Why millions join the Kanwar Yatra: 3 books that decode the monsoon pilgrimage
In recent years, the Kanwar Yatra has attracted scholarly interest due to its increasing scale and cultural significance. These three books delve into the yatra's roots, purpose, and growing popularity:
Sociologist Vikash Singh, a professor at Montclair State University, immerses himself in the Kanwar Yatra to explore a key question: why has participation in the pilgrimage grown from a few thousand in the 1980s to over 12 million by 2011?
Singh finds that many of the pilgrims are marginalised men, left behind by India's economic transformation. The Yatra becomes, for them, a space of expression and affirmation. It is a means to cope with modern anxieties. Often indulging in bhang and other substances along the way, they find kinship in Lord Shiva. As Singh sees it, the Kanwar Yatra is not a mere annual pilgrimage, it is a form of moral protest.
Why do people go on pilgrimages? What deeper social functions do these journeys serve? London-based researcher Ruma Bose answers these questions while she examines the older, more complex version of the Kanwar Yatra known as the Kunwar Tirtha, observed in Bihar, Jharkhand, and the eastern Terai of Nepal. She calls it 'the oldest pilgrimage of its kind.'
To fully grasp the origins of the Kanwar Yatra, one must return to its mythological roots, which lie in the story of Samudra Manthan, or the churning of the cosmic ocean. This myth, which features gods and demons uniting in their quest for amrit (nectar of immortality), explains how the sacred Ganga water and Lord Shiva became central to this annual ritual. Author and illustrator Tanmay Mehta brings this tale to life in a stunning graphic novel that blends traditional Indian art with contemporary comic-book aesthetics.
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India.com
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