Festival guide
Kanwar Yatra 2023
कांवर यात्रा
Through Shravan, kanwariyas walk barefoot in saffron carrying Gangajal slung on decorated poles, to pour it over a Shivling on Sawan Shivaratri.
- Dates
- 4 – 15 July 2023 · 12 days
- Main muhurat
- Nishita Kaal Puja (Sawan Shivaratri) · Sat, 15 July · 11:43 pm – 12:25 am (next day)
Plan the day
Good times and times to avoid
· Varanasi time (IST)
Auspicious windows
- Abhijit Muhurat54m
- Brahma Muhurta42m
- Amrit Kalam1h 44m
Times to avoid
- Dur Muhurta54m
- Dur Muhurta54m
- Rahu Kaal1h 42m
- Yama Gandam1h 42m
Sun and moon
- Sunrise
- 5:16 am
- Sunset
- 6:51 pm
- Moonrise
- 3:42 am
- Moonset
- 5:05 pm
The festival day's almanac
Panchang for Sat, 15 July
- Tithi
- Trayodashi, then Chaturdashi
- Nakshatra
- Mrigashira
- Yoga
- Vriddhi
- Karana
- Gara
- Paksha
- Krishna
- Masa
- Shravana
- Tithi
- TrayodashiFrom Until Then Chaturdashiuntil
- Nakshatra
- MrigashiraFrom Until
Choghadiya, day and night
Day
- KaalAvoid
- ShubhGood
- RogAvoid
- UdvegAvoid
- ChalNeutral
- LabhGood
- AmritGood
- KaalAvoid
Night
- LabhGood
- UdvegAvoid
- ShubhGood
- AmritGood
- ChalNeutral
- RogAvoid
- KaalAvoid
- LabhGood
The story
Kanwar Yatra: significance and rituals
Varanasi sits on the route for pilgrims drawing water at the ghats, and the walk culminates at Kashi Vishwanath.
Rituals
Fill the kanwar with Ganga water at a ghat, keep it off the ground for the whole journey, walk barefoot, and abstain from alcohol, meat and cutting hair. The jal is poured on the Shivling on Sawan Shivaratri.
Local colour
Kanwar Yatra in Varanasi
Dashashwamedh, Assi and Kedar Ghat are the main filling points. Expect saffron processions, night walking and heavy diversions around Godowlia and the Vishwanath corridor in the days before Shivaratri — plan road travel with a wide margin, and avoid driving through the old city entirely on the final two days.
Keep exploring
