CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -In the year 2020, Kanwar Yatra was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in India. In 2021, Uttarakhand decided to suspend the yatra in light of the disastrous second wave of COVID-19 in the country. However, Uttar Pradesh decided to move ahead with the yatra and Supreme Court of India took a suo moto case on the matter.

Detailed explanation-2: -Kanwar Yatra Guidelines 2023. The Kanwar Yatra is the annual pilgrimage of the devotees of Shiva known as Kanvaria; to Hindu pilgrimage places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy waters of the Ganges River to pour it on various Shiva temples in India.

Detailed explanation-3: -During Kanwar Yatra, the Kawariyas or the devotees of Lord Shiva pass through Saharanpur, Shamli, Meerut, Ghaziabad and Baghpat districts of Uttar Pradesh to reach Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, Gomukh and Gangotri. Kanwariyas from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, western UP and Rajasthan take National Highway 58 to reach Uttarakhand.

Detailed explanation-4: -Kanwar Yatra End Date : Sunday, 16 July 2023.

Detailed explanation-5: -’Kanwar Yatra’ is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva’s devotees in which devotees are known as ‘Kanwariyas’ visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of the Ganges and then worship the God with the same water.