Kanwar sanghs not to hold camps, Akhara Parishad against yatra
Kanwar sanghs express inability to enforce Covid appropriate behaviour, Saharanpur DM to forward their decision to state govt; ABAP chief says human life as important as religious practices
MEERUT/PRAYAGRAJ: Many kanwar sanghs (organisations) in Saharanpur district of western Uttar Pradesh have expressed their helplessness in ensuring Covid appropriate behaviour during the forthcoming kanwar yatra and decided not to organise camps for the kanwariyas (pilgrims) this year.
They have taken this stance even while the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex decision-making body of the 13 recognised Hindu monastic orders of the country, has urged devotees not to take out the kanwar yatra this year too due to Covid-19.
ABAP president Mahant Narendra Giri said that human life was as important as religious practices and thus the best option is that the kanwar yatra is called off this year as well.
The ABAP chief’s appeal has come at a time when the apex court has asked the Centre not to permit states to take out the kanwar yatra and the UP chief minister has sought the opinion of the religious organisations involved in arranging the yatra.
The kanwar yatra is supposed to begin on July 25 with the commencement of the Hindu holy month of Shravan. While the Uttarakhand government has decided to cancel the yatra this year in view of Covid concerns, UP has not taken such a decision to scrap it as yet. On Friday, the Supreme Court had observed that “the Uttar Pradesh government cannot go ahead with the kanwar yatra —100%” and asked the state government to withdraw the decision.
MEERUT/PRAYAGRAJ: Many kanwar sanghs (organisations) in Saharanpur district of western Uttar Pradesh have expressed their helplessness in ensuring Covid appropriate behaviour during the forthcoming kanwar yatra and decided not to organise camps for the kanwariyas (pilgrims) this year.
They have taken this stance even while the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex decision-making body of the 13 recognised Hindu monastic orders of the country, has urged devotees not to take out the kanwar yatra this year too due to Covid-19.
ABAP president Mahant Narendra Giri said that human life was as important as religious practices and thus the best option is that the kanwar yatra is called off this year as well.
The ABAP chief’s appeal has come at a time when the apex court has asked that states not be permitted to take out the kanwar yatra and the UP chief minister has sought opinion of the religious organisations involved in arranging the yatra.
The kanwar yatra is supposed to begin on July 25 with the commencement of the Hindu holy month of Shravan. While the Uttarakhand government has decided to cancel the yatra this year in view of Covid concerns, Uttar Pradesh has not taken such a decision to scrap it as yet.
On Friday, the Supreme Court had observed that “the Uttar Pradesh government cannot go ahead with the kanwar yatra —100%” and asked the state government to withdraw the decision to allow the pilgrimage “in the interest of the health of the citizenry of India” or invite an order from the court.
Saharanpur district magistrate Akhilesh Singh said that the district has more than 50 kanwar sanghs which organise camps to provide food and a place to stay to devotees who bring Ganga water from Hardwar and other locations during the yatra.
“These kanwar sanghs held a meeting on Saturday and (have) given in writing that they are unable to enforce Covid protocol for such a large gathering of devotees and also decided not to organise camps for the kanwariyas this year,” said Singh.
“I will forward their (Sanghs’) decision to the state government to seek further opinion and guidelines on the yatra,” said district magistrate Singh. The collective decision of the kanwar sanghs has come at a time when there are concerns that holding the kanwar yatra could turn into a super spreader in view of Covid-19.
For his part, Mahant Narendra Giri said, “On behalf of the Akhara Parishad I would like to appeal to the Shiva devotees not to take out the kanwar yatra in view of the predicted third wave of Covid-19 pandemic. The devotees should make Parthiva Shivlinga (Shivalinga made from clay) in their households and offer the water of Ganga or for that matter even of the local pond, of their village to Lord Shiva.”
“It is the moral responsibility of the devotees to see that their deeds should not, in any way, enhance the possibility of triggering the third wave of the pandemic. Religious practices are important but human life is more important,” the ABAP chief said.
“It is advisable that the pujan (prayers) of lord Shiva should be either done through making a Parthiv shivlinga at home or if at all the devotees decide to visit the neighbouring Shiva temple, they must follow the protocols,” the ABAP chief said. Chief patron of Juna Akhara and general secretary of ABAP Mahant Hari Giri said, “Akhara parishad has taken the right decision. During the Kanwar yatra, the religious sentiments are quite high, and devotees often forget to maintain social distancing and run the risk of getting infected. We need to work jointly to avoid the third wave.”