Shrawan Month 2026 in Nepal: the essential answer

Shrawan Month 2026 begins in Nepal on Friday, 17 July 2026, and ends on Sunday, 16 August 2026. In the Nepali Bikram Sambat calendar, these dates correspond to 1 Shrawan through 31 Shrawan 2083 B.S. The month therefore contains 31 civil days. Both the source article and the published calendar for Shrawan 2083 support this date range.

This compact fact is important because Shrawan is not merely a religious label in Nepal. It is the fourth month of the nationally used Bikram Sambat calendar, and 1 Shrawan also marks the beginning of Nepal’s fiscal year. Government work, business accounts, household plans, temple observances and agricultural rhythms consequently meet on the same calendar page.

The month appears under several spellings, including Shrawan, Shravan, Sawan, Saun and the Nepali साउन. Shravan Maas and Shrawan Maas refer to the same broad sacred season, although the precise dates can differ when one source follows Nepal’s solar civil month and another follows the Hindu lunar month of Shravana. That distinction explains many apparently contradictory online calendars.

How the Nepali calendar determines Shrawan

Nepal’s civil form of Bikram Sambat is organized through solar months. The year begins with Baisakh around the middle of April, and Shrawan normally begins around the middle of July. Month lengths are not copied from the Gregorian calendar and can vary between Bikram Sambat years. For 2083 B.S., Shrawan has 31 days.

Bikram Sambat 2083 runs approximately 56 years and eight months ahead of the corresponding Gregorian period, but subtracting 56 or 57 is not a reliable date-conversion method. The two calendars begin their years in different months, and Nepali month lengths vary. A verified Nepali Patro or an authoritative conversion table is therefore preferable when a legal, financial or ritual date matters.

Religious observances add a second layer. A panchang considers the tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana, while the civil calendar supplies the numbered Bikram Sambat date. A tithi is based on the angular relationship between the Sun and Moon; it does not necessarily begin at midnight, and it may span parts of two civil dates. A tithi can also appear on two consecutive sunrise dates or be absent at sunrise altogether.

This produces an important technical distinction: solar Shrawan 2083 lasts from 17 July to 16 August, but lunar Shravana continues beyond that interval. Consequently, a lunar Shravana festival such as Nag Panchami or Shravana Purnima can fall after the Nepali civil month of Shrawan has ended. Conversely, an Ashadha lunar observance can occur after the solar month of Shrawan has already begun.

The year 2083 B.S. is therefore more accurately described as Nepal’s Bikram Sambat civil year than simply as a universal Hindu year. Hindu communities in Nepal and neighbouring regions may use related panchang traditions, yet their month systems, local sunrise rules and festival conventions are not always identical.

Complete weekday calendar for Shrawan 2083

Shrawan Aitavaar, or Sundays: 19 July, 26 July, 2 August, 9 August and 16 August 2026. These correspond to 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 Shrawan 2083.

Shrawan Somvaar, or Mondays: 20 July, 27 July, 3 August and 10 August 2026. These correspond to 4, 11, 18 and 25 Shrawan 2083.

Shrawan Mangalvaar, or Tuesdays: 21 July, 28 July, 4 August and 11 August 2026. These correspond to 5, 12, 19 and 26 Shrawan 2083.

Shrawan Budhvaar, or Wednesdays: 22 July, 29 July, 5 August and 12 August 2026. These correspond to 6, 13, 20 and 27 Shrawan 2083.

Shrawan Bihivaar, or Thursdays: 23 July, 30 July, 6 August and 13 August 2026. These correspond to 7, 14, 21 and 28 Shrawan 2083.

Shrawan Shukravaar, or Fridays: 17 July, 24 July, 31 July, 7 August and 14 August 2026. These correspond to 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 Shrawan 2083.

Shrawan Shanivaar, or Saturdays: 18 July, 25 July, 1 August, 8 August and 15 August 2026. These correspond to 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 Shrawan 2083.

The distribution gives Shrawan 2083 five Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but only four Mondays. This is why a Monday observance on 17 August should not be added to the Nepali Shrawan Somvar schedule: 17 August is already 1 Bhadra 2083.

Shrawan Somvar Vrat 2026: all four Monday dates

The four Shrawan Somvar dates in Nepal are 20 July, 27 July, 3 August and 10 August 2026. Monday is traditionally associated with Lord Shiva, and Somvar worship is the most widely emphasized weekly vrata of Nepal Shravan Maas. Families following another regional lunar calendar should verify its schedule separately rather than assuming that the Nepali solar dates are interchangeable.

