Significance of Shrawani Mela
Shrawani Mela is a highly significant Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Shiva, particularly the Jyotirlinga at Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand. It’s a month-long pilgrimage where devotees carry water from Sultanganj to the temple, symbolizing devotion, penance, and purification. The journey, known as the Kanwar Yatra, is a major religious event, and the temple is thronged with lakhs of devotees during this period.
Religious Significance:
Shravani Mela is a time for devotees to show their faith in Lord Shiva and seek his blessings. The act of carrying holy water from the Ganges (Sultanganj) to the temple is seen as a way to purify oneself and offer the water to the Jyotirlinga, one of the 12 sacred representations of Lord Shiva’s light.
The Kanwar Yatra:
The Kanwar Yatra involves devotees walking long distances, often 109 km from Sultanganj to Babadham, carrying water in kanwars (metal containers) on their shoulders. This journey is a testament to their devotion and is accompanied by chants of “Bol Bam”.
Temple at Babadham:
The Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar is a major pilgrimage site, and the Jyotirlinga is a place of immense spiritual importance. Devotees believe that offering the holy Ganges water at the Jyotirlinga brings blessings, washes away sins, and grants wishes.
Cultural Significance:
The Shravani Mela is also a cultural event, with a festive atmosphere, community gatherings, and social interactions. It’s a time for people to come together and share their faith and beliefs.
Logistics and Infrastructure:
The Shravani Mela attracts a huge number of pilgrims, requiring extensive logistics and infrastructure, including security, medical facilities, and transportation. The Deoghar administration and other stakeholders work together to ensure a smooth and safe pilgrimage for everyone.
Importance of Baidyanath Temple
The importance of Babadham increases during the month of Shrawan. During this period, lakhs of devotees throng the Baba Baidyanath temple. Most of them first visit Sultanganj, which is 105 km from Babadham. In Sultanganj, the Ganges flows to the North. It is from this place that the devotees collect water in their kanwars and carry the holy Ganges water, with the kanwars on their shoulders. They walk 109 km up to Baba Baidyanath temple at Babadham reciting Bol Bam on the way. On reaching Babadham, the kanwarias first take a dip in the Shivaganga to purify themselves, and then enter the Baba Baidyanath temple, where the Ganges water is offered to the Jyotirlingam. This pilgrimage continues during the whole of Shravan for 30 days. This is the longest religious fair in the world. People from foreign lands also visit Babadham not only during Shrawan month but also during the rest of the year. The sight on the way from Sultanganj to Babadham is of a 109 km long human chain of saffron clad pilgrims. It is estimated that within this period of one month around 50 to 55 lakhs pilgrims visit Babadham. Besides the great pilgrimage of Shrawan, almost the whole year remains under fair with Shivaratri in March, Basant Panchami in January, Bhadra Purnima in September.