Shravan Vrat

Religious vow (vrat) performed during
the entire lunar month of Shravan
(July–August), which is dedicated to the
god Shiva. During this month devotees
(bhakta) will perform various acts of
homage, abstinence, and worship,
although the strictness of this observance depends largely on individual
inclination. Some worshipers observe a
vow on each Monday of Shravan to worship Shiva (Monday is the day of the
week over which he presides). The
observant will fast (upavasa) during the
day, worship Shiva and members of his
“family” (Ganesh, Parvati, and Nandi),
and sometimes stay up late into the
night reciting Shiva’s mythic deeds.
Some devotees will also refrain
from cutting their hair and shaving
their beards during this month, in
imitation of Shiva’s primary identity as
the great ascetic.
Another observance falling in
Shravan is the festival of kanvars, in
which devotees draw pots of water from
the Ganges, suspend them from a bamboo pole (kanvar), and carry this water
to a Shiva temple, where it is offered to
Shiva. This practice occurs in many
places throughout northern India, but
the most famous place is at Deoghar in
the state of Bihar. There Shiva is present
in his form as Vaidyanath (“Lord of
Physicians”), and the image of
Vaidyanath at Deoghar is one of the
twelve jyotirlingas (images considered
especially sacred). Pilgrims going to
Deoghar draw their water from the
Ganges at Sultanganj, and then walk to
Deoghar to offer the water, a distance of
over sixty miles. This particular observance combines devotion to God with
the willingness to suffer hardship; it is
often performed to fulfill a vow made
when asking for some divine favor. See
also Solah Somvar Vrat.