Saavan and Lord Shiv Pooja

(Image source: dwarkaparichay.blogspot.com)

Saavan(or Shravan) month of the Hindu Calender is said to be the most auspicious month(mid July to mid August) in the Hindu mythology. It is often marked with the advent of Monsoons over the Indian peninsular region which is revered as God’s blessings in the form of rains as it is these rains which help the farmers in providing emmense Water for irrigation.

Lord Shiv is said to have drunk the ‘Halahal(Poison)’ as it appeared during ‘Samudra Manthan’and thus protected the humanity and He became famous among the devotees as ‘Lord Neelkanth’ as his throat became blue because of the ‘Halahal’. You can now imagine how the God loves their creations. We too should try to maintain and strengthen this healthy relationship with spirituality. The mind is  should be pure and belief should be firm.

Saavan is also believed as the month during which the devotees offer their prayers along with ‘GangaJal( Water from the Holy Ganges)’ on the ‘Shivling’.( Shivling often has varied meanings prevlent among the masses but the most accepted belief is that Lord Shiv is worshipped in the ‘shivling’ form and hence it stands His  worship symbol for the devotees) .

(Image source: blog.onlineprasad.com)

It is a common belief among majority of the Hindu masses to observe austerity and fasting during this period. They travel to various Rivers

( Especially the Holy Ganges, Godavari, Shipra,Narmada), collect ‘Water’ in small pots which in turn are attached to the ‘Kaanvar’, a beautifully decorated arrangement as shown below. 

(Image source: sharathkomarraju.com)

These ‘Kaanvars’ are carried by the devotees on their shoulders to temples in their regions usually on footIt is believed that the ‘Kaanvars’ are not to be brought in contact with the ground until they are offered to the ‘Shivling’. The journey is none less than a festival. Many stalls are lined up for supporting and encouraging the devotees during the journey by providing them with food, and water and other requisites to make their journey a comfortable and memorable one. Free ‘Sharbat’ (An Indian drink prepared with water sugar and other flavouring syrups) stalls are very frequently installed along the route to keep the devotees energised during the entire journey. Stands are provided to keep the kanwars momentarily.

Their journey is often taken up saying ‘Har Har Mahadev’ or ‘Bol Bum’ (Hail the Lord Shiv). When they offer their collected water of the pots on the ‘Shivling’ and offer their prayers to Gods and Goddesses their journey is marked to be successful.God bestows them with blessings and it is believed that all your wishes come true(obviously it has be supported by equal amount of efforts by the people, as God helps those who at least ‘try’ to help themselves).

You can read in further details(if you’re curious to know more) from the following link

More on Saavan(rudraksha-ratna.com)

Lord Shiv is believed to be:

 ‘Bhole Baba'(The Lord who gets happy just with little amount of devotion, purity of Mind and soul and true belief)

A tri leaf combo( Belpatra) and ‘Dhatoora flower’ are the simplest offerings a devotee can offer.

Generally, fasts are observed on every Monday of Saavan Month. It is also believed that Girls keep fast to ensure that they get their desired soulmates. 

In a nutshell, Savan stands as bringing the devotees closer to their Almighty and connecting the mortal and the spiritual world together by means of Beliefs, traditions and simple rituals that have been prevlent in India since time immemorial and shall continue forever.

Om Namah Shivay

ऊँ नम: शिवाय

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