Alipurduar, 11th February: The auspicious Hindu festival Maha Shivaratri celebrated in honour of God Shiva falls on February 18 this year. Like every year on Maha Shivaratri, a large number of devotees visit the Mahakal Caves, located in the village of Jayanti situated close to the Bhutan border. It is a popular pilgrimage site.
Situated at an altitude of about 3000 feet the Mahakal caves are known to be one of the 51 Shakti Peeths in the country. Hence, on Maha Shivaratri, devotees throng from different districts of North Bengal and Bhutan. They have to walk through the dense forest of Buxa Tiger Reserve and the Jayanti river towards the high and inaccessible mountain. There is no road in this difficult terrain.





