An Initiative to Save the Water Used in Bathing Shiva Idol in Shravan Month

The Hindi Month Shravan is dedicated to Lord Shiva, especially the Mondays in the month. Worshiping the Shivling with water is considered highly auspicious and thousands of pitchers of water are poured on the Shivling in temples across North India. This pure water simply flows out and this is happening when several Indian states like Rajasthan are facing acute water shortage. Purshottam Gaur, a Pandit and Environmentalist in the state of Rajasthan, has come with a plan to recycle the water used in Shiva Temples in Rajasthan and increase the ground water level.

This initiative is highly praiseworthy and should be encouraged. Harsha Kumari Singh reports about this unique effort on NDTV.

'This is pure clean water that is allowed to flow into gutters where it becomes dirty and adds to the mosquito menace. Wouldn't it be better to recycle this water?'' says Pandit and environmentalist Purshottam Gaur.

Purshottam has a simple but effective way to harvest this water. At a Shiv temple in his neighborhood, he has constructed a well 8 to 10 meters deep.

Water poured over the idol is directed here through a pipeline where it flows into the earth thus recharging the ground water in the area.

'All those who come to me to conduct prayers, I tell them don't pay me. Just make one water harvesting structure at one temple that will be my payment and it costs only Rs 5000,’' he says.

Some of the rituals that we follow today were created when there was far less population and pollution. Mother Nature was then worshipped and it lavishly provided all that we needed. But this is no longer the case. We have forgotten Mother Nature and we are over exploiting her. So it is time to start new initiatives in temples that are Mother Nature friendly.