First Shrawan Somvar — 20 July 2026: This is 4 Shrawan 2083. It opens the four-Monday cycle and is often treated as the natural day for forming a realistic monthly sankalpa, such as regular prayer, disciplined conduct, charitable service or abstention from a particular habit.

Second Shrawan Somvar — 27 July 2026: This is 11 Shrawan 2083. It falls between Harisayani Ekadashi and Guru Purnima, placing the weekly Shiva observance within a broader period of vrata, reflection and gratitude toward spiritual and academic teachers.

Third Shrawan Somvar — 3 August 2026: This is 18 Shrawan 2083. By this point the discipline has moved beyond the excitement of the opening week. For many devotees, the third Monday becomes a practical test of continuity, especially when work, rain and crowded temple schedules compete for attention.

Fourth Shrawan Somvar — 10 August 2026: This is 25 Shrawan 2083 and follows Kamika Ekadashi on 9 August. It is the final Monday within the civil month, although other Shiva-related practices may continue according to family tradition or the lunar Shravana calendar.

Shiva’s connection with Monday is expressed through the word Soma, which can refer to the Moon and appears in Shiva’s devotional symbolism. Popular Puranic explanations also connect Shrawan with the Samudra Manthan narrative, in which Shiva contains the destructive halahala poison. Devotees commonly interpret the episode as an image of self-restraint, protection and the transformation of suffering rather than as a demand for one uniform ritual.

Shrawan as a lived Nepali cultural season

Shrawan arrives during Nepal’s monsoon, when hillsides, fields and urban gardens are intensely green. The colour naturally became associated with renewal, fertility, vegetation and hope. The sacred month is therefore experienced through both theology and ecology: rainfall, rice cultivation, temple journeys, seasonal foods and family observances all contribute to its cultural meaning.

Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu becomes a major centre of Shrawan devotion. Worshippers gather for darshan, prayer and Shiva puja, with Mondays drawing particular attention. Butter lamps, incense, flowers and devotional recitation create a shared ritual environment, while the large attendance requires patience and respect for temple procedures. The Nepal Tourism Board’s account of Sawane Sankranti likewise identifies Shiva worship, Pashupatinath and Bol Bam pilgrimage as defining features of the season.

The month can be remembered through sensory details as much as through dates: the ringing of bangles, monsoon rain on temple paving, the glow of butter lamps and the repeated sound of Shiva’s name. These experiences give an emotional texture to the calendar without replacing its technical rules. A sacred date becomes socially meaningful when it connects memory, family and place.

Many Nepali women wear green, red or yellow clothing and bangles during Shrawan, and mehendi and pote may also form part of local practice. Green commonly evokes monsoon growth, while red and yellow carry auspicious and devotional associations. Meanings differ by family, region, generation and marital status, so these colours should be understood as living cultural symbols rather than compulsory codes.

Some married women undertake Shrawan worship for the well-being and longevity of their husbands, while some unmarried women pray for a harmonious future marriage. Others participate for personal spiritual discipline, family welfare or devotion to Shiva. An accurate account must preserve these traditional interpretations while recognizing that participation is voluntary and that contemporary devotees may frame the practice in different ways.

Saune Sankranti on 17 July 2026

Friday, 17 July is 1 Shrawan 2083 and is observed as Saune Sankranti or Shrawane Sankranti. In traditional sidereal reckoning, it is associated with the Sun’s transition from Mithuna to Karka. Nepali calendars also record Luto Falne, the lighting of ceremonial torches or Ranko Balne in some communities, and Guriya Parba among Tharu communities. These observances demonstrate the regional diversity contained within a single civil date.

Saune Sankranti is also a domestic occasion. Families may share seasonal food, clean their surroundings and mark the turn from the labour-intensive rice-planting period toward the next phase of the monsoon. Not every household performs every named custom, and local explanations of Luto Falne or Guriya Parba should be learned from the communities that maintain them.

The source page begins its broader seasonal list on Thursday, 16 July with Jagannath Rathyatra and Dakshinayana Sankranti. That date immediately precedes 1 Shrawan and should not be counted among the 31 civil days of Shrawan 2083. The apparent one-day variation in Sankranti labels can arise from the exact ingress time, location and the civil-day rule used by a particular panchang. Traditional Dakshinayana reckoning should also not be confused with the modern astronomical date of the June solstice.

