Varsha Ritu वर्षा
The monsoon breaks - the holiest, most festival-dense months of the year.
- Season
- Monsoon
- Lunar months
- Shravana & Bhadrapada
- Around
- mid-July to mid-September
The season
Varsha, the monsoon, spans Shravana and Bhadrapada (roughly mid-July to mid-September). Falling within Chaturmas, it is the most festival-dense stretch of the year - dense with fasting, Shiva and Ganesha worship, and the rites of the ancestors.
Varsha is the monsoon, when the rains renew the earth and rivers swell. It is a lush, inward season, rich with fasting and festival and kept within the four holy months of Chaturmas.
Ritucharya - the seasonal regimen
The digestive fire is weak in the rains, so the regimen favours light, warm, freshly cooked food, older grains, honey and ginger, and boiled water, while avoiding heavy, raw and hard-to-digest fare.
Festivals of Varsha
Shravan Somvar (Shiva's Mondays), Nag Panchami, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Hartalika Teej and Anant Chaturdashi; the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada becomes Pitru Paksha.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Varsha ritu?
Varsha, the monsoon, spans Shravana and Bhadrapada (roughly mid-July to mid-September). Falling within Chaturmas, it is the most festival-dense stretch of the year - dense with fasting, Shiva and Ganesha worship, and the rites of the ancestors.
Which months are in the Varsha season?
Varsha spans the two lunar months of Shravana and Bhadrapada, roughly mid-July to mid-September.
What festivals fall in Varsha?
Shravan Somvar (Shiva's Mondays), Nag Panchami, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Hartalika Teej and Anant Chaturdashi; the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada becomes Pitru Paksha.
What is the ritucharya (regimen) for Varsha?
The digestive fire is weak in the rains, so the regimen favours light, warm, freshly cooked food, older grains, honey and ginger, and boiled water, while avoiding heavy, raw and hard-to-digest fare.
Last updated 26 July 2026