Kanwarias at Haridwar, ready to hit the road!

From the archive record

Kanwarias are devotees of Shiva. Dressed in orange coloured clothes, they carry holy water (kanwar) of river Ganga from Neelkanth, Gomukh or Haridwar to be poured on the Shivlinga in their hometown on the occasion of Shivratri. This journey on foot, when completed, is supposed to fulfil their wishes and endear them to Lord Shiva. Legend has it that at the time of 'samudra manthan' (turning of the seas upside-down) both ambrosia and poison surfaced. While many gods and goddesses eagerly tasted amrit, no one wanted to have poison. Yet, consuming poison was crucial or else it would have caused enormous destruction had it touched the Earth. It was then that the 'God of Gods' --- Shiva put the poison in his throat -- which caused tremendous heat in his body. It is to pacify this heat that ganga