Kanwar Yatra Baba Dham – A Complete Guide For Kanwarias

Kanwar Yatra Baba Dham Deoghar – The holy Kanwar Yatra starts from the Uttar-Vahini Ganga at Ganga Dham (Sultanganj, Bihar) to Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, Jharkhand, one of the twelve jyotirlingas in India.

The holy Kanwar Yatra is an annual tradition of offering Ganga jal by the Lord Shiva devotees to Baidyanath Jyotirlinga at Baba Dham Deoghar, Jharkhand by carrying Gangajal on their shoulders and trekking from Sultanganj to Deoghar.

The Kanwar Yatra generally happens during the month of Sawan. (Jul – Aug).

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Also Read About: Baba Biadyanath Dham Temple

Kanwar Yatra At Deoghar

During the month of Shravan (July-Aug), Shiva devotees carry pots of holy water on kanwars (decorative slings) and pour it over a Shivalinga which is called Jalabhishek. Kanwar Yatra is also being practiced in other parts of the county during the month of Shravan. But the Baba Dham Kanwar Yatra has its own significance.

Shiva devotees take a bath in the Ganges river at Sultanganj and worship in Baba Ajgaibinath temple and take a vow to complete the holy journey. They take the Ganges water (Ganga-Jal) from Uttar-Vahini Ganga in two vessels and keep it in a Bahangi, which is called a Kanwar. Shiva devotees carrying these Kanwar are called Kanwariyas or Kanwarias. During the yatra, the Kanwariyas address each other respectfully as ‘Bam Ji’ or appended ‘Bam’ to one’s name and chant Bol Bal-Bal Bam along the way.

There are three types of Kanwarias or Kanwar Yatra:

• Common Kanwaria – These kanwarias hike 20-25 km each day as per their physical abilities and halt at makeshift Seva-Shivirs (camps) for food, rest or sleep. The journey takes about 3 to 5 days to complete.

• Dak Bam – The pilgrims who doesn’t stop at any camp and must complete the journey within a single day are Dak Bams. These dak bams, who complete the journey within a day (usually 15 to 20 hrs), earn them privileged access to the Shiva shrine at Deoghar, unlike common pilgrims who must queue up for miles.

• Dandi Bam (Dandi Kanwar Yatra) – As a form of hatha yoga, some devotees cover this distance by dand-baithak (full-body prostrations), taking weeks or even months to reach the destination. They too carry a Kanwar, but walk a mile, leave the Kanwar on a stand, walk back, crawl up to it, and repeat the process. For them, it is three times the journey.

However, there are many devotees who are physically unable to complete this journey on foot, and also come to Baba Baidyanath Temple directly by vehicle to perform Jalabhishek.

Sultanganj to Deoghar Kanwar Yatra Route

Shiva devotees start their Kanwar Yatra after filling Ganga Jal from the Uttar-Vahini Ganga at Ganga Dham in Sultanganj Ajgaivinath, Bihar and trek to Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, Jharkhand. The total distance from Suntanganj to Deoghar is about 105 kilometers.

Below is the list of major camp locations and halts in the Kanwar Yatra route from Sultanganj to Deoghar which crosses through several districts of Bihar and Jharkhand:

During the entire Kanwar journey, free food and medicines are provided to Kanwarias round the clock in the camps (Sheva Shivirs). Along with the government, private organizations also participate enthusiastically to serve the Kanwariyas along the way.

In the entire yatra route, you may find several wooden stands placed at regular intervals where pilgrims could rest their kanwars or water pots, as rules forbade them from touching the ground from the moment it was carried.

After reaching Babadhm, devotees line up in a long waiting kanwaria queue as per the pilgrims’ crowd available for the darshan. Temple and district administration also offer Shighra Darshanam facility on a paid basis. Once devotees complete the Jalabhishek at Babadham temple, they rush to Basukinath temple to offer Jalabhishek to Baba Basukinath, which is about 45 Km away from Deoghar.

Also Read: Shravani Mela Deoghar Guide

Arrangement of Jalabhishek For Kanwarias

During the Shravani fair, the administration has made three arrangements for making accessible Jalabhishek offerings to the Kanwariyas who come to Babadham. Under the first arrangement, there will be a normal queue. For this, arrangements have been made to queue up from Baba Mandir in the route line. The Kanwariyas who worship through the normal queue will have to go to the end of the queue from Mansarovar via Jalsar Children’s Park after taking a Sankalpa in the Babadham Mandir.

The second arrangement is that of sheeghra darshanam. In this, Rs 500 will have to be paid per person to avail of this service. Devotees can offer Jalabhishek within 20-30 minutes without waiting in a long queue and enter in the temple sanctum through the administrative building within a few minutes.

Read More: Sheeghra Darshanam Ticket Booking

Apart from this, in the third arrangement, Jalabhishek can be offered from outside Argha. Which is located adjacent to the exit gate in the temple premises. A pipeline has been connected to the Shivling and the jal of Kanwariyas will be offered directly to Baba. The devotees can also see his Jalabhishek on the big screen installed just above the Baba Mandir.

Who Was the First Kanwaria

As per tradition, the custom of carrying Kanwar started in the Treta Yuga and Lord Ram was one of the first to undertake this yatra. He had carried the holy Ganges water from Sultanganj in a Kanwar and offered Jalabhishek to Lord Shiva at Babadham. This mention is also found in Anand Ramayana.

There was also a reason why this took place in Shravan.

Kanwar Yatra in Shravan Month

According to Purans, during the Samudra Manthan or churning of the cosmic ocean, many divine things emerged, including the poison Halahala. As Lord Shiva consumed it, Parvati grabbed his neck to prevent the toxic brew from being swallowed, turning his throat blue, hence his name Neelkanth. Yet, the poison inflamed Shiva’s body.

To decrease the effect of the poison, the practice of offering water to Shiva started. Hence, his associations with all cool things like– the crescent moon, the Ganga and water continuously dripping on the linga. It is said the Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean) took place during the month of Shravan, hence the practice of offering Jal to Shivlinga started then.

Rules For Kanwarias

All the devotees who carry Kanwars must follow certain rules throughout their journey. They must follow:

• Vegetarianism
• Celibacy
• Truthfulness
• Purity of speech and thought
• Avoid Liquor and Smoking
• Avoid using oil, soap, shoes and leather articles
• Avoid putting Kanwar on ground
• Maintain obeisance throughout the Yatra.

Precautions For Kanwarias

• Beware of pickpocketers
• Do not wear or carry precious ornaments (Gold /Diamond etc) during Yatra or in the Temple premises.
• In case of theft /quarrel contact to nearest Policy Station.
• Do not believe in rumors. Do a fact check.
• Do not make a crowd unnecessarily.
• Maintain a queue during entering to Garv Grih of the temple.
• Follow the instructions given by the authorities.
• Be safe from the stampede by keeping yourself calm and using the presence of mind.

Sultanganj Ajgaivinath To Deoghar Distance

Kanwar yatra route and vehicle route are a little different. In Google Maps below, you can find the total distance from Sultanganj to Deoghar kilometer and the total hours to travel.

FAQs On Kanwar Yatra Deoghar

Also Read:

• Shravani Mela Deoghar Guide
• Deoghar Tourism Guide
• Tourist Places Near Deoghar
• Best Hotels Near Baba Baidyanath Mandir