Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], July 29 (ANI): Devotees thronged Lord Shiva temples the country on the second Monday of ‘Sawan’ month to offer prayers.
Large crowds and long queues were seen at temples since early morning, with devotees chanting slogans of ‘Bam Bam Bhole’, ‘Jai Bholenath’, and ‘Jai Shiv Shankar’.
On this occasion, the devotees also took a dip in the Ganga river.
Umesh Sharma, a devotee in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, said he was very fortunate to get the chance to take a dip in the Ganga river. “Today marks the second Monday of Sawan. I hope Baba blesses me with happiness. I pray that everyone is happy and that the blessings of Baba Bholenath stay on the people forever,” he said.
Rishab Garg, another devotee who came for the third time in five years to offer prayers in Haridwar, said, “It is all because of Baba that I can come here for the third time. I have prayed for the well-being of the people of the country. More and more people should come here and pray.”
Meanwhile, a large number of devotees gathered at Mukteshwar Nath temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur to perform ‘jalabhishek’ of Lord Shiva on Monday.
Visuals showed the devotees offering grass, milk, rice, jaggery, and flowers to Lord Shiva. 
In UP’s Prayagraj, devotees gathered at the Mankameshwar temple on Monday to offer prayers on the occasion of the second Monday of the ‘Sawan’ month.
“I have been coming to pray here for the last 22 years. Baba Bholenath has always heard all my prayers and has fulfilled them,” said Kiran Pandey, a devotee who had come to the temple.
Additionally, devotees also gathered from faraway places in large crowds in Jaipur at the ancient Mahadev temple in Jharkhand to offer prayers. 
Devotees have brought water from pilgrimage sites through the Kavad Yatra.
Pandit Om Prakash, the head priest of the Jharkhand Mahadev Temple, said, “Today marks the second Monday of ‘Sawan’. People have come from very far away to pray. All the blessings on this day always come true.”
This sacred month, typically falling between July and August, marks a period of worship, fasting, and pilgrimage dedicated to the deity of destruction and transformation.
Sawan holds a special place in Hindu mythology as the month when Lord Shiva is believed to have consumed the poison that emerged from the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), saving the universe from its toxic effects.
Devotees undertake fasting and offer prayers to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva during this period. The cooling rains of Sawan symbolize Shiva’s compassion and benevolence.
During Sawan, devotees observe fasts on Mondays, known as Shravan Somvar, which are considered auspicious.
The chanting of Shiva mantras, singing bhajans (devotional songs), and performing Rudrabhishek (ceremonial bathing of Shiva Lingam with holy substances) are common practices observed with fervor across households and temples. (ANI)
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