Major observances during Shrawan 2083

25 July — Harisayani Ekadashi: Saturday, 25 July is 9 Shrawan 2083. It is identified as Harisayani or Devshayani Ekadashi, with Tulsi Ropne and the beginning of Chaturmas vrata also recorded in Nepali calendars. In lunar terminology it belongs to Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi, illustrating how an Ashadha lunar tithi can fall inside the solar civil month of Shrawan.

Devotional traditions describe this Ekadashi as the beginning of Vishnu’s four-month cosmic repose. Chaturmas is consequently associated with greater restraint, steadiness and reduced ceremonial activity in several Hindu lineages. The Pandharpur Yatra is linked to this Ekadashi in Maharashtra, but it should be presented as a regional Indian tradition rather than as a universal Nepali custom.

29 July — Guru Purnima: Wednesday, 29 July is 13 Shrawan 2083. Nepali calendars identify the day as Guru Purnima, Dila Punhi and Vyasa Jayanti. It honours the transmission of knowledge and the relationship between teacher and student. The observance can include respect for spiritual gurus, schoolteachers, parents, mentors and the larger lineages through which knowledge is preserved.

Guru Purnima carries particular significance in Hindu and Buddhist settings, with each tradition preserving its own histories and ritual vocabulary. Jain and Sikh traditions also possess strong, distinct cultures of teachers, preceptors and Gurus. The shared respect for guidance can support Dharmic understanding without erasing differences between these traditions.

31 July — Khir Khane Din: Friday, 31 July is 15 Shrawan 2083. Nepali calendars mark it as Khir Khane Din, a day associated with eating kheer, the rice-and-milk preparation familiar across South Asia. In Nepal, the observance is connected with family hospitality, nourishment and the agricultural rhythm surrounding the rice-transplanting season.

9 August — Kamika Ekadashi: Sunday, 9 August is 24 Shrawan 2083. Kamika Ekadashi belongs to the dark lunar fortnight and is observed through fasting, Vishnu worship, prayer or charitable conduct according to lineage and household practice. It falls immediately before the fourth Shrawan Somvar on 10 August.

12 August — Aaunshi and the global solar eclipse: Wednesday, 12 August is 27 Shrawan 2083 and is identified as Aaunshi, or Amavasya, in the Nepali calendar. A total solar eclipse occurs globally on this date, which explains its appearance in some festival listings. However, NASA’s published visibility path covers Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic region, Spain and a small part of Portugal, with partial visibility in other listed regions; Nepal is outside that visibility zone.

A global eclipse date should therefore not be described as a visible eclipse in Nepal. Religious rules concerning sutak, temple schedules or eclipse observance are often location-sensitive, and devotees should follow an authoritative Kathmandu or local Nepali panchang rather than a calendar calculated for another country.

13 August — Gunla Dharma begins: Thursday, 13 August is 28 Shrawan 2083. The Nepali calendar records the beginning of Gunla Dharma, the sacred Newar Buddhist month associated with scripture recitation, visits to Buddhist shrines, devotional music, fasting and acts of generosity. Its appearance within a guide to Shrawan reveals Nepal’s layered calendar culture, in which Hindu and Buddhist observances share civic time while retaining distinct identities.

14 and 15 August: Friday, 14 August is 29 Shrawan and is marked as Chandrodaya in the referenced Nepali calendar. Saturday, 15 August is 30 Shrawan and is identified there as Baraha Jayanti. Some regional Hindu calendars also place Hariyali Teej on 15 August because Shravana Shukla Tritiya prevails according to their rules.

16 August — the final day: Sunday, 16 August is 31 Shrawan 2083 and the final civil day of the month. Bhadra begins on Monday, 17 August. This boundary matters because a festival may still belong to lunar Shravana even though the Nepali civil calendar has already advanced to Bhadra.

Nag Panchami falls on Monday, 17 August 2026, corresponding to 1 Bhadra 2083, and Janai Purnima or Rakshya Bandhan falls on Friday, 28 August, corresponding to 12 Bhadra. Both are associated with the lunar Shravana cycle, but neither falls within the 17 July–16 August civil date range of Nepali Shrawan 2083.

Hariyali Teej on 15 August must not be confused with Nepal’s nationally prominent Haritalika Teej. In 2083 B.S., Haritalika Teej falls on Monday, 14 September 2026, or 29 Bhadra. The similar names refer to separate observances placed at different points in the lunar cycle and emphasized differently across regions.

