The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Shiva devotees, known as Kanvarias or Bhole, to Hindu pilgrimage places such as Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand, and Ajgaivinath and Sultanganj in Bhagalpur, Bihar, to fetch holy waters from the Ganges River. This year, the Kanwar Yatra began on July 22 and will end on August 2.
The Yatra also celebrates Shivratri, which falls on the Triyodashi tithi in Krishna Paksha during the month of Shravan. Every Kanwar Yatra has some principles that the Kanwariyas have followed, though the new era and technology have also changed them. So let us first know what rules they followed when the Kanwar Yatra was held a decade or two ago so that the sanctity of this journey remains.
– There is no intoxication during the journey and no meat is eaten
– No vehicles will be used. They walk and sleep on the ground.
– They will not carry any leather object with us and we will not use it either.
– They will not lift the Kanwar above our head.
– They will not fight during the journey, we will keep the peace.
Usually, the Kanwar pilgrims do not abuse each other during the journey. What is the reason behind this? A Pandit ji explained that the reason behind all the Kanwariyas worshipping Lord Shiva during the journey. They keep him in mind. To keep themselves in the form of Lord Shiva, they take the name which is suitable for worshipping God.
Therefore, during the journey, they never take the names of their companions. Instead, they call them Bam, Bhola or Bholi. For them, every Kanwar Yatra Yatri is just a Shiv Bhakt, so they do not take their names and build a relationship by addressing each other in this way.
According to ancient Hindu mythology, Lord Parshuram, an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, started his first Kanwar Yatra during Shravan month. He offered gangajal to Shivlingam on Trayodashi Tithi. Since then, this practice has been carried on by the saints who religiously follow Lord Shiva. Apart from males, females also take part with full enthusiasm.
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