By Renuka Dhakal
Kathmandu, Aug. 11: The month of Shrawan is exclusively dedicated to Lord Shiva.
It is believed that in this month Lord Shiva pervades the atmosphere with positive vibrations.
In this pious month, devotees, females in particular, worship Lord Shiva and his consort goddess Parvati and observe fast every Monday with a belief that the lord will bestow His blessings on them by fulfilling their wishes and granting prosperity.
The month of Shrawan is also called the month of Lord Shiva and many people do not eat non-veg foods and even avoid onion and garlic as these foods are taken as impure in the time of religious rites.
When the month begins, women start putting mehendi on their hands and wear red, green and yellow bangles in their wrists with saari and kurtha of matching colour.
However, there is a big void in Shrawan this year. Places that used to get crowded, like the temples, have remained closed for more than four months to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Yesterday was the last Monday of the month. Usually the Shrawan fast ends with the last Monday Puja. Devotees end the Shrawan fast with closing puja performed by the priest in temples or at home.
But this year, the devotees complained that they couldn’t go to the temple as they were closed and there was also the fear of infection.
Shanta Sigdel, 55, is one of the regular devotees who fasts every Monday in Shrawan and visits various Shiva shrines, including Pashupatinath, but this year, she was in a dilemma as to how she should end her fast.
She further said, “I know the god lives in our hearts but when we visit the temples and worship and conclude the fast with ritual, it gives me immense happiness.”
Likewise, Sangita Giri, 32, said that she had been fasting for the last five years on every Monday of Shrawan.
“Every Shrawan, we used to visit various temples with excitement wearing red, green and yellow bangles with saari and kurthi of the same colour along with tika and pote. But this year it was strange and I did not have any excitement though I fasted all four Mondays,” she added.
In this month, the devotees worship Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati with the belief of longevity of their husbands while those unmarried observe fast with expectation of getting an ideal husband.
The month of Shrawan is also linked with the churning of the cosmic ocean (Samundra Manthan). While the gods (Virtue) and demons (Vice) churned the sea to receive ‘nectar of immortality’ (elixir), venom emerged from the ocean. To save the universe from its negative effect, Lord Shiva drank all the venom and stored the poison in his throat.
Lord Shiva grieved a lot due to the poison in his throat so the devotees offer water (Ganga Jal) to relieve the burning pain of Shiva with gratitude.
According to Dr. Chintamani Yogi, Founder/ Principal of Hindu Vidya Peeth Nepal, the month of Shrawan is the month of Lord Shiva who is considered to be the special deity of nature. Therefore, in terms of nature, in terms of

agriculture, in terms of Nepal’s agricultural tradition, the month of Shrawan is considered special.
Mahadev is also associated with water; river Ganga flows from Lord Shiva’s hair, therefore if devotees offer holy water to ‘Shivalaya’ Shiva would be happy and bless for rains so that the farmers can plant crops, added Dr. Yogi.
In this celestial month, the devotees also go on religious trip to collect holy water with bare feet and offer the holy water to Shivalaya with the belief of peace and prosperity but this year the holy journey of BolBom was stalled due COVID -19.
Dr. Yogi said that Shrawan is the month of cosmic energy, quantum consciousness, universe energy and this is also the holy month that goddess Pravati was blessed in by lord Shiva with himself as her husband after a long penance.
Likewise, many great Sadhus or Sages, including Markandeya Rishi, were blessed by Lord Shiva in the month of Shrawan. With the grace of Lord Shiva, Markandeya Rishi composed the ‘Mahamirtyunjaya Mantra’, a great mantra which signifies ‘victory over death’, said Dr. Yogi.
Therefore, the sacred month of Shrawan is associated with cosmic energy, water, nature and receiving blessings from Lord Shiva but this year, due to COVID -19, devotees were not allowed to visit temples and shrines for the safety purpose reducing it to a dull period.