Shravani Mela ‘Bolbam’ (Photo Feature)

Kathmandu: Hindu devotees worship Lord Shiva through various rituals in Shrawan. One of the rituals is Shravani Mela also known as ‘Bolbam.’

Shravani Mela has been one of the continuously practiced popular religious fests in India for centuries. Devotees collect Gangajal from various sacred places and walk barefoot toward Baba Baidyanath Dham in Jharkhand, India.

There is a religious belief that the devotee will get immense blessings by offering the Gangajal to Lord Shiva. It has been more than a decade since Indian and Nepali (Terai origin) devotees started the tradition of Bolbam Yatra from Nepal.

Devotees have been organizing Shravani Mela with the help of different Kawariya Organizations. There used to be the dominance of Indian and Nepali (Terai) devotees more on such fest in the beginning. But nowadays, these fests have become popular among Nepali Hindus.

Hindu Devotees, celebrating Shravani Mela in Kathmandu, collect holy water from the Bagmati river in Sundarijal, carry the water on their shoulder or back, and without sitting anywhere offer the water in Pashupati Nath Temple or nearby temple of Lord Shiva.

Shravani Mela usually starts on the second Monday of the month of Shrawan in Kathmandu.

Glimpses of Bolbam pilgrims taking baths and collecting holy water from the Bagmati River in Sundarijal:

(Photo Courtesy: Saroj Basnet)