Solah Somvar Vrat 2026: Start Date, Puja Vidhi, Katha, Aarti & Complete Rules

Quick answer: Solah Somvar Vrat is a fast observed for 16 consecutive Mondays in devotion to Lord Shiva, traditionally begun on the first Monday of the Shravan (Sawan) month. In 2026, that's Monday, August 3 for North India (Purnimanta calendar) or Monday, August 17 for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and South India (Amanta calendar). Each Monday involves a sankalp (vow), Shiva abhishek, chanting "Om Namah Shivaya," reading the Vrat Katha, and a form of fasting suited to your health — concluding with an Udyapan (closing ritual) on the 17th Monday.

This page describes commonly followed traditions for Solah Somvar Vrat. Specific practices vary by family, region, and personal guidance from a priest — where genuine variation exists, this is stated honestly rather than presented as one universal rule.

The first Monday of Shravan is considered the most auspicious start, since the entire month is dedicated to Lord Shiva — but it isn't the only valid starting point. Many devotees begin the vrat on any Monday that feels right for them, based on personal circumstance or a priest's guidance, and simply continue for 16 consecutive Mondays from there.

1. Take a sankalp (vow) on your first Monday — a clear, personal resolve before the Shiva Linga to complete all 16 fasts for your specific intention. Renew this same sankalp each week.
2. Wake before sunrise, bathe, and wear clean clothing — traditionally white or saffron for the puja itself.
3. Purify the puja space with a little Ganga jal, if available.
4. Perform abhishek of the Shiva Linga, in this order: plain water first, then milk, then panchamrit (a mix of milk, curd, ghee, honey, and sugar), finishing again with plain water.
5. Offer bel patra (bilva leaves) — traditionally 16 leaves, symbolic of the 16 Mondays — along with white flowers such as datura or aak.
6. Light a ghee diya and dhoop.
7. Chant "Om Namah Shivaya" (the Panchakshari mantra), and where possible, the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra as well — traditionally repeated 108 times, though even 11 repetitions is considered meaningful if 108 isn't practical.
8. Read or listen to the Solah Somvar Vrat Katha.
9. Perform aarti to close the puja.
10. Offer prasad — commonly churma (roasted wheat flour, ghee, and jaggery) — and share it with family.
11. Repeat the same sequence every Monday for 16 consecutive weeks, concluding with Udyapan on the 17th Monday.

• Om Namah Shivaya — the central "Panchakshari" mantra of this vrat, chanted throughout the puja and considered the simplest, most universal way to invoke Lord Shiva's blessings.
• Mahamrityunjaya Mantra — often added for health, protection, and overcoming obstacles, ideally recited 108 times, though fewer repetitions are also commonly practiced.

The puja traditionally closes with Shiva aarti — most commonly the well-known "Om Jai Shiv Omkara", alongside the classical Sanskrit invocation:

Karpur Gauram Karunavataram, Sansara Saram Bhujagendra Haram, Sada Vasantam Hridayaravinde, Bhavam Bhavani Sahitam Namami.

(A prayer to the camphor-white, compassionate form of Shiva, adorned with serpents, dwelling eternally in the heart, worshipped together with Bhavani/Parvati.)

The most widely told version of the katha centers on a temple priest in Amravati. As the story goes, Lord Shiva and Parvati once visited the temple and played a game of dice. When Parvati asked the priest who had won, he lied and said Shiva had — when in fact Parvati had won. Angered by his dishonesty, Parvati cursed him with leprosy. Years later, a group of apsaras visiting the temple took pity on the suffering priest and advised him to observe the Solah Somvar Vrat with full devotion. He did so faithfully for 16 Mondays, and on the 17th, Lord Shiva was pleased and cured him completely.

The moral commonly drawn from this katha: sincere devotion and truthfulness, sustained with discipline, can overcome even serious hardship.

Worth knowing: regional variations of this katha exist, sometimes featuring different characters or settings. If your family or temple follows a different version, that's normal — read or listen to whichever version is part of your own tradition.

This vrat has more room for personal and regional variation than people often expect. Here's an honest breakdown rather than one blanket rule for everything:

What's fairly consistent across traditions:

• Only satvik (simple, pure) food is eaten if eating at all that day — non-vegetarian food, onion, and garlic are avoided during any Hindu vrat, including this one.
• The fast is observed from sunrise to sunset on each Monday.

What genuinely varies by person and family — there isn't one single universal rule:

• Water during the fast: many devotees drink water freely throughout the day; others observe a stricter nirjal (waterless) fast until the evening puja is complete. Both approaches are commonly practiced — choose based on your own health and what feels sustainable for 16 consecutive weeks.
• Food during the fast: some eat nothing until after the evening puja, then take one meal; others eat fruits, milk, curd, buttermilk, or a sabudana-based dish through the day. Again, both are widely followed — the vrat's spirit is sincerity and consistency, not a single mandatory food rule.
• During menstruation: practices differ meaningfully by family and regional tradition. Some pause specific rituals (like touching the Shiva Linga directly or temple visits) during this time while continuing personal prayer and the mantra at home; others continue the vrat's core practices without pause. There's no single rule that applies to everyone — this is genuinely a matter for your own family tradition or a trusted priest's guidance, not something to take as fixed from any single article.
• During Adhik Maas (the extra lunar month): many traditions advise against starting new vrats during Adhik Maas but consider it fine to continue a Solah Somvar Vrat that's already underway. If your 16 Mondays happen to fall partly within an Adhik Maas period, this is worth confirming with your family priest rather than assuming either way.
• Sleep during the day: there's no widely documented restriction against resting or sleeping during the fast — the emphasis is on maintaining devotion and discipline, not sleep deprivation.

The bottom line on rules: if your family has an established practice, follow that — it's the version that carries meaning for you. If you're starting fresh without a family tradition to follow, any of the commonly practiced approaches above is considered valid; consistency across all 16 Mondays matters more than which specific variant of the rules you choose.

Traditionally, the vrat concludes with an Udyapan ceremony on the 17th Monday — a more elaborate closing puja that often includes feeding Brahmins or devotees, a final round of offerings, and formally closing out the vow taken at the start. Some traditions also involve carrying a small token (such as a rudraksha bead) through all 16 weeks, which is then offered or completed as part of the Udyapan — the idea being that the object accumulates the intention behind the vrat across the full 16 weeks, making the closing feel like the completion of one continuous act of devotion rather than 16 separate ones.