Shravani Mela 2017: Why should you visit?

Shravani Mela 2017

The month of Savan or Shravan Maas is synonymous with religious festivals and events. It is the considered a very auspicious time for conducting any Puja or other religious ceremonies, and all days of this month are considered very prosperous. Shravan Poornima or the full moon day in the month of Shravan is coincides with the Nakshatra or birth star of Lord Vishnu or Shravan Nakshatra and is therefore called Shravan Maas. In this moth each Somvar or Monday is called Shravan Somvar and is considered highly auspicious.

The holy month of Shravan as per the traditional Hindu calendar followed mostly in North India holds great importance at the Baba Baidyanath Dham – the very famous Lord Shiva Temple at Deogharh in Jharkhand. Each year millions of Shiva devotees from different states of India, Nepal and other countries around the world undertake the sacred pilgrimage from Sultanganj to Baba Baidyanath Temple. This month-long fair is known as Shravani Mela. The Baba Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, also popularly known as Baidyanath Dham or Baba Baidyanath Dham is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, one of the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. This temple is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas in Jharkhand, India.

In 2017, the Shravani Mela will start on July 10 and will go on till August 7. This mela or fair continues for about 30 long days and is the biggest and longest continuing religious fair in the world.

The KanwaYatra also takes place during the auspicious Hindu month of ‘Shravan”. It is the annual auspicious pilgrimage of the devotees of Lord Shiva, during which the “bearer” called ‘Kanvaria’ visits Hindu pilgrimage places like Gangotri and Gaumukh in Uttarakhand and Haridwar, and Sultanganj in Bihar, to fetch water or “Gangajal” from the River Ganga or the Holy Ganges and then offer the jal at the Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple.

The total distance between Sultanganj and Deoghar is 115 kms and the total journey takes around 4 to 5 days to complete. The devotees, also known as Kanwariyas, get holy water or Gangajal from Sultanganj and then take a bare-footed journey to the famous Baba Baidyanath Dham at Deoghar. The River Ganga at Sultanganj in Bihar, is the only place where it takes a north turn. This is a miracle of Lord Shiva, from whose locks the river Ganga descends on earth.

The Temple at Deoghar, the Baidyanath Dham is the most important pilgrim temples in Hindu religion.

Read more......