The month of Sawan is just around the corner, which Lord Shiva devotees wait for all year round. During this month, there is a rush of devotees in Lord Shiva temples and the chants of Bam-Bam Bhole reverberate in the temples. At the same time, Kanwar Yatras are also conducted during these days, where devotees bring Gangajal in Kanwar after bathing in the river Ganga and offer it to Lord Shiva in the temple. Do you know who was the first person who initiated this yatra? A Bhopal-based Jyotish Acharya Pandit Yogesh Choure explained the origin of it.
The Kanwar Yatra is conducted every year during Sawan across the country. This time, the Kanwar Yatra will start on July 22 and will end on August 2.
According to the Pandit, the Kanwar Yatra was started by Lord Parshuram, the son of sage Jamadagni. According to legend, he left Garhmukteshwar Dham with Gangajal and went straight to Pura in Uttar Pradesh where he anointed Lord Shiva. It is said that following this tradition, Shiva devotees do the Kanwar Yatra in the month of Sawan and anoint Lord Shiva.
There is another mythological story about the Kanwar Yatra according to which the beginning of the Kanwar Yatra is in the Treta Yug. It is said that this journey was first made by Shravan Kumar. When his parents expressed a desire to take a bath in the Ganga, he put them in a Kanwar and started the journey. After that, he reached Haridwar and after taking a bath in the Ganga, he also brought water.
There are four types of Kanwar Yatra. In the typical Kanwar Yatra, devotees can rest on the way while walking to the destination. In Dak Kanwar Yatra, devotees must walk continuously until they collect water from the river and perform the Abhishek of Lord Shiva. Once they start the journey, they finish it only after performing Jalabhishek. In Dandi Kanwar, the devotee has to travel by bowing down while chanting the slogan of Bam Bam Bhole. In Standing Kanwar, several devotees carry one Kanwar by supporting each other.
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