Why it belongs to Shiva
The Puranas place the churning of the ocean in this month, when Shiva drank the poison halahala to save the world. To cool his burning throat the gods poured water over him, and devotees still do, pouring water and milk on the linga throughout Shravana. Parvati is said to have won Shiva by her fasts in this month, so it is especially dear to women and to those who wish for a good marriage.
Its practices
Each Monday of Shravana (Shravana Somvar) is kept with a fast and the worship of Shiva, and many keep all sixteen Mondays from the start of the month. Rudrabhishek is performed in temples and homes. Kanwariyas carry pots of Ganga water from Haridwar, Gaumukh or Sultanganj on foot, often hundreds of kilometres, to offer to Shiva at their home temples or at Deoghar. Tuesdays are for Mangala Gauri, the vrat of newly married women.
Its festivals
The month brings Hariyali Teej, with swings and green bangles for married women; Nag Panchami, the worship of serpents; Shravana Putrada Ekadashi; Varalakshmi Vratam in the south; and on its full Moon Raksha Bandhan, Narali Purnima and the renewal of the sacred thread. In the Purnimanta calendar Janmashtami falls at the end of Shravana.