Madhushravani

What it is

Madhushravani is kept in Mithila, a region that reaches across northern Bihar in India and the plains of Nepal. The people who keep it are Maithil women who have married in the past year, above all Maithil Brahmins. The name joins two words, Madhu and Shravan. The festival is a religious one, held every year, and it belongs to a fortnight and a half of the month of Savan. The old festival is spoken of in the region as a penance, a period in which a new wife asks for her marriage to hold.

Origins and legend

In the telling of the region, Parvati was the first to keep this fast. She is said to have carried out the Madhushravani observance and, by doing so, to have won Shiva as her husband in every life she took. That is why the story of the marriage of Shiva and Parvati sits at the centre of the festival, and why the women who keep it ask for the same constancy. It is an old festival, practised in Mithila for a long stretch of time, and it is the newly married women of the region who carry it forward.

How it is kept

The materials come from the bride's in-laws, arriving a day before the worship begins. Brides wear the clothes and jewellery their husband's family gave them. Women gather flowers and worship images of Bishari Mata, Nag Nagin, Kechua, the elephant and Mother Gauri, setting out fruits, flowers and sweets. They listen to the tale of Shiva's wedding, which is told in fourteen parts, among them Maina Panchami, Mangala Gauri, Gauri Tapasya, Ganga Katha and Bihula Katha. Each evening the women sing aarti, Suhag Geet and Kohbar to please Shiva. Milk and lava are offered to Nag Devta at both ends of the day.

Song, food and dress

Maithili folk songs fill the festival, sung largely by women in the villages, and the lanes of Mithila carry the sound through the days. On the seventh, eighth and ninth days, khir is given out as prasad. The women who keep the fast eat arava food once a day only. Dress and ornament are part of the observance too, since the bride wears what her in-laws gave her. The festival closes with a hard test. Betel leaves are laid on the bride's hands and feet, a cotton temi is set on them and burned, cauterising the skin.

How Madhushravani is kept

Newly married Maithil women keep the festival, and their in-laws send the clothes, jewellery and other materials a day ahead. The worship opens with flowers gathered and images of Bishari Mata, Nag Nagin, Kechua, the elephant and Mother Gauri honoured with fruits, flowers and sweets. The story of Shiva and Parvati's marriage is told in fourteen parts. Evenings bring aarti, Suhag Geet and Kohbar songs, while milk and lava go to Nag Devta morning and evening. Khir is shared as prasad on days seven, eight and nine. On the closing day the bride undergoes the test of the burning temi.

When and where

The festival runs for fifteen days. It opens on Panchami of the Krishna Paksha, the fifth day of the waning half of the month, and closes on Tritiya of the Shukla Paksha, the third day of the waxing half. Both halves belong to the month of Savan, so the observance falls at that point in the lunar calendar each year.

It is kept across Mithila, the region that stretches over northern Bihar in India and into the plains of Nepal. It is strongest among Maithil families there, and above all among Maithil Brahmins. The worship and the songs belong to the villages and towns of this region, and the streets are described as ringing with Maithili folk song during the days of the festival.

What Madhushravani means

For the women who keep it, Madhushravani is a way of asking for a marriage that lasts. Parvati's fast is the model: she is said to have kept the observance and so kept Shiva as her husband through every birth. The tale of that marriage, told in fourteen parts, carries the wish forward. The bride's fast, her songs and the gifts from her husband's family all place her inside a new household. The final test belongs to the penance, a hardship borne for the marriage.

Questions people ask about Madhushravani

See also

NovenaA nine-day Christian prayer tradition for petitions, feasts, or mourning.PretaOfferings and rites for spirits enduring deep hunger across Asian traditions.Nativity of MaryA Christian feast day honouring the birth of Mary, the mother of JesusDormition of the Mother of GodA major feast in Eastern Christianity marking the death and heavenly ascent of Mary.

Good reading and sources

• Madhushravani on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-09.