The Maha Shivratri Festival is being celebrated with full religious fervor and gaiety across the country today. AIR correspondent reports that the festival symbolizes the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. <br/> <br/>In Madhya Pradesh, processions of Shiv Barats are being taken out across the state on Mahashivratri day. <br/> <br/>In Orissa, Mahashivaratri is being observed today with religious sentiments among the devotees. Hundreds of thousands devotees are seen standing in long queues in major temples of Lord Shiva in the state to have darshan.<br/><br/>In Jammu and Kashmir, Mahashivratri is being celebrated with traditional gaiety and religious fervor throughout, heavy inflow of the devotees is seen at Shiv Khori cave shrine.<br/><br/>Over one lac devotees has paid obeisance at the historic Shiv Khori cave shrine since the start of the festival, till this evening.<br/><br/>A three-day fair on the occasion of Maha Shivratri is going on at Shiv Khori, in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.<br/><br/> In UP, lakhs of devotees thronged various Shivalayas after taking holy dip in Ganga, Yamuna and other sacred rivers and ponds. Lakhs of pilgrims from across the country gathered at famous Kashi Vishwanath Mandir in Varanasi amid elaborate security arrangements. <br/><br/>AIR correspondent Salman Haider reports from Gorakhpur that ‘Huge crowd was queued up along the barricades till late evening to get a glimpse of lord shiva in Kashi Vishwanath temple. The whole city is still filled with joy with crowd chanting Har-Har Mahadev. Shiv barat comprising people wearing masks of demons, ghosts and similar odd creatures was taken out to the streets of Kashi this evening. A large crowd of foreigners was also present to witness the spectacular procession. Meanwhile the Friday prayers in nearby Gyanvapi mosque also passed off peacefully.