Jamshedpur, July 14: The fervour of �Sawan� was seen since early morning on Monday as the devotees thronged the temples to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. The devotees of Lord Shiva celebrated the first Monday of Sawan with religious fervour. Thousands of devotees were seen queuing up in temples across the city to offer prayers to Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri.
Beldih Kali Bari Mandir saw a huge rush among devotees since morning which continued till late in the afternoon. The first Monday of Sawan also saw Lord Shiva devotees flocked towards Shiva temples spread across the city, most prominently the Golpahari Mandir. Devotees, especially women, offered blessed water to theshivalaya in great numbers.
Several other temples of the city including Pardih Kali Bari, Tinplate Kali Bari, Kadma Rankini Mandir, Sakchi Sitla Mandir, Sakchi Bazar Shiv Mandir, Sakchi Manokama Mandir, Golpahari Mandir, Parsudih Shiv Mandir, Jugsalai Shiv Mandir, Bistupur Satnarayan Mandir, Jadugora Rankini Mandir, Novamundi Maurga Mahadev temple and every Shiv temple of the region saw large number of people offering prayers to Lord Shiva.
The month of Sawan is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. Fasting on Mondays during the month is also a ritual. Most of the people observe �Solah somvar� i.e. fasting on sixteen consecutive Mondays.
The fasts began from the first Monday of the Sawan month. According to the tradition, it is believed that worshipping Lord Shiva during the Sawan keeps the people blessed with wealth and prosperity.
Many devotees observe fasts on all the Mondays of Sawan month. They offer Bel leaves, flowers and milk to the Shiva Lingam and observe fast till sunset.