The KawadYatra is scheduled to begin on the 1st of August and post the terrorist attack in Gurdaspur, the safekeeping for this annual Yatra has increased for all the devotees. Not just this, but the Northern Railway declared that they would run three exclusive trains for Kawad Yatra. Two trains will run daily from the capital city, Delhi to Haridwar through Shamli and the other special train will run every day passing through Hapur. These trains will be active from 1st to 12th August.
With this facility in force, it is also decided that one magistrate and officer would be posted in each sector from where the routes pass. There are CCTV cameras installed at all the sensitive areas. Plus, inspectors dressed in casuals will go along with the devotees throughout the route for safety reasons.
The health department of Uttar Pradesh has booked a ward in the district hospital and about hundred beds are reserved for any aid for the travellers. Other than this, about 24 mobile vans are arranged to provide any sort of treatment.
About KawadYatra: –
Kawadias are Lord Shiva devotees and followers, who come together and gather at Haridwar every year to take a dip and collect water of the holy river Ganga to offer it to Lord Shiva. This Yatra starts from August 1st and ends by August 12th. The followers pay respect and homage at several Shiva temples along the route. A lot of devotees observe a fast on Mondays during the month of Shravan when this yatra takes place. Most of the pilgrims are men, but these days a lot of women are participating in the Yatra too. Different modes of travel are taken up by these followers. Few opt for bicycles, motor cycles, scooters, mini trucks or jeeps. A lot of Hindu organizations set up camps along the National Highway during this time to provide food, shelter, medical help and other things when the travellers are tired or need some support.
The Kawad Yatra, also known as Kanwar Yatra, is related to the blending of ocean of milk in the Hindu Puranas. When poison came out before Amrita and the universe started scorching from the heat, it was Lord Shiva who agreed to inhale this poison in order to save the world. But after inhaling it, he was in agony from the negatives of the poison. In Treta Yuga, Lord Shiva’s sincere follower Ravana did meditation. He got holy water of Ganga by using kanwar and poured it on Lord Shiva’s temple in Puramahadev. This released the Lord from negatives of the poison.
The Yatra began in 1960 and is now a big affair for all the saints and devotees of Lord Shiva.