Shravani Mela 2026

A hundred and five kilometres on foot, barefoot, carrying Ganga water on a shoulder pole.

Shravani Mela is the month-long Shiva pilgrimage connecting Sultanganj in Bihar with Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, Jharkhand. During Shravan, pilgrims called kanwariyas collect Ganga water at Sultanganj, where the river has a revered northward flow. Carrying the water in a kanwar balanced across their shoulders, they walk roughly 105–109 kilometres to offer jalabhishek at Baidyanath's shrine. The chanting of “Bol Bam,” community shelters and shared hardship give the route a distinctive spiritual atmosphere.

The pilgrimage belongs to the wider religious devotion to Shiva and the sacred significance of the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga. Legends about Shiva, Ravana and the establishment of the linga are told in different versions; the present fair should not be represented as a historically documented event begun on one precise ancient day. The annual journey also requires extensive public services, drinking water, sanitation, medical support and crowd management.

The database's Ashadha Purnima rule may function as a preliminary opening marker, but Shravani Mela continues across the Shravan month. Bihar Tourism and Deoghar's district administration both describe the sustained Sultanganj–Deoghar route. A calendar should display the full pilgrimage period and not only one full-moon date; current annual dates must be checked with the administering authorities.

The month-long Kanwar journey from Sultanganj to Baidyanath Dham is itself the offering: carrying sacred river water for Shiva’s abhisheka while practising endurance, companionship and service.

Carry Ganga water in a kanwar from Sultanganj to Deoghar for Shiva jalabhishek; follow route safety rules.

Many walk on one meal a day. Meat, alcohol and onion are given up for the whole month by those who keep it.

Month-long Shravan pilgrimage linking Sultanganj, Bihar, and Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, Jharkhand.