Two 'kanwariyas' drowned while taking a bath in the Ganga river in Uttar Pradesh's Budaun district on Monday, police said.

Divyam Saxena (23), Aman Gupta (22) and Devendra (30) slipped into deep water while bathing at Ataina ghat in Usaihata area, they said.

Devendra was saved by the locals but the others drowned. Their bodies were later fished out and sent for post-mortem, police said.

The Sawan month is marked by a special ritual known as the Kanwar Yatra. Saffron clad men known as 'Kanwariyas', devotees of Lord Shiva, carry the waters of the holy river Ganga from places like Haridwar, Gaumukh, Gangotri in containers tied to both ends of a  pole to offer it to shiva lingas in their locality. 

An estimated three crore devotees are likely to descend on Haridwar during the kanwar mela this year.

The city has been divided into 12 super zones, 31 zones and 133 sectors for crowd management.

With the iconic Lakshman Jhula in Rishikesh closed recently due to safety reasons, the route plan for the yatra had to be changed The yatra will conclude on July 30. Kanwariyas on foot are being sent to Neelkanth Mahadev temple via Ram Jhula and Mauni Baba cave. On their way back they will be sent to Rishikesh barrage road.

The Month of Sawan marks complete devotion of Lord Shiva by observing fasts, especially on Mondays, which are dedicated to Lord Shiva and are known as ‘Shravan Somvar Vrat’. Some even, observe fasts on Tuesdays, which was known as ‘Mangala Gauri Vrat’.

This year the month of Sawan or Shravan started on July 17 and it will conclude on 15 August as the first spell of rain hits the country.

According to the legends mentioned in Hindu Vedas and Puranas, the holy month of Sawan is dedicated to worshipping Lord Shiva for success, marriage, and prosperity.

(With agncy inputs)