Yearly in mid-summer, millions of Hindus walk to Haridwar in the Kanvar Yatra to collect and carry back Gangajal for worship at their home temple
By Dev Raj Agarwal, Dehra Dun
Vaishnavi, a student of class four, is returning home with her father and twenty-five members of their group of kanvaris from a western suburb of Dehra Dun. The July heat and humidity force them to rest frequently as they make the 55-mile return walk with the kanvars (a bamboo pole holding two water pots) on their shoulders. Their mattresses are spread at the edge of the highway, and the plastic cans filled with Gangajal (jal is water) are tied in front of the tractor. They cook their own food and sleep in shifts inside the tractor trolley, which is fitted with the luxury of four comfortable beds.
The Kanvar Yatra is a twelve-day festival in July/August, during which devotees carry Gangajal from Haridwar to various Siva temples in North India. This once humble event has undergone a total transformation in the last few decades. This year, 45 million pilgrims reached Haridwar to collect Gangajal from the holy river, each in their own novel way. Nearly all came on foot from within a radius of 100 miles, with some from as far as 150 miles.
Earlier, two brass urns with lids were filled with the holy water, tied to the ends of a bamboo stick, and carried on the shoulders by the pilgrims. Thirty years ago, we saw only a few men walking alone with this simple kanvar for the festival. Now, not only the kanvar, but the kanvaris, too, have taken on a new look. Plus, kanvaris have devised new ways to perform the ritual, changed the appearance of the kanvar, and started to travel in groups. Many bring along large trucks or tractors with trailers. One also sees more women taking part in the yatra. Large social and religious groups from every town and village set up huge camps along the yatra routes where kanvaris can rest, have food, and seek basic medical attention.
Kanvaris express their ingenuity in making the kanvars, decorating them beautifully. The most devout spend months creating huge structures, some as tall as fifteen feet. Still carried on the shoulders, such large kanvars are controlled with the help of strings to turn them to the right or left. One can also see people carrying Gangajal in small containers, neatly covered with saffron cloth and tied to their waists. This is probably the least strenous and most practical way to perform the ritual. A few devotees pull ornate four-wheeled chariots with the pots mounted on them. Some bring and hang on their vehicles containers for friends who could not make the pilgrimage themselves.
Walking in a group is another way. Such teams carry a large amount of the sacred water in metal vessels or large plastic containers, enough for all devotees to perform the ritual. Paucity of time has given rise to the dak kanvar, literally “postal kanvar.” Like athletes in a relay race, they walk briskly with large pots, passing them to the next person when tired. They may then board the trailing vehicle to rest. The dak kanvar goes on without a halt. This way, they are able to cover long distances in a short time, with the goal of reaching the home temple where the deity is to be bathed with the Ganga water at the time fixed by the temple priest. If the kanvar arrives late, the water will be regarded as khandit, broken, and unfit for offering.
The newest addition to the yatra is kanvaris on motorcycles—thousands every hour during the festival’s last few days. Motorcycle kanvaris ride recklessly at full throttle, with no helmets and often barefoot. They do this with a pure soul, but surely risking their lives and those of others, too! Such is the spirit of Kanvar!