- The annual Kanwar Yatra concluded, with lakhs of pilgrims carrying waters from the Ganga and other holy rivers to Shiva shrines.
- The Kanwar Yatra is a Hindu pilgrimage during the month of Shravana (Saavan).
- Devotees traditionally walk barefoot with pitchers of water to various Shiva temples, though many now use vehicles.
- Water is sourced from pilgrimage sites like Haridwar, Gaumukh, Gangotri, Sultanganj, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, and Varanasi.
- Pilgrims use the water to worship Shiva lingas at significant shrines, including the 12 Jyotirlingas, and other temples like Pura Mahadeva and Augharnath Temple in Meerut, Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, and Baidyanath Dham in Jharkhand.
- The practice of offering water to Shiva stems from the ‘Samudra Manthan’ legend, where Lord Shiva consumed a lethal poison to save the world, earning him the name Neelkantha (blue-throated).
- Another origin story involves Lord Parashuram, a devotee of Shiva, who is said to have undertaken the first Kanwar Yatra.
Dig Deeper: Read about annual religious festivals making news like Jagannath Rathyatra.
