Sawan or Shravan is the most auspicious month of the year for Hindus. The month has many important festivals and fasts. During this entire month, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are worshipped.Many devotees observe fast during this period and some also give up on non-vegetarian food for this period. This year’s Shravan or Sawan is special. Why? Keep reading to know!
Sawan 2023: It’s Special This Year
The auspicious time of Sawan or Shravan this year will last for two months unlike other years when it lasts one month. This is due to Adhik Shravan Maas which will take place this year after 19 years of gap. Hence this year Shravan will last for 59 days and 8 Mondays will be observed instead of 4.
Sawan fasts this year have already begun in many parts of the country from July 4. For Maharashtra, Gujarat and many other parts of the country it will begin from July 17. This is because Many states follow the Poornima or full moon rule and hence their Shravan begins from that day. The other states follow the Amavasya or no moon rule and hence their Shravan begins 15 days later.
Every Monday, devotees of Lord Shiva observe Sawan Somwar fast. During this they offer him various offerings like panchamrit, til, jaggery, bel patra, dhatoora, rice, and milk. Every Tuesday during this holy month, the Mangala Gauri Vrat, a fast for Mata Parvati, is celebrated.
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Kanwar Yatra
According to Hindu mythology, during Samudra Manthan or the churning of the ocean by demons and gods, many things came to the surface. This included the holy cow Kamdhenu, apsaras, Amrit and more. One of these things included Poison and to save the world from its destruction, Lord Shiva drank it.
This was because he was the only one who was capable of tolerating it. Soon after drinking it his body turned blue. Goddess Parvati got worried about this and entered his throat to stop the poison from spreading into his body. This incident took place in the month of Shravan and he was named Neelkanth after it.
Hindus view the month of Sawan as lucky because, in addition to Sawan Somvar fasting, it is associated with a number of significant festivals. Drikpanchang lists a number of the festivals and fasts including Kamika Ekadashi, Hariyali Teej, Mangala Gauri Vrats, Nag Panchami, Narali Purnima, Raksha Bandhan, and Kalki Jayanti.
The kanwar yatra begins during this auspicious month. It includes travelling to sacred locations, and offer Ganga water on shiva linga.
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Which is your favourite festival during Shravan?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva
First Published: July 11, 2023 10:50 PM