The Uttarakhand government will take a decision on whether to allow the Kanwar Yatra that attracts over 3 crore devotees to Haridwar, after lockdown 4.0 guidelines are issued by the Centre.
Cabinet minister and state government spokesperson Madan Kaushik said the matter will be discussed after guidelines for lockdown 4.0 are announced by the Central government.
Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Shiva devotees, known as Kanvarias to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch the holy water of the Ganga River. The devotees gather Ganga water (Gangajal) and carry it across hundreds of miles to offer the same in their local Shaiva shrines. In Kanwar Yatra which starts after monsoons, the devotees come from the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to Uttarakhand
Due to their arrival in huge numbers, the Uttarakhand government has to make special arrangements for their safety and to facilitate the smooth conduct of the yatra.
Mahamandaleshwar Harichetnanand Maharaj of Shri Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhada said whether Kanwar Yatra should be allowed this year or not, depends on the containment of the coronavirus epidemic. “The portals of the Badrinath shrine were opened on Friday but only 28 people were allowed at the shrine. No pilgrims were allowed. The government is yet to take a decision on whether to allow the Char Dham yatra this year or not,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Mahamandaleshwar Harichetnanand Maharaj of Shri Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhada said whether Kanwar Yatra should be allowed this year or not, depends on the containment of the coronavirus epidemic. “The portals of the Badrinath shrine were opened on Friday but only 28 people were allowed at the shrine. No pilgrims were allowed. The government is yet to take a decision on whether to allow the Char Dham yatra this year or not,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“So, if Covid-19 cases increase further we have to abide by the Union government guidelines as currently only ritualistic religious events are being allowed. As other pilgrimages are not being allowed in the state at present, we will have to wait for some time, nearly two months when the Kanwar Yatra starts. We hope till then the situation will normalize and the government can take the right decision based on the situation then,” he said.