Kanwar Yatra: Muslim Community Welcomes ‘Kanwariyas’ in Grand Fashion

With the onset of Hindu holy month of Shravan or Sawan, begins the auspicious journey venture, Kanwar Yatra, a religious pilgrimage observed by the devotees of Lord Shiva, in different parts of India. Amid this journey, devotees, carrying Kanwar or bamboo pole with two pots suspended from either end, on their shoulders, travel through Haridwar, Gangotri & Gomukh in the state of Uttarakhand, to collect water from holy Ganges and then offer it to Shiva temples in their hometowns. Though it is a Hindu occasion, it is equally loved by the Muslim community, who work really hard for the successful conduct of this annual religious journey. In the Vidisha district of Gujarat, the same was witnessed when Muslims welcomed the pilgrims of Kanwar Yatra, who went to Betwa River, a tributary of the Yamuna to bring its holy waters and offer it to the idol of Lord Shiva.