Tour Guide, Varanasi, India
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Shravan, the holy period of Lord Shiva, which is the advent of monsoon in India, falls in the months of July and August as per the Gregorian calendar. With the coming of the monsoon, the earth turns lush green and agricultural lands become full of crops. The region receives a good amount of rainfall, enough to satisfy the thirsty land. Throughout this holy month, a lot of holy men come from different parts of India to worship Lord Shiva in Varanasi and take a dip into the ghats of Ganges here. The easiest way to identify them is from their saffron clothing.
Saffron is the colour of valour, agriculture and prosperity, which are the things related to the monsoon. During Shravan, Varanasi is brimming with these holy men clad in their saffron attire, which in turn imparts a saffron tinge to the city.
This holy month is very important for Shaivites (worshippers of Lord Shiva) as Hindu mythological story states that Lord Shiva got married in this month. Another important event of Indian mythology, which is of prime importance, is the Churning of The Ocean, which too happened in this auspicious month.
People who come from different parts of India and mainly from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar can be categorised into three-
The Pilgrims- The ones who carry the water of the river Ganges to a far-flung area like Allahabad, which is about 150 km from the main city of Varanasi. They carry the water in two small plastic bottles tied with a string to the two ends of a bamboo or plastic stick. They carry it on their shoulders and cover the whole distance on foot. Once they are here in Varanasi, they first take a dip into the holy Ganges and then proceed to visit the main Shiva temple-Vishwanath Temple, to offer the holy water on Shiv Lingam there.
The second type is of them who come from far-flung areas but on different modes of transportation. On reaching here, they first take a bath in river Ganges and then carry the water of the Ganges in a pot, which can be metallic or plastic, to the Vishwanath Temple to pour it down on Shiv Lingam.
The third ones are those who cover the whole distance within 24 hours and are called Dak Bams. They can easily be identified from their dress, which is of white colour.
The people have a great respect for these pilgrims as they choose the harder way of offering the prayer. Thus. throughout the holy month of Shravan, the colour of the city change to Saffron and makes it a Saffron Varanasi.