August 17, 2026 marks the third Monday of Shravan in Odisha or Sharavan Somvar as it is popularly called. To mark the occasion, huge crowd of devotees were witnessed in Shiva temples across the state. Kanwariyas were seen waiting patiently for their turn to appease Lord Shiva.
Shravan month or Shravan masa is that time of the Hindu calendar when devotees of Lord Shiva adhere to several rituals. They (Kanwariyas) carry water from long distances on foot and pour that water on the head of Shiva to appease the Lord. Most Hindus abstain from non-vegetarian food for the entire month. The chants of Shiva mantras and ‘har har shambhu’ can be heard across all the Shiva temples to mark Shravan in Odisha.
According to the schedule fixed ahead for shravan maas or month or the holy Shravan in Odisha, the famous Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar opens its doors at 3 am. Then the ‘Mangal Alati’ is held followed by the ‘Abakasa Niti’. Reports further say that, special arrangements have been made in and around the temple by the Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation (BMC) and the police in view of the crowd and traffic on Monday. The police Commissionerate have also increased security in and around the temple.
Traffic arrangements, and extensive security measures have been put in place to prevent any untoward incidents. It is worth mentioning that, several mobile patrol teams (PCR) and patrolling vans have been mobilized to protect and guard the Kanwariyas across various Shiva temples for Shravan in Odisha.
Further reports say that, arrangements have been made for first aid and mobile medical units on the roads and the highways. ODRAF and Firefighting units have been deployed at the various water lifting points besides the different river Ghats including the famous Gadgadia ghat in Cuttack.
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