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Shiva is the epitome of faith for all Hindus. Being the principal deity of Hinduism, the benevolence and faith in him is tremendous. He is believed to be the destroyer of the evil and the transformer as well. However, to please him is very easy and that is why He is also called 'Bholenath.' Here is a list of things which Shiva likes the most and which should be offered on Maha Shivratri to appease the Lord. 1. Bael- The bel leaves or the trifoliate is offered to Lord Shiva as it signifies the three eyes and the three spokes of the Lord's Trishul. It even denotes the three gunas and is believed to be a coolant which is why Shiva loves it the most. 2. Datura- Datura is said to have appeared from the cheat of Lord Shiva when he consumed the poison which had been churned out of the cosmic ocean by the demons and devas in order to spread welfare and peace in the world. Hence, the lord loves this as an offering to himwhich enables one to get rid of his ego, envy, foul language and wicked nature. It makes the offerer fully cleansed of all his sins and enables him to emerge as a pure soul. 3. Bhang- Bhang or the Akhanda flowers in blue, as they generally are known as, intoxicates the mind and is offered to lord Shiva primarily during his puja as it signifies the throat of the Lord which turned blue when he consumed the poison to save the world. Therefore, it is one of the main components of worship for lord Shiva. 4. Banana- The yellow banana fruit is considered extremely auspicious and hence is one of the favourites to Lord Shiva. It is mandatory to have a banana in your list of offerings to Bholenath. 5. Curd- White in colour and a by product of milk, curd is very commonly used in Shiva's puja as it is very pure in form and even removes avidya. 6. Ghee- Again a pure and holy item, Ghee or clarified butter is obtained from the holy cow which itself is sacred to the Hindus and hence Ghee is offered in Shiva's puja on Shivratri, and even otherwise, so as to

Mahashivratri is celebrated generally in the 11th month of the Hindu calendar which happens to fall usually either in February or March, just before the onset of the spring season every year. This day is even called the Great Night of Shiva. The auspiciousness of this day lies in the fact that this day is believed to be the one on which Shiva rescued the world from destruction provided people would worship him with great pride and enthusiasm. This day, as per Hindu mythology, has been marked as a memorable day on which darkness and ignorance in the world was overcome. This day observes remembering the Lord through prayers, meditation, fasting and even doing yoga. The ultimate goal and primary focus on this day, while worshipping Shiva, should be to imbibe virtues and ethics of self-restraint, kindness, honesty, forgiveness to others and also to discover Shiva Himself.