Kanwar Yatra
Kanwar
Yatra is an auspicious pilgrimage observed by the devotees of Lord Shiva
annually.The people who
are a part of this yatra are called as Kanvarias. This yatra takes place in the month
of shravan (saavan) which falls in, July-August, in Hindu calendar.
This holy
yatra was taken by the saints and holy sages in early days, which later got an
addition of elderly people, who used to pilgrim every year, but now hundreds and thousands of people, from
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, of young to old age, including woman and sometimes
children, has started participating in Yatra.
Story behind kaanwar :
According to
puranas, during ocean churning, samundra
manthan, which took place in the month of shravan or saawan,
fourteen kinds of rubies came out of it, which were distributed among gods and
demons, leaving the halahal (poison)
behind, which was consumed by Lord Shiva, and stored in his throat, giving him
name of Neelkanth ( meaning blue throat).
It is believed that
the king of demons Raavan, offered Shiva holy water of Ganges, which lessen the
effect of poison, and similarly, it is offered by the gods as well.
The purpose of this
Yatra is to fetch the holy water of Ganga from Haridwar,Gangotri and Gaumukh.
This water is brought back to their respecitve villages and offered to the
Shiva Ling in the local temples. The water is poured on the Linga and this is
known as Abhishekam.People travel on foot to fetch the water. While returning
with water, the pots or the bowls should not touch the ground.
Rituals of Kanwar Yatra
During the Kanwar
Yatra, the devotees carry the ‘Kanwar’ on both their shoulders. ‘Kanwar’ is a
small pole made from bamboo to which two colored earthen pots are tied on the
opposite ends. During this pilgrimage journey, the Kanvarias fill the earthen
pots with holy water for offering in Lord Shiva’s temple by balancing the Kanwars
on their shoulders.
The Kanwar Yatra is
a month long ritual in which the Kanvarias wear saffron colored clothes and
walk barefooted to collect the holy water from the chosen pilgrimage
destinations. The devotees then return to their hometown and perform the
‘abhishekam’ (holy anointment) of the Shivling at the local temple. It is
considered to be an act of thanksgiving for all the fortunate things in their
life. The only thing to take care is that the earthen pots should not touch the
ground at any point of the journey. There are numerous makeshift stands
constructed across the journey, using which the Kanvarias can take some rest
for a while.
The Kanvarias walk
in groups during this holy yatra. While most of them travel the distance on
foot, some devotees even use bicycle, scooters, motor cycles, jeeps or mini
tucks to cover this journey. Al through the journey these Lord Shiva devotees
chant ‘Bol Bam’ and religious bhajans in the praise of Lord Shiva.
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