In Shaivism, ritual life revolves around honoring Shiva as supreme reality, most often through worship of the Shiva lingam. Daily worship (nitya‑puja) in homes and temples typically begins with preparing and purifying the altar, lighting lamps and incense, and invoking Shiva with mantras such as “Om Namah Shivaya.” The core of this worship is the sequence of offerings (upacharas), which may include water for purification, ritual bathing of the lingam (abhisheka), clothing or decoration, sandal paste, sacred ash, flowers, and especially bilva leaves. Aarti, the waving of light before the deity accompanied by bells and devotional song, and circumambulation of the sanctum, complete the sense of direct encounter with the divine presence. In temple settings, this pattern is often repeated several times a day, with additional adornment (alankara) of the lingam or image and distribution of blessed food (prasada) to devotees.

Abhisheka itself occupies a central place in Shaiva devotion, both in simple daily forms and in the more elaborate Rudrabhisheka. The lingam is bathed with water, milk, yogurt, honey, ghee, and other consecrated liquids while Vedic hymns such as the Rudram and associated chants are recited. This ritual is understood as an act of purification and surrender, a symbolic offering of all elements back to their source in Shiva. Larger communal rites such as extended Rudra‑pujas intensify this pattern through repeated recitation and collective participation, and are sought for peace, removal of obstacles, and spiritual upliftment. Alongside these outer rites, mantra‑japa—especially repetition of the pañcākṣarī “Om Namah Shivaya”—and meditation on Shiva’s form or the lingam as formless consciousness are regarded as essential disciplines.

The Shaiva calendar is marked by recurring vows and festivals that deepen this ritual rhythm. Mondays are widely observed as especially sacred to Shiva, often with fasting, additional puja, and increased mantra‑japa. The twilight period of the thirteenth lunar day (pradosha) is treated as a particularly potent time for worship, and many devotees also maintain regular fasts linked to traditional observances. Above all stands Mahāśivarātri, the “great night of Shiva,” when devotees keep vigil through the night in several segments, each marked by abhisheka, puja, and continuous chanting of Shiva’s names. Fasting, storytelling, and listening to sacred narratives of Shiva’s deeds are woven into this vigil, which is regarded as especially favorable for inner purification and the reception of grace.

Across these varied practices, Shaivism consistently joins external ritual with an inner orientation toward Shiva as the very ground of consciousness. Sacred ash (bhasma) and rudrākṣa beads are used both as offerings and as supports for remembrance, marking the body as a field of Shiva’s presence. In more contemplative and esoteric lineages, this insight is carried further through internal worship (mānasa‑puja), where all the traditional offerings are visualized within the heart or subtle centers, and the body itself is regarded as Shiva’s temple. Thus, while the concrete forms of puja—lamps, flowers, water, mantra—may vary by region and lineage, they converge in a shared intention: purification, surrender, and progressive recognition of one’s own nature as not other than Shiva.