Time to rethink Kanwar Yatra

The Kanwar Yatra, once a spiritual trek, is increasingly turning into a major law and order headache—especially for religiously sensitive states like Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. While the pilgrimage may earn crores in local spending, it costs the region dearly—crippling public life, choking highways, disrupting businesses, and paralysing large parts of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and beyond.
The number of kanwarias participating in the kanwar yatra, a pilgrimage for Lord Shiva, is estimated to be in the tens of millions. In 2022, over 38 million devotees participated, according to Hindustan Times. Uttar Pradesh expects around 60 million devotees for the 2025 yatra, reports The Hindu. This makes it one of the largest annual religious gatherings in India. Should we continue? This has not been a tradition in Varanasi, Hardwar or northern India.
The yatra may figure in Parliament for not its brighter side along with the Bihar electoral rolls revision, Operation Sindoor and Donald Trump tariffs.
The culture of kanwar was not there in UP and Uttarakhand till mid-1990s. Even in Kashi or Varanasi it was rarely witnessed. There used to be some devouts who used to trek alone in 1960s to 1980s during Shrawan for fulfilment of their wishes. It was not a social pattern. Even at Hardwar the gathering was limited to not more than a few thousands.
With religious movements like the Ramjanmabhoomi, and jobless growth of Manhanomics, the “devotion reached a height” and kanwars gathered momentum, may be for seeking solace as individual family economies collapsed. Interestingly, the kanwar has started evolving as a custom with economic degeneration with the growing rage against other religious movements and gradually took a violent, intolerant social erosion.
The slogan Har Har Mahadev or Bol Bam Bam changed to Jai Shri Ram and even to cheering political leaders. It became a symbol flaunting the religious colours along with hatred for other religions. Clashes gradually started increasing. In 2024, of the about 20 violent incidents connected during the kanwar yatra, 14 took place in Western Uttar Pradesh, one in Haryana’s Fatehabad and one in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu.
The 13-day trek before the Shrawan Amavasya has almost jeopardised schools, offices, factories and most activities in UP and adjacent regions.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath showering petals on yatris, alleged miscreants are trying to defame the yatra by inciting unrest. He does not specify the why. The chief minister has demarcated that there are deep religious trekkers and others frivolous may be with political ambitions to impress their bosses. Kanwars instead of reverence, strike terror and hatred.
In contrast, Bihar, which has a long tradition of kanwar to Ajgaivinath Temple in Sultanganj, Bihar or Baijnath, Deoghar in Jharkhand have not witnessed such degeneration.
Come to Bihar and Jharkhand, Indian Express reports six days back, kanwar yatris, quoting S Madhava, one driving past says “The kanwar yatris ensure people moving on the roads don’t have much trouble due to them. I was driving on one such road two days ago. Kawarias were walking on one side of the road, trying not to be brushed by the traffic”.
The UP kanwarias lack niceties. They jump on moving cars, dance on it, damage vehicles and assault the occupants. They ridicule passers by. These incidents have prompted authorities to implement bans on certain items like baseball and hockey sticks and take other measures to maintain order.
There have been no reports or incidents of violence in Sabarimala, Kerala, a pilgrimage for devotees of Lord Ayyappa.
The northern states have added to the problems. In 2024, it started a campaign against vendors or dhabas run by people of other religions, by issuing orders to write their names prominently, any not adhering had to face the wrath of officials. The court has issued injunctions but blatantly flouted.
In 2025, reports indicate that some kanwarias have been vandalising property, attacking individuals, and clashing with police. The kanwarias assaulted a CRPF jawan at Mirzapur station over a ticket dispute on July 20. Others vandalized a school bus and eatery after minor incidents. One was for having found a sliver of onion. Many cars were broken with lathis or baseball sticks in Haridwar or on way to it.
Despite all the violence, there is an economics. Each yatri purchases saffron coloured robes, though that was not the practice till late 1980s. While many walk barefoot, there are also others brandishing the expensive branded sports shoes, travelling in most fancy cars. The “kanwars” made of bamboo and wood, water bottles, umbrellas have thriving market. Millions are shelled out by the yatris, enriching eateries, hoteliers and fancy goods sellers.
That’s the brighter part. The closure of roads, disruption of work areas, productions and other activities cost billions. The brazen activities of a group of yatris cause social disharmony. Apparent malice, towards all, has severe cost. Wonder no religious leader, saints or “math” leaders have spoken a word against it.
Neither did any politician. In fact, many vandalisations go unreported. In one case, definitely not by yatris but a group posing as them, attacked a branded foreign chicken jaunt, broke glass fronts, downed shutters, clicked selfies. The posts reached Samajwadi leader Akhilesh Yadav. His one action moved the police to file an FIR on the basis of the photograph.
Must give the credit to the police as usually they are reluctant in acting against pseudo-religious vandals. As now the vandals are controlling otherwise a devout yatra that appears more like an extension of “chunavi yatra”. It may be benefiting some political outfits. It needs probe whether the brazen violence is part of that “disculture” or not.
Since the 1990’s Manmohanomics liberalisation, the society has been facing onslaught on rights of the workers and common men. The country may be “progressing” in terms of vying with major economies but it has also witnessed more hardships, 12-hour work shifts, short-term contractual jobs, less wages, no unemployment benefit, retirees without pension. Prices are touching the skies and so are large corporate profits.
The Kanwar Yatra has outgrown its spiritual roots. Without strict regulation and a rethinking of its format, it risks turning into an annual civic and economic disaster—one that affects not just infrastructure and governance, but also undermines public faith in both religious conduct and state capacity. Let religious leaders, politicians and sociologists turn reformers to end the neo-violent cult for the harmony, peace and real growth that Lord Shiva sanctifies.