Kanwar Yatra- Saffron-clad Shiva devotees on a spiritual journey

The Kanwars walk in groups during this holy yatra

Streets filled with young and enthusiastic Kanwaris

Tri-coloured flags add to patriotic fervour

Travelling from northern states to the pilgrimage sites

There is police everywhere in the service of the pilgrims

The pilgrims walk some 100 kms on foot

The pilgrims hang around with their flags on vehicles reciting mantras and chanting Bam Bam Bhole

The Indian flag on most of the vehicles including two wheelers

The custom is that the water pot should not touch the ground at the time of sanctification

Medical camps being set up for Kanwariyas

Many of Kanwariyas include small kids, men and women

Kanwariyas inevitably chant the name of Shiva

Kanwariyas used to have traditional attire but now more modern attires have come in

Kanwariyas clad in their all saffron attire

Kanwariyas decorate kanwar for fetching water from Haridwar

The Kanwar yatra, is an annual pilgrimage journey for Lord Shiva's devotees

Ghaziabad Dak Kawar accompanied with blaring music in the praise of the Hindu deity

The pilgrims dance in great religious fervour and joyous mood to create excitement on their journey

Clad in bright orange robes, the yatra represents bliss of devotion

Beautifully decorated Kanwars

Barefoot journey is done to explore one's spiritual side

The Kanwar yatra gives the Kanwaris an arena to cultivate self-respect in their own eyes

With the start of the auspicious month of Shravan, the streets in India are filled up with barefoot, saffron clad Kanwar Yatris carrying a pitcher filled with holy water. The Kanwar Yatra takes place during the Hindu month of Shravan, is usually held in the month of July-August. The roads and highways are flooded with millions of Lord Shiva devotees. The practice bearers are known as Kanwaris (devotees of Lord Shiva) who fetch the holy water from Ganges which they offer in the local Lord Shiva temples.  Every year the roads to the Pilgrim places like Haridwar, Rishikesh and Gangotri in Uttaranchal are heavily flooded in divine spirit of the Kanwaris.

With respect to the religious sentiments towards this devotional walk, the devotees undertake this laborious journey with pure hearts. The motivation for this spiritual journey may take anything from personal unfulfilled wishes to the personal devotion. This arduous journey takes hundreds of miles, sometimes it varies from 200- 250km barefooted with utmost enthusiasm and devotion. Kanwar refers to a bamboo stick on which two small pots are hanged filled with holy water, remaining on strict vegetarian and non-alcoholic diet during the pilgrimage period.

The legend of the rituals go with the most popular Hindu mythological stories of to ‘Samudra manthan’ or churning of the ocean of Milk, where Lord Shiva drank the poison in order to save the world. The toxin made Shiva’s throat turn blue and so all the demi-gods started offering the holy water to Lord Shiva. Since then, this has become a custom in Hindu beliefs.

Like other religious processions like Hola Mohalla, Durga Puja, Ganesh Visarjan and Muharram, Kanwar Yatra too has a special significance. It is mainly observed during the occasions Like ‘Maha Shivaratri and Basant Panchami’, where millions of Kavaris follow the path filled with hope and power to offer themselves to Bholeynath(Hindu God Shiva). The Yatra is not only done by men but also by women and children too can be spotted, making it the biggest religious congregation in India. Pilgrims dance on religious tunes at different venues with richly decorated Kanvars on their shoulders. On returning to their hometowns they can avail assistance provided at numerous camps to bathe, rest, dine and medical treatments. The traffic police and other civil service departments play a very strong role with strong vigil over the smooth running of the spiritual journey.