way to spend my birthday.
