Shravan Month 2020 is about to begin. This year the auspicious month starts from July 23 and ends on August 22. In the Hindu calendar, Shravan month is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his wife Goddess Parvati. The whole month is considered auspicious to seek the blessing of Lord Shiva.
Many devotees observe sixteen Mondays or Solah Somwar fasting from the first Somwar of Sawan maas. This month is also filled with other festivals such as Naga-Panchami, Govatsa, Shravani Purnima, Vara Lakshmi Vrata, Raksha Bandhan, Kalkyavatara, and Putradaikadashi.
The end of Sawan is celebrated with festivals like Teej and Rakshabandhan in places like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh.
According to the Amavasyant calendar (the Hindu calendar in which a month ends with Amavasya or the new moon day), the month of Shravan starts on July 23 and ends on August 19. It is practiced by devotees in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
The important dates of Shravan as per the Amavasyant calendar are:
- July 21 – Shravan month begins
- July 27 – First Shravan Somwar
- August 3 – Second Shravan Somwar
- August 10 – Third Shravan Somwar
- August 17 – Fourth Shravan Somwar
- August 19 – Shravan month ends
The important dates of Shravan as per Purnimant are:
- July 6 – First Shravan Somwar (First Monday and the first day of Shravan)
- July 13 – Second Shravan Somwar
- July 20 – Third Shravan Somwar
- July 27 – Fourth Shravan Somwar
- August 3 – Fifth Shravan Somwar (last Somwar and the last day of the month)
A lot of people observe fast the entire Sawan Month and pray to the Shiva Lingam every day. They also organize various puja and other ceremonies to please Lord Shiva and to get his blessings. All Mondays in Shravan month are celebrated in Lord Shiva temples. A Dharanatra is hung over the Shiva Lingam filled with Holy water and milk, to continuously bathe the lingam, throughout the day and night.
