Kanwar Yatra 2021: Uttarakhand Govt Cancels The Annual Pilgrimage Due To Covid Second Wave

The announcement was made by newly appointed Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami

(Representative Image/Getty)

Dehradun: In the wake of second wave of Coronavirus in the country, the Uttarakhand government on Tuesday decided to cancel the prestigious Kanwar Yatra this year.

The announcement was made by newly appointed Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who had recently expressed his desire to cancel the annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva’s devotees which was supposed to begin on July 25. 

It is for the second consecutive year that the yatra is not being held due to the pandemic. The Kanwar Yatra was even cancelled in 2020 due to outbreak of first wave of Coronavirus in the country.

The cancellation of pilgrimage comes after Indian Medical Association (IMA) had written to Dhami recently asking him to not allow the yatra to go ahead in the interest of the people of the state and the country.

Earlier in the day, Dhami had said that though Kanwar Yatra is part of Sanatan culture, saving lives in the time of the pandemic was paramount.

"Kanwar is part of the Sanatan culture but saving lives is paramount. Government's focus is to ensure that COVID does not spread," Dhami said addressing a meeting of all morchas (wings) of the state BJP.

The new Uttarakhand CM also urged his Uttar Pradesh counterpart to cancel the yatra. 

The fourteen days long Kanwar Yatra begins with the onset of the month of Shravan around July 25 every year and ends in the first week of August. The holy pilgrimage witnesses crores of Kanwariyas from various states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana and Delhi gathering in Haridwar to collect the holy waters of the Ganga.

The fortnight-long yatra which begins with the onset of the month of Shravan by the Hindu calendar goes on till the first week of August and sees a large gathering of Kanwariyas in Haridwar from neighbouring states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi to collect the holy waters of the Ganga.