Kanwar Yatra is an annual festival celebrated by people from all over India to pay homage to Lord Shiva. People who are into spiritual practices and who believe in the importance of pilgrimage, gather together and make their way barefoot to various places of worship on foot across the country.
The Kanwar Yatra festival is held in June or July every year. During this time, people from all over India come to see the kanwariyas carry their pots on their shoulders filled with holy Ganga water to offer to lord shiva. The kanwariyas are also accompanied by various musical performances and dance shows.
The specialty of this yatra is that it involves carrying a pot with water on your head or shoulder for three days and two nights through different villages and towns across Uttarakhand. The kanwariyas carry these pots on their heads to the bathing ghats (bathing places) where they take off their clothes and bathe in holy rivers like Gangotri, Yamuna, etc., before taking them back to their place in temples or homes where they will be worshipped as a sacred object.
This year it is happening in Uttarakhand, The Kanwar Yatra is celebrated with great enthusiasm all over the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, especially in Dehradun, Haridwar, and Rishikesh.
Kanwar Yatra 2022 Dates:
14th July, Thursday to 26th July, Tuesday. (Saavan Month as per Hindu calendar).
Kanwar Yatra 2022 Route:
1) Delhi NCR region- Ghaziabad
2) Ram Kund
3) Rishikesh
4) Neelkanth Temple
The Kanwar Yatra will take place with the ongoing Char Dham Yatra. Uttarakhand's neighboring states are expected to publicize the prescribed routes of the Kanwar Yatra keeping into consideration the flow of pilgrims and tourists to the Chardham Yatra, Mussoorie, and Dehradun.
Director-General of Police, Uttarakhand, Ashok Kumar said: "The Kanwar Yatra was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. However, we are expecting almost 4 crore pilgrims this year which is significantly higher than the turnout in 2019, when about 3 crore kanwariyas came to the state."