Kanwar trails: Mapping the saawan travellers
With unwavering devotion, kanwariyas from different parts of India are headed to Haridwar via Delhi. As the month of saawan begins, five groups of kanwariyas share how they plan to collect the water of Ganga river, which will later be offered to Lord Shiva when these pilgrims return to their cities.
On your way around the city, if you spot kanwars in bright saffron, walking or dancing to upbeat music, and feel like joining them enroute to Haridwar, to bring the holy water from the Ganga river, here’s what you must know. Five kanwar groups starting from different parts of India share how their journey ahead looks like.
Har Har Gange Kanwar, Delhi
Starting from Badarpur Metro Station’s gate no 2, 143 kanwariyas of this group have headed to Ganga Ghat in Haridwar. They will travel in trucks, cars, and even on foot via Noida to cover 215 kms. They aim to reach their destination by July 12 and then return on the same day. “The weather this year is a lot better for us to travel on foot, than the usual scorching heat that would make our feet burn as some devotees travelled barefoot on concrete roads,” says Jaiprakash, a resident of Vishnu Garden and the point of contact for the group (+919845476717) .
Dritya Bhari Jal Kanwar, Rewari (Haryana)
The kanwariyas in this group will start their journery from Sarai Kale Khan Metro Station and travel via Ghaziabad to Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar, by July 12. This group of 124 members will travel 301kms in seven days. “The oldest member in our group is 97 years old, and if he can walk in the love of Lord Shiva then anybody can,” says Chandan Raj (+918069679017), head of the group, which will offer the holy water at Shiv Mandir in Bawal Chowk, Rewari.
Namo Kanwariya, Ranchi (Jharkhand)
“With a pitstop at Shiv Mandir in Madipur Village, Punjabi Bagh of Delhi, we will be travelling 1250kms on foot with only water as our staple diet on all days,” says Amit Kumar, a member of the group that has begun their journey from Ranchi. This group will reach Har Ki Pauri on July 8 and travel back to Pahari Mandir in Ranchi from July 9. Kumar (+918045212004) adds, “Since we have 177 members in our group, which comprises both old and young, it might be difficult for some to stay without food for days at a stretch. Hence it’s not compulsory for everyone to stand by this resolution, but opt for it if their health allows. Ultimately, it’s our devotion that counts when we reach the holy destination with bare minimum facilities.”
Shivay Kanwar, Bina (Madhya Pradesh)
This group with 112 members travelled from Bina in Madhya Pradesh to the Capital, and began their kanwar journey yesterday from Delhi’s Chhatarpur Temple upto Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar. “We will travel 794kms via Meerut. We started from MP on June 29 and experienced constant rains. We thought the journey ahead will be equally difficult, but thankfully it wasn’t raining much when we reached Delhi. Now we are hoping the weather stays cools for us to be able to continue without any food and water till we reach Haridwar on July 11,” says Kanwar Jai (+919643303767), a member of the group that will head back on the same day with the river’s holy water to be offered at Shiv Mandir in Chitrakoot, Bina.
Jai Shankar Kanwar, Shivpuri (Rajasthan)
With 178 members, the group is travelling from Shivpuri in Rajasthan to Shakti Farms, Rohini via Meerut to reach Shatabdi Ghat in Haridwar on July 11. “We have only slept for 10 hours in the past four days since we’ve started,” says Harsh Rajput, (+916237587543), a member of the group, adding, “We’d be travelling 452 kms from one side and plan to sleep as less as possible, there’s some worldly pleasures that we’d prefer sacrificing for our devotion to this journey.” As they’d begin their return journey on July 12, the group has planned to witness the Ganga Aarti too.
Author tweets @maishascribbles
