First Sawan Somwar vrat Festivities - The Holy Month of Shravan

In Hindu calendar, there comes a month called the ‘Shravan month’, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This month is also known as Sawan month. The month is considered extremely auspicious in India. Devotees observe fasts and worship Lord Shiva to seek his blessings.

All Mondays or Somwars of the Shravan month are considered highly auspicious for fasting. They are addressed as Shravan Somwar or Sawan Somwar. Mondays are the days of Lord Shiva and the Mondays of Sawan month become even more significant. Devotees observe 3 types of fasts during this time:

1. Sawan Somvar vrat: Fasting on Mondays only in the month of Sawan
2. Solah Somwar vrat: Fasting for 16 Mondays (solah somwar) in the month of Sawan
3. Somya Pradosh vrat: Fasting till evening during Pradosham

Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are worshipped and pleased by fasting and offering bel patra, datura, rose or marigold flowers and more. Devotees observe fasts and perform special pujas to receive blessings from them.

Dates of Sawan Somwar vrat in 2016 for Rajasthan

Sawan Somwar vrat in Jaipur

- The Jharkhand Mahadev temple and Govind Dev Ji temple in Jaipur will witness extreme crowd of devotees during the Shravan month, especially on July 25th, the first Sawan Somwar vrat of 2016. Other than these all Lord Shiva temples in the city will receive good crowds of devotees offering prayers to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

- Post Office Department of Rajasthan state will offer ‘gangajal’ (sacred water from River Ganga) to the devotees in the pink city. 287 bottles of gangajal have already been sold in the capital Jaipur itself. The department has made some 21,725 INR from this.

- Jaipur city has a special Shiv temple where a snake visits during Shravan month every year and then returns back to the jungle. This tale is of an ancient Shiv temple in the Siddhpeeth Ashram at Ghat ke Balaji, where this long snake comes and sits over the shivlinga, lets devotees worship it and then returns back to the jungle. This may seem very astonishing but it’s true. This year too, the snake came to the shivlinga of this temple at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 morning (just before the Shravan month begins).

This temple is run by Geeta Gyan Prasar Trust. The trust chairperson Yogiraj Harpal Singh confirmed that this snake visits the shivlinga regularly during the Shravan month every year. Also the snake never bites anyone, which is why devotees have immense faith in the temple.

How is Sawan Somwar vrat performed?

Today on July 25, 2016 is the first Monday of the Shravan month. This is a highly auspicious day. Here is how devotees perform the first Sawan Somwar vrat of 2016.

- Devotees wake up early in the morning and visit the nearest temple.

- The ‘shivalinga’ is worshipped with offerings such as water, milk, bel patra, datura, flowers and more.

- Devotees vow to perform all 4 Sawan Somwar vrat with complete faith.

- They chant the name of Lord Shiva and meditate.

- In the evening, the puja is performed once again where both Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are worshipped.

- The Somwar vrat katha is recited in temples. You can either recite or listen to the Sawan Somwar vrat katha. Without listening to the katha, the fast is considered as incomplete.

- Aarti is performed in temples. And people distribute ‘prashad’ (sacred food/sweets) to family members and others in the neighbourhood.

- After this the devotees can consume ‘satvik khana’ that is the food for fast.

Why Do People Keep Sawan Somwar vrat?

It is believed that Sawan Somwar vrat offers the following auspicious results:

- It reduces and eliminates the difficulties and tensions of your life

- Lord Shiva blesses unmarried girls who observe this vrat with desired husband and married women get blessed with long life and well-being of husbands and sons.

- All wishes of Lord Shiva devotees get fulfilled and they get blessed with wealth and prosperity.