As soon as the month of Sawan begins, the Kanwar Yatra also begins, where devotees move towards Shiva temples with Kanwars filled with Gangajal. Kanwariyas dressed in saffron clothes, fill Gangajal in a Kalash from the Gangabank, tie it to their Kanwar and hang it on their shoulders and move towards Shiva temples while chanting the praises of Mahadev.
The Kanwar Yatra begins with the month of Sawan and ends on the day of the full moon. Every year lakhs of Kanwariyas come to Haridwar and fill Gangajal and go to the Shiva temples in their respective areas and perform Jalabhishek of the Shivling. According to beliefs, there are many types of Kanwar Yatra. In the month of Sawan, devotees go out with different types of Kanwar and perform Abhishek of Lord Shiva. Let us know about the different types of Kanwar Yatra and their importance…
There are four types of Kanwar Yatra
The Kanwar Yatra is not of only one or two types, but of four types. These include General Kanwar Yatra, Dak Bam Kanwar Yatra, Khadi Kanwar Yatra and Dandi Kanwar Yatra. Let us know the method and importance of these Kanwar Yatras.
General Kanwar Yatra
In the general Kanwar Yatra, devotees wearing saffron clothes and carrying Kanwar on their shoulders, set out towards the holy rivers with the chants of “Bol Bam”. Bringing holy water from there, they perform Abhishek in Shiva temples. In this journey, devotees can rest intermittently and spend the night in the pandals set up along the way. The purpose of this journey is to get the blessings of Lord Shiva and pray for the fulfillment of their wishes.
Dak Kanwar Yatra
In the Dak Kanwar Yatra, devotees complete the entire journey without stopping and without rest. Time plays a very important role in this journey, people complete their journey in 24 hours, and hand over the Kanwar to each other like a baton. This journey is extremely challenging and difficult, but the enthusiasm of the devotees and their devotion to Lord Shiva gives them strength and determination.
Khari Kanwar Yatra
In the Khari Kanwar Yatra, the devotees decorate the Kanwar in a special way. In the Khari Kanwar Yatra, the devotees have to keep walking continuously. In this journey, there are two to three devotees to handle one Kanwar. When one devotee gets tired, the other picks up the Kanwar. The specialty of this journey is that the Kanwar is never placed on the ground. That is why it is called Khari Kanwar Yatra. After completing the Khari Kanwar Yatra, the devotees offer Gangajal on the Shivling and pray for the fulfillment of their wishes.
Dandi Kanwar Yatra
Dandi Kanwar Yatra is a special type of Kanwar Yatra, in which the devotee, using Dandi (wooden stick), takes the Gangajal from the river to the temple by doing Danda. This journey is considered to be more difficult than all the Kanwad journeys; the enthusiasm and devotion of the Ishqe Bayajud devotees is worth seeing.
