Uttar Pradesh

• 23 Jul 2024

Kanwar Yatra

Why in News? 

Recently, the Supreme Court halted the controversial orders from the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, which required the display of owners' names at hotels, shops, eateries, and dhabas along the route of the 'Kanwar yatra' (holy expedition). 

Key Points 

• The Kanwar Yatra is a Hindu pilgrimage in the month of Shravana, by Lord Shiva devotees. 
• The devotees travel to pilgrimage places like Haridwar, Gaumukh, Gangotri in Uttarakhand, Sultanganj in Bihar, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and return by carrying Ganga water in kanwars to seek the blessings of Shiva. 
  • The water is offered to Shiva temples, including the 12 Jyotirlingas across India and other shrines like the Pura Mahadev Mandir and Augharnath in Uttar Pradesh, the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, and the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand. The ritual is known as Jal Abhishek.  

12 Jyotirlingas 

• A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam. 
• Each Jyotirlinga is a different manifestation of Lord Shiva. 
• There are currently 12 main Jyotirlingas in India. These are: 
  • Somnath Jyotirlinga in Gir, Gujarat 
  • Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh 
  • Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
  • Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh 
  • Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar, Jharkhand 
  • Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra 
  • Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu 
  • Nageshwar Jyotirlinga in Dwarka, Gujarat 
  • Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 
  • Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga in Nasik, Maharashtra 
  • Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand 
  • Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad, Maharashtra