Bhubaneswar: Sawan or ‘Shravan’ Month, is one of the holiest Hindu months and is dedicated to Lord Shiva in India. Shravan Month 2019 is from July 17 to August 15. It is the fifth month in a traditional Hindu lunar calendar and is considered as one of the holiest months dedicated to Lord Shiva.
In this month, each Monday is celebrated as Shravan Somvar across all temples with the Dharanatra hanging over the Shiva linga, bathing it with holy water and milk, throughout the day into the night. Devotees offer bel leaves, flowers, holy water and milk to lord Shiva on every Shravan Somwar (Monday).
The famous Lingaraj temple of Lord Shiva attracts lakhs of devotees in the month of Shravan. Thousands of Bol Bom (kawadia) pilgrims have started congregating in the temple since Sunday evening to pour holy water in the 11th century shrine.
Jagannath Temple and Loknath Temple in Puri, Kapilash temple in hilly terrains of Dhenkanal, Somnath Temple in Sambalpur and Akhandalamani Temple in Bhadrak also witnessed heavy crowd. Tight security arrangements have been made for ensuring smooth and incident-free darshan.
While most of the devotees are males, nowadays quite of number of girls and womenfolk have started participating in the bol bam yatra. Most of them travel by foot, but a few take on to bicycles, motor vehicles,etc.
Numerous voluntary organizations set up camps along the National Highway and roadsides to provide food, shelter, medical aid and stands to hang the ‘Kawads’, (pots holding the holy water). It is believed that the pots should not touch the ground in between picking up the water and pouring it on the Lord.
During the course of the month, the star ‘Shravan’ rules the sky, hence the month is called Shravan. This month is spread out with innumerably religious festivals and ceremonies and almost all the days of this month are auspicious.