Kanwar Mela: 8 days holiday declared for Schools College from July 10

Kanwar Mela: All government and private educational institutions here will remain closed from July 10 to 17. 8 days holiday declared for Schools College from July 10 in view of the Kanwar Yatra, Haridwar district administration officials said on Tuesday.

The Kanwar Yatra commenced on Tuesday. It will culminate on August 15 as holy Ganga water will be offered to Lord Shiva. District Magistrate Dheeraj Garbyal said, “In view of the Kanwar Mela, the District Magistrate has decided to close all the schools and Anganwadi centres from July 10 to 17.”

Separately, schools, colleges, and other educational institutes have been closed in Muzaffarnagar till 16 July in view of Kanwar Yatra. This year, the Kanwar yatra commenced on 4 July with Shiva devotees from across the country making a beeline for Haridwar to collect holy water from the Ganga.

The Kanwariyas will head back after collecting the water and perform ‘jalabhishek’ in Shiva temples on the occasion of Shiva Trayodashi. Elaborate security arrangements have been made by the Uttarakhand government because of Knawar Yatra. The Kanwar fair area has been divided into 12 super zones, 33 zones, and 120 sectors, said Deputy Inspector General, Garhwal Range, V Murugesan.

Seven companies of paramilitary personnel, 12 PAC companies, and 10,000 police personnel are being deployed in the area. Bomb disposal and dog squads have also been deployed in Haridwar. The security forces will keep a vigil with the help of nearly 300 CCTV cameras.

Kanwar Yatra is a significant ritual during the month of Sawan. People gather water from sacred rivers for this rite and place it in little mud pots known as Kanwars. Devotees don saffron-coloured clothes while carrying the holy water and walk on foot to visit temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Devotees who are termed Kanwariyas visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh, and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of the River Ganga and then worship the God with that water. In the Hindu calendar, ‘Sawan’, also known as ‘Shravan, is the fifth month of the Hindu lunar calendar and one of the holiest months of the year.

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