PM Narendra Modi greets nation on Maha Shivratri

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted the nation on the holy occasion of Maha Shivratri.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said, "Heartfelt greetings and best wishes on the occasion of Maha Shivratri.

"Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will be unveiling 112-foot tall statue dedicated to `Adiyogi` (a form of Lord Shiva who according to the Hindu tradition is considered the first of yogis) in Coimbatore.

Maha Shivratri which means the Great Night of Shiva is being celebrated today, as it is a festival celebrated annually in honour of lord Shiva.

There is a Shivratri in every luni-solar month of the Hindu calendar, on the month`s 13th night and 14th day, but once a year in late winter February or March, or Phalguna and before the arrival of spring marks Maha Shivaratri. 

It marks a remembrance of overcoming darkness and ignorance in life and the world. It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers, fasting, doing Yoga and meditating on ethics and virtues such as self-restraint, honesty, forgiveness.