Shravan Festival

Anytime we headed out on the road during our travels in New Delhi, we witnessed hundreds, if not thousands of people walking along the sides of the roads. They were taking part in a Hindi pilgrimage known as the Shravan Festival.

In the month of Shravan (July-August) when the scorched earth gets drenched by the first monsoon showers, the devotees of Lord Siva come into the open carrying sacred water and rending the sky with cries of `bam bhole har har bam' and thus begins the great walkathon ritual.

Known as `Shravan festival,' this custom is fast gaining in popularity all over the country and since Orissa, an ancient Saivite peetha, is dotted with temples of Lord Siva, this festival season sees innumerable men women and even children undertaking ritualistic walks to various Siva temples.

Although the whole month of `Shravana' is considered auspicious for the worship of Lord Siva Mondays are invested with special significance. The devotees, taking a holy dip and collecting pure water, set out on a journey well in advance so as to reach a Saivite shrine on a Monday.

Decorated sticks

This ritual appears to have become a favourite with the youth. Come monsoon, they begin their walkathons carrying holy water in brass, tin or silver containers hanging from lavishly decorated sticks called `kanwar.' Depending on which shrine they choose, the devotees sometimes cover anything between 60 and 100 kilometres on bare feet. Nowadays, even women and old people take part in such walkathons. Lord Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar, Lord Lokanath temple in Puri and the Vedavyas temple in Rourkela are some of the favourite shrines.

The journey begins from a `ghat' where the water is supposed to have the sanctity of `Gangajal.' Preferring to start the journey at the crack of dawn the pilgrims throng the `ghat' when it is still dark. A holy dip is taken and thousands change into scarlet, ochre and saffron robes as the chanting of `mantras' and the perfume of joss sticks fill the air. Pots are filled with holy water and then sealed with the mud from the riverbank so that the water does not spill over during the long journey. Two pots are tied to either end of the stick, puja is offered at the shrine and with a resounding cry of `bolo bam' the `kanwars' are lifted. Now the pilgrims are on their way to wash away the sins accumulated during the year.

Resting at intervals, they arrive at their destination with blistering feet and aching bodies but with uplifted hearts secure in the belief that pouring of holy water would please `Bholenath,' the simple-hearted. Legend has it that Ravana went to Mount Kailash and requested Lord Siva to come and make Lanka his abode so that Ravana's mother, an ardent Siva devotee, could offer prayers to Him in person. The Lord declined the offer but gave Ravana one of the twelve `jyotirlingams' with the condition that during the return journey Ravana should take care that the `lingam' does not touch the ground. Had Ravana fulfilled that condition he would have become invincible; so Lord Vishnu became a willing tool of divine machination and contrived to have the lingam touch the ground. The lingam refused to budge and Ravana had to break off the journey. However, came to worship the lingam everyday and offered water from the Ganges. This ritual is commemorated today in the `Shravan walkathon.'