A practical and respectful Shrawan worship framework

A household planning Shrawan Somvar can begin by confirming the four Monday dates, choosing a sustainable level of observance and setting aside time for prayer. A simple practice is often easier to maintain than an elaborate plan. Cleanliness, truthfulness, restraint, compassion and service can accompany ritual worship, giving the vrata an ethical as well as ceremonial dimension.

A home puja may include bathing and wearing clean clothing, preparing a clean worship space, lighting a lamp, invoking Ganesha, offering water, flowers or bilva leaves to Shiva, reciting a mantra and concluding with prayer or arati. Practices vary by sampradaya and family. Temple-specific offerings should always follow the directions of priests and administrators.

The mantra Om Namah Shivaya, the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, Shiva stotras or quiet meditation may form the core of the observance. Some devotees read Shiva-related narratives or reflect on qualities symbolized by Shiva: stillness, disciplined power, fearlessness, compassion and the capacity to transform destructive impulses.

Shrawan fasting has no single universal form. Depending on household custom, a devotee may observe a full fast, take fruit and milk, eat one simple vegetarian meal or abstain from selected foods and habits. Fasting should remain voluntary and be adapted to health, age and personal circumstances. Spiritual sincerity cannot be measured by unnecessary physical severity.

Visitors to Pashupatinath should anticipate larger crowds on 20 July, 27 July, 3 August and 10 August. Modest clothing, orderly queues, quiet conduct, care around lamps and respect for photography restrictions help protect both worshippers and the sacred setting. Official temple announcements should take precedence over generic travel advice.

Bol Bam pilgrims are another visible presence during the season. Common forms of the pilgrimage involve carrying sacred water to a Shiva shrine while wearing saffron-coloured clothing and repeating devotional invocations. Routes and procedures differ, so local instructions, weather conditions and community safety arrangements remain essential.

Environmentally responsible worship is consistent with the reverence for rivers, mountains, plants and animals expressed throughout Dharmic traditions. Devotees can minimize plastic, avoid leaving food or packaging at shrines, use designated places for lamps and offerings, and keep pilgrimage routes clean. Such care transforms ecological responsibility into practical seva.

Shrawan’s plural cultural setting also encourages a generous understanding of religious life. Shiva devotion, Vishnu-related Ekadashi observances, Guru Purnima and the beginning of Buddhist Gunla Dharma appear within the same Nepali month. Their coexistence does not make the traditions identical; it demonstrates how distinct paths can share values such as discipline, gratitude, non-harm, service and reverence for wisdom.

Common calendar errors to avoid

The first error is counting 16 July as part of Shrawan. In the verified 2083 civil calendar, 1 Shrawan is 17 July. The second is adding 17 August to the Shrawan Somvar list; that Monday is already 1 Bhadra. The third is assuming that every festival called Shravana must fall inside the Nepali solar month.

The fourth error is treating an eclipse listed on an international calendar as locally visible. Eclipse visibility depends on geography. The fifth is treating Hariyali Teej and Haritalika Teej as two names for the same 2026 date. The sixth is converting B.S. and A.D. dates through a fixed subtraction instead of consulting a validated calendar.

Festival dates can also vary by location because sunrise, tithi boundaries and sankranti moments differ by longitude and time zone. A panchang prepared for Delhi, London or Toronto may not assign an observance to the same civil date as a Kathmandu panchang. Anyone arranging a vrata, temple ceremony or family samskara should confirm the date for the actual place of observance.

Quick reference: Shrawan begins on Friday, 17 July; the four Somvar dates are 20 July, 27 July, 3 August and 10 August; Harisayani Ekadashi is 25 July; Guru Purnima is 29 July; Khir Khane Din is 31 July; Kamika Ekadashi is 9 August; Aaunshi is 12 August; Gunla Dharma begins on 13 August; and Shrawan ends on Sunday, 16 August 2026.

Shrawan Month 2026 in the Nepali calendar is ultimately a meeting point of precise timekeeping and lived devotion. Its 31 days join the solar structure of Bikram Sambat, the changing tithis of the lunar panchang, monsoon ecology, family customs, temple worship and Nepal’s Hindu-Buddhist cultural landscape. Accurate dates allow those traditions to be approached with confidence; humility and respect allow them to remain meaningful.

Date-verification sources: The foundational details were checked against the original Shrawan Month source page, the 2083 Shrawan calendar, the Nepal Tourism Board and NASA’s eclipse information. Local ritual timings should still be confirmed through an authoritative Nepali Patro.

Inspired by this post on Hindu Pad.