A devotee reacts as he leaves after offering prayers to the Shiva Lingam with the holy water of the river Ganges in Varanasi on August 3 marking the first Monday of the sacred month of Sawan of the Hindu calendar

A woman offers prayers on the first 'Monday' of the 'Sawan' month, at a temple in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. From Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, thousands of devotees marked the day with prayer

Another woman offers prayers to observe the first 'Monday' of the holy month of 'Sawan' at a temple amid rain in Patna on Monday, August 3. This is days after people across India including those in Bihar's capital marked the start of the month by visiting various Shiva temples early in the morning to perform 'jalabhishek' and offer prayers to Lord Shiva

The day saw not only adult and old devotees make their way to the temples, but also children as a devotee took the opportunity to touch a child's head as he offers prayers on the first 'Monday' of the 'Sawan' month in Prayagraj on Monday

Marking the day, people perform rituals to observe the first 'Monday' of the holy month at Aap Shambu Temple, in Jammu on Monday, showcasing devotion at its peak four days after the start of the month

The devotion across north India took different forms as artists performed music with drums while observing the first 'Monday' of the holy month of 'Sawan', at Tadkeshwar Mahadev Temple, in Jaipur on Monday

While Maharashtra and Gujarat will observe it later this month, even devotees in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh take part in a procession on the first 'Monday' of the holy month of 'Sawan' on Monday