The Kanwar yatra began on Thursday with the worshipping of Ganga river at the sanctum sanctorum of Brahamkund, Har-ki-Pauri by Ganga Sabha priests in the presence of district magistrate Vinay Shankar Pandey and district police chief Yogendra Singh Rawat.
On the first day, Kanwariyas on foot were spotted arriving from neighbouring states. The Shravan Kanwar Yatra will conclude on July 26 on Shivratri.
The footfall of devotees will increase by July 16-18 and after July 22 two-wheeler and four-wheeler-borne Kanwariyas will also arrive in Uttarakhand.
“The Kanwar pilgrimage has begun and we offered rituals to deity Ganga for peaceful completion of the fair. Kanwars above 7 feet height won’t be allowed nor will sharpened objects, baseball, hockey sticks and other such items. As far as Covid-19 protocol is concerned we will review it on Friday to take a decision on whether face masks will be made compulsory or not for Kanwariyas,” said district magistrate Vinay Shankar Pandey.
Kanwariyas were spotted at Har-ki-Pauri, Kanwar markets at Bairagi camp, Pantdeep Mela ground and markets near Har-ki-Pauri.
Ganga Sabha, which manages the affairs of Har-ki-Pauri will be generating awareness regarding keeping Ganga Ghats clean and non-usage of plastic-polythene material by Kanwariyas
{{/usCountry}}Ganga Sabha, which manages the affairs of Har-ki-Pauri will be generating awareness regarding keeping Ganga Ghats clean and non-usage of plastic-polythene material by Kanwariyas
{{/usCountry}}“After a gap of two years, the Kanwar pilgrimage is being held. As crores of Kanwariyas will arrive it is imperative we don’t pollute the sacred Ganga and local ecology. Through a public announcement system and volunteers we will generate awareness among the devotees,” said Ganga Sabha president Pradeep Jha.
In the wake of the 4 crore plus Kanwariyas who are expected to arrive this season, the state transport corporation will soon temporarily shift its bus station to Rishikul ground. For this, a local fair named Haridwar Mahotsava has been called off to ensure temporary parking of buses and other facilities at Rishikul ground.
Temporary parking lots have also been set up with approximately 60,000 plus vehicles parking facility put in place for Kanwar fair.
For effective management of the Kanwar fair Haridwar-Rishikesh-Neelkanth (Pauri district) area has been designated as Kanwar Mela zone bifurcated into 15 super zones, 45 zones and 175 sectors.
Apart from the state police, six Central Paramilitary force companies and 13 Provincial Armed Constabulary companies have been deployed for Kanwar duty.