Devotees throng temples to offer prayers on first Monday of Sawan

Devotees offered prayers at the Nageshwar Shiv temple in Kanpur and the Daksha Prajapati Shiv temple in Haridwar.

''Bhasma aarti'' was performed at Ujjain''s renowned Mahakaleshwar Temple on the first Monday of Sawan month in Madhya Pradesh.

In the national capital, devotees were seen offering prayers at Gauri Shankar Temple in Chandni Chowk.

Devotees also thronged the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi

In Gorakhpur, devotees offered prayers at Mahadev Jharkhandi Shiv Temple on the occasion.

This year, Sawan will last for two months. It started on July 4 and will go on till August 31. It would be 59 days long and there would be eight Mondays instead of four.

In the Hindu calendar, ''Sawan'', also known as ''Shravan, is the fifth month of the Hindu lunar calendar and one of the holiest months of the year. This year, the Shravan period stretches for two months instead of the usual one-month period. Previously, an almost two-month-long Shravan period was observed approximately 19 years ago.

Additionally, the Kanwar Yatra is a significant ritual during the month of Sawan. People gather water from sacred rivers for this rite and place it in little mud pots known as Kanwars. Devotees don saffron-coloured clothes while carrying the holy water and walk on foot to visit temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Devotees who are termed Kanwariyas visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh, and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of the River Ganga and then worship the God with that water. Sawan commenced on July 4 this year and will continue till August 31. (ANI)