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Shravana (month)
Fourth month of the Hindu lunar calendar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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Festivals
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Haryali Teej
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
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
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
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
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
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]
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Yatras
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]
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