The Sacred Month of Shrawan

Sacred among the Hindus is the holy month of Shrawan (July-August). It holds great significance to the devotees of Shiva, the most powerful and feared God in the Hindu religion. In this month, the devotees of Shiva pay visit to the holy shrines of the God, the most important being the Baba Dham in India and Pashupatinath temple in Nepal.



The Monday of this month is considered to be more sacred than any other Mondays and the devotees, especially women and girls stand in the long queue to pay respects to the God. They also keep fast every Monday of Shrawan. Unmarried girls fast to get good husbands like the God himself and married women for the safety and peace of their husbands and families.

It is also the month of greenery and love. In this month, married women along with keeping fast for their husbands also adorn their hands with green, red and yellow bead necklace and bangles as a symbol of married life. One belief is that women are closer to the nature and in the month of Shrawan, we see greenery everywhere, the fields covered with lush green crops, usually rice plants. Thus, they wear the color green as a symbol of being closer to the nature.

Not just married women but also unmarried girls are found clad in green and yellow bangles these days. It has started as a trend and we can see the females clad in these three colors throughout this month.