Maha Shivratri 2016
An Indian Hindu devotee dressed as the deity Shiva takes part in a procession during the Maha Shivaratri festival in Amritsar, India. NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images

On 7 March Indians around the world celebrate Maha Shivratri, an auspicious Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. Many believe that those who worship Lord Shiva on the Maha Shivratri would be cleansed of all their sins, making it one of the most important festivals in the Hindu religion.

Maha Shivratri is said to be the day when Lord Shiva, destroyer of the universe, married Goddess Parvati. Parvati is the mother goddess in Hinduism and represents love, fertility and devotion. A number of Indian women conduct a hunger fast on the day of Maha Shivratri to appease Goddess Parvati.

On 7 March as thousands of people prepared to attend the Maha Shivratri prayers at their temples, a number of Bollywood actors also joined in the festivities, wishing their followers for the auspicious day. IBTimes UK rounds up what India's rich and famous had to say on Maha Shivratri 2016.

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