Shravana (month)

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For the Ramayana character, see Shravana Kumara. For other uses, see Shravana.

Shravana
Janmashtami is celebrated in the month of Shravana and commemorates the birth of Krishna
Native nameŚrāvaṇa (Sanskrit)
CalendarHindu calendar
Month number5
Number of days29 or 30
SeasonVarsha (monsoon)
Gregorian equivalentJuly–August
Significant days
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Shravana is the fifth month of the Hindu lunar calendar and the Indian national calendar.[1] The name of the month is derived from the position of the Moon near the Shravana nakshatra (star) on the full moon day.[2] The month corresponds to the monsoon (Varsha) season and falls in July–August of the Gregorian calendar.[3]

In the Hindu solar calendar, it corresponds to the month of Karkata and begins with the Sun's entry into Cancer.[4] It corresponds to Srabon, the fourth month in the Bengali calendar.[4] In the Tamil calendar, it corresponds to the fifth month of Avani, falling in the Gregorian months of August–September.[4][5] In the Vaishnav calendar, it corresponds to the fifth month of Sridhara.[6][7]

In the Hindu lunar calendar, each month has 29 or 30 days. The month begins on the next day after Amavasya (new moon) or Purnima (full moon) as per amanta and purnimanta systems respectively. A month consists of two cycles of 15 days each, Shukla Paksha (waning moon) and Krishna Paksha (waxing moon). Days in each cycle is labeled as a thithi, with each thithi repeating twice in a month.[8][9]

Festivals

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Haryali Teej

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In Hinduism, the month of Shravana is dedicated to god Shiva, with the devotees practicing various rituals to seek blessings and spiritual growth.[10] People usually observe fasting on Mondays of the month.[11]

Haryali Teej is celebrated on the Tritiya (third day) thithi after Amavasya (new moon).[12] It commemorates reunion of Shiva and Parvati, after Parvati fasted for years before being accepted by Shiva in her 108th birth.[13][14][15]

Janmashtami

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Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Hindu god Krishna and is celebrated on the Ashtami (eighth day) thithi of Krishna Paksha (waxing moon). It is one of the major Hindu festivals, especially those following Vaishnava traditions.[16]

Naga Panchami

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Naga Panchami is celebrated on the Panchami (fifth day) thithi of Shukla Paksha (waning moon) of the Shravana month. The day is dedicated to the worship of the snake god Nāga.[17][18] In Karnataka, Basava Panchami is celebrated on the fifth day after Amavasya, and commemorates the day when Lingayat saint Basava attained moksha in 1196 CE.[19]

Purnima

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Various Hindu religious festivals are celebrated on the Purnima (full moon) day of the month. Raksha Bandhan celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters, wherein sister(s) tie a thread on the brother's wrist.[20][21] In Haryana and Punjab, people observe the festival of Salono.[22] During the day, priests tie amulets on people's wrists for protection against evil.[23][24][25] The festival of also involves a sister tying a thread called ponchi on a brother's hand.[26][27][28]

On the Purnima day, certain communities such as Brahmins perform rituals associated with Upakarma. Men change their sacred thread and begin to don a new one on the day annually.[29]

Narali Poornima is celebrated in parts of Western India, where in coconuts are offered to Hindu god Varuna. It marks the beginning of the fishing season, and the fishermen make an offering to the god for bountiful harvest.[30][31] The Purnima day is also celebrated as Balarama's birthday.[32]

In Odisha, Gamha Purnima is celebrated during which domesticated cows and bullocks are decorated and worshipped. Country-made sweet such as pitha and mitha are made and distributed within families, relatives and friends.[33] In Jagannath culture, Krishna and Radha are believed to have enjoyed the rainy season of the month while playing on a swing. The celebration commemorating the event usually starts on Ekadashi (four days before Purnima) and ends with Jhulan yatra on Gamha Purnima. The idols of Radha-Krishna are decorated and placed on a swing (jhulan) on the day.[34]

In parts of Central India such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the Purnima day is celebrated as Kajari Purnima. The festivities start on Navami (ninth day) after Amavasya, and ends on the full moon day. Women, who have sons, perform various rituals on the day.[35] In parts of Gujarat, the Purnima day marks the event of Pavitropana. On this day, people perform puja to worship Shiva.[36][37][38] Cotton threads or strands of grass are soaked in panchagavya, and tied around a lingam.[39]

Pola

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Pola is a festival celebrated in parts of Maharashtra. It is a thanksgiving festival celebrated to honor the oxen, which had helped with the farming activities.[40]

Others

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On the Ekadashi (11th day) thithi, Vaishnavas in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan celebrate the birth of Pushti marga, the path of grace. Vallabhacharya offered a sacred thread (pavitra soothan) to god Krishna on this day. To commemorate this, divine threads are offered to devotees on the day.[41][42] On the Dwitiya thithi, Raghavendra Swami Punyathithi is observed, which commemorates the day when Hindu saint Raghavendra Tirtha, who advocated Madhvacharya's Dvaita philosophy, achieved moksha in 1671 CE.[43]

