Shravan is the most auspicious month as per the Indian calendar. It’s special for Lord Shiva’s worship, particularly on Mondays. However, the month has different cycles for North and South India. This year, the maas (month) started on July 10 in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar and will start on July 24 in Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is the fifth month of the solar year and is also known as ‘Avani’ in the Tamil scriptures. As per Vedic astrology when Sun enters the zodiac Leo, Shravan sets in. 

Shravan has a lot of significance because of the culture it carries within. It is a celebration of colours, sweets, songs, colourful leheriyas, hands decorated with mehendi, different food items and many more. People exchange sweet dishes made up of flour, milk, dry fruits etc. as gifts. This sharing is considered to be auspicious.

There is also a scientific paradigm behind the exchange of sweets. As per Ayurveda, the month of Shravan and Bhadrapada, which follows Shravan, are predominated with Vata and Pitta respectively. This causes dryness and acidity in whole body, resulting in restlessness and mood swings.

The highly sweet and ghee laden sweets provide relief from the acidic and moist environment. They have Vata and Pitta calming properties due to ghee and sweet juice. Thus they have a calming effect of mind as well as the body.

Shravan month witnesses different varieties of sweets. The most common and popular of all is Ghewar. 

Ghewar traces its roots to Rajasthan but is very famous in the adjoining states of Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana etc. Ghewar was initially three types plain, mawa and malai but now it has evolved into many different varieties like mango ghewar, chocolate ghewar, paneer ghewar, rabri ghewar etc.

Other than ghewar there are many other sweets which is famous during shravan maas. One such dish is peda. Peda is a pudding shaped sweet which were made in different parts of the country. It is the combination of processed milk and sugar. It is famous in areas like Mathura, Agra, Vrindawan etc. During sawan, in Bihar and Jharkhand peda is in huge demand. It is used as Prasad as well as to offer as a gift. 

Other sweets like Sohan Halwa, Motichoor Ke Ladoo, Petha,Kesar Rabri, Malpua, Raj Bhog etc are also famous in different parts of the country during monsoons.