Kanwar yatra keeping Ram temple issue alive

| | Lucknow | in Lucknow

The Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to keep its Ram temple issue alive through kanwar yatra as a model of the proposed temple in Ayodhya is being displayed in the yatras and it has become a rage in western Uttar Pradesh.

Insiders say that on the insistence of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the kanwariyas have been asked to include the model of Ram temple in the yatra. Announcements are made from time to time, asking people to have a look at the model of the proposed Ram temple. As the yatra passes through villages, people throng to have a glimpse of the temple.

“The villagers in western Uttar Pradesh do not know how the mandir will look like once it comes up in Ayodhya. We are just showcasing the temple,” said Manish Dixit, a VHP leader.

The kanwar yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva devotees known as kanwariyas, who carry the water of the holy Ganga river across hundreds of miles to offer it to their Shiva shrines, or specific temples.

It is not only the model of Ram temple but the additional dose of nationalism in these yatras that has caught the attention of people.

“This is probably the first time when tri-colour is being used in the kanwar yatra. Earlier, the kanwariyas used to carry saffron flag having the picture of Lord Shiva at the centre. This year one can see these kanwariyas carrying tri-colour. In Muzaffarnagar, a 360-metre-long flag was carried through the bazaar,” Sushil Narain Sharma, a teacher at a local school, told this reporter.

Sharma said that sometimes it was difficult to differentiate whether it was a religious yatra or prabhat pheri taken out during Independence Day. 

The DJ is played at full volume and the youths can be seen dancing to the latest Bollywood music.

Though kanwar yatra is an annual feature, it has caught people’s eyes after Yogi Adityanath came to power in UP. He allowed playing of DJ in kanwar yatras, while this was earlier banned because of allegation that kanwariyas played vulgar songs. 

On Friday last, Yogi made an aerial survey of the kanwar yatra from Muzaffarnagar to Ghaziabad. He took stock of the route in Muradnagar, Ganganahar Patri and Delhi-Meerut Highway. He also asked the district officials to shower flower petals on the kanwar yatris and the district magistrates are doing this dutifully.