16/07/2021
SHRAWANI MELA
Every Year The Shravani Mela begins in the month of July and ends in August. The importance of Baba Dham increases during the month of Shravan. During this period, lakhs of devotees visit for holy darshan the Baba Baidyanath temple. Most of them first visit Sultanganj, which is 105 km from Baba Dham. In Sultanganj, the Ganges flows to the North. This place the devotees collect Ganges water in their kanwars and carry the holy Ganges water from this place, with the kanwars on their shoulders. They walk 109 km. Babadham reciting Bol Bam on the way. On reaching Baba Dham, 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 month for 30 days, during July to August. This is the longest religious fair in the world.
There are 22 temples insight the temple complex. Like Baba Baidyanath Temple, Maa Kali Temple, Maa Annapurna Temple, Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Neel Kanth Temple, Maa Parvati Temple, Maa Jagat Jananai Temple, Ganesh Temple, Brahma Temple, Maa Sandhya Temple, Kal Bhairav Temple, Hanuman Temple, Manasa Temple, Maa Saraswati Temple, Surya Narayan Temple, Maa Bagla Temple, Narvadeshwara Temple, Shri Ram Temple, Maa Ganga Temple, Anand Bhairav Temple, Gauri Shankar Temple. Maa Tara Temple. There are 3 other sacred places insight the temple complex. Like Chandrakupa well, Neel Chakra, Tulsi Chaura.
Baidyanath Dham of Deoghar is crowded with Shiva devotees throughout the year, but in the month of Sawan, the entire area is covered with Shiva devotees wearing saffron clothes. Devotees of Lord Shiva come here on a trek to Kanwar after filling the water from the Ganges flowing in the Ganga of Sultanganj in Bhagalpur, Bihar, 105 km away and offer water to Baba. However, many devotees, who are physically unable to complete this distance on foot, also come to Baba Baidyanath Temple (Baba mandir deoghar) directly by vehicles to perform Jalabhishek.
It is said that Ravana was the first Kanwariya. Lord Ram also became a Kanwariya and took water from Sultanganj and had Jalabhishek at Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar. This mention is also found in Anand Ramayana.
There are many rules of travel to Kanwar yatra in the month of Sawan. Drugs, meat, liquor and tamasic food are prohibited during the Kanwar Yatra. Apart from this, we cannot touch Kanwar without bathing. It is said that whoever travels on foot during the month of Sawan by placing a kanwar on the shoulder and chanting bol-bam, he gets the fruits of performing Ashwamedha Yagya. It is believed that after his death, he attains Shivaloka.