Yatras

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The annual Kanwar Yatra is held during the month, when devotees of Shivas known as Kanwarias travel by foot to various Hindu pilgrimage places such as Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch holy waters from the Ganges.[44] During Shravani mela, thousands of pilgrims walk about 100 km (62 mi), carrying water, from the Ganges from Sultanganj in Bihar to Deoghar in Jharkhand.[45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kenneth W. Morgan, ed. (1987). The Religion Of The Hindus. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 96. ISBN 978-8-120-80387-9.
  2. ^ Garima Garg (2022). Heavens and Earth: The Story of Astrology Through Ages and Cultures. Penguin Random House. p. 75. ISBN 978-9-354-92705-8.
  3. ^ Helene Henderson, ed. (2005). Holidays, festivals, and celebrations of the world dictionary (Third ed.). Detroit: Omnigraphics. p. xxix. ISBN 978-0-780-80982-6.
  4. ^ a b c Robert Sewell; John Faithful Fleet (1989). The Siddhantas and the Indian Calendar. Asian Educational Services. p. 334.
  5. ^ "Tamil Calendar – Months". Time and Date. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Vaisnava Calendar Reminder Services – About Calendar". Vaisnava Calendar. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Something about the Vaisnava Calendar". ISVARA. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Hindu calendar". ISKCON. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Hindu calendar". Arya Samaj. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Shravan Mass for Spiritual Growth and Divine Connection". Nepa Rudraksha. 11 July 2024. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  11. ^ "2022 Sawan Somwar, Shravan Somwar Vrat dates for New York City, New York, United States". Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  12. ^ Harkesh Singh Kehal. Alop Ho Raha Punjabi Virsa. Unistar Books. ISBN 81-7142-869-X.
  13. ^ "Hariyali Teej 2024: Date, History, Significance, Puja Vidhi and More". India TV. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Teej Festival – Hariyali, Kajari, Hartalika Teej". Ritiriwaz. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  15. ^ "Hariyali Teej 2025 Date, Shubh Muhurat, Puja Rituals, History And Significance All You Need To Know". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  16. ^ Ellwood, Robert (1998). The Encyclopedia of World Religions. New York: Infobase Publishing. pp. 199. ISBN 0-8160-6141-6.
  17. ^ "Nag Panchami 2025 to be Observed on July 29; Check shubh muhurat, puja vidhi and significance". The Times of India. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  18. ^ "Naga Panchami 2025: Date, Puja Timings, History, Significance – All You Need to Know". Sakshi Post. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Significance of Shravan" (PDF). Lakshmi Narayana Lenasia. August 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  20. ^ K. Moti Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake (4 February 2009). Popular culture in a globalised India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-415-47667-6. Retrieved 16 August 2011. ... Raksha Bandhan: A popular festival of Indian Sub-continent where sister ties a thread on brother's wrist, signifying love and/or seeking protection ...
  21. ^ "Meaning of Raksha Bandhan, Significance of Rakhi, Rakshabandhan Significance, Meaning of Rakhi". Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  22. ^ Kumar Suresh Singh; Madan Lal Sharma; A. K. Bhatia (1994). People of India:Haryana. Anthropological Survey of India. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024.
  23. ^ Haryana District Gazetteers: Rohtak district gazetteer, 1910. Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department, Haryana. 17 July 2000. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  24. ^ Census of India, 1961. India Office of the Registrar General. 17 July 1965. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Karnal District Gazetteer" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2014.
  26. ^ Gupta, Shakti M. (17 July 1990). Festivals, Fairs, and Fasts of India. Clarion Books. ISBN 978-8-18512-023-2. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  27. ^ Beckerlegge, Gwilym (17 July 2001). World Religions Reader. Psychology Press. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-41524-748-1. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  28. ^ Lewis, Oscar (1865). Village Life in Northern India: Studies in a Delhi Village. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024.
  29. ^ "Jandhyala Purnima". 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  30. ^ "Narali Purnima - Narali Pournima Maharashtra, Narali Pournima Festival India". Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  31. ^ "Narali Poornima/ Coconut Festival". Magical Mumbai. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  32. ^ "Balaram Jayanti". ISKCON. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  33. ^ "Gamha Purnima event archives" (PDF). Government of Odisha. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012.
  34. ^ "Lord Jagannath: Festivals - Gamha Purnima, Festival of lord jagannath, Jagannath Puri, Jagannath Temple". Oriya online. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  35. ^ "Sri Sathya Sai Bal Vikas". Bal Vikas. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  36. ^ John Marshall; Jaya Tirtha Charan Dasa. "Pavitropana - Putrada Ekadasi". Salagram. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  37. ^ "Pavitra Ekadashi 2011 – Pavitropana Ekadasi ~ Hindu Blog". Hindu-blog. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  38. ^ "Pavitropana Ekadasi". ISKCON. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  39. ^ "Pavitropana, Pavitropana Festival". Raksha-bandhan. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  40. ^ Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Kolhapur District. Vol. 1. Directorate of Govt. Print., Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State. 1976. p. 280.
  41. ^ "Pavitra Ekadashi – the birth of Pushti Marga". Pushtimarg Information. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  42. ^ "Pavitra Ekadashi". VPSS Haveli. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  43. ^ "Significance of Sri Raghavendra Swamy Aradhana – 3-day festival". Think Bangalore. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  44. ^ "SPOTLIGHT: The long walk for worship". Frontline. The Hindu. 14–27 August 2004. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010.
  45. ^ Verma, Manish (17 July 2013). Fasts and Festivals of India. Diamond Pocket Books. ISBN 978-81-7182-076-4. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
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