Shravan month at the 12 jyotirlingas: what changes
Shravan is the month of Shiva, and at the twelve it means a month of extra ritual rather than a single day. Here is what changes at each temple, and how to plan a trip that falls inside the month.
When Shravan falls
Shravan is a lunar month, so it starts and ends on dates that move every year. The reckoning is not identical across India either: the north and the west follow one calendar and some regions follow another, which is why two people can give two start dates and both be right. In most years the month runs across July and August.
This page does not print fixed dates for the current year until they have been checked against the temple trust notices. If the trip is built on being there for a particular Monday, confirm the month first.Data check pending
What changes at the temples
Four things cover almost everything a traveller notices on Shravan days.
Temple by temple
Shravan is kept at all twelve. The temple whose whole year is built around it is Baidyanath in Deoghar, which carries the kanwar route and the largest crowds of its own year in this month. The other eleven see a seasonal rise rather than a peak.
| Temple | What changes there | Big for Shravan? |
|---|---|---|
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | Open, unlike Mahashivratri, and the 16 km walk up is made in monsoon weather this month. Build slack into the day for it.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | This is the biggest month of the town year. The kanwar route runs into Deoghar, and the crowd it brings is the largest the temple sees in the twelve months.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes, its biggest month |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
 | A month-long ritual list, busier Mondays, and a longer free queue for the whole month rather than one day.Free queue. Paid options, if any, are on the booking page. | Yes |
The day's own schedule is decided by each temple for that day alone.Data check pending
How to plan around it
Booking order and a couple of judgement calls that decide how the day goes.
Two calendars give two answers. Work out which reckoning applies to the temple you are going to before booking anything, then plan the trip around that month.
The month fills trains and flights on the routes into these towns. Fix the long legs, then fill in the days and the rooms between them.
The ritual is the same all month. Shifting the visit by a day or two away from a Monday and away from a weekend changes the queue more than any ticket does.
The northern temples sit in monsoon country. Keep a day of slack, keep a dry bag for documents, and treat a delayed ghat road or a closed trail as likely rather than unlucky.