"Kanwarias are devotees of Shiva. Dressed in orange coloured clothes, they carry holy water (kanwar) of river Ganga from Neelkanth, Gomukh or Haridwar to be poured on the Shivlinga in their hometown on the occasion of Shivratri. This journey on foot, when completed, is supposed to fulfil their wishes and endear them to Lord Shiva. Legend has it that at the time of 'samudra manthan' (turning of the seas upside-down) both ambrosia and poison surfaced. While many gods and goddesses eagerly tasted amrit, no one wanted to have poison. Yet, consuming poison was crucial or else it would have caused enormous destruction had it touched the Earth. It was then that the 'God of Gods' --- Shiva put the poison in his throat -- which caused tremendous heat in his body. It is to pacify this heat that gangajal (water of the Ganga) is poured over Shivlingas -- a process known as Jalabhishek. Shiv devotees who do not travel to Haridwar serve food to the kanwarias in their route through which they go. At the time of Shivratri the devotees are around 25 lakhs. A kanwar typically comprises a long bamboo stick with small containers carrying gangajal tied to either end. It is decorated with red and orange cloth strips and other glitzy material and is balanced on the shoulder of the person carrying it. There can be many types of kanwars: the 'standing kanwar' need not run with someone continuously -- the only condition is that until reaches its destination, the water has to be continuously carried on someone's shoulder, even if the person carrying it is only standing and not walking. The 'hanging kanwar' also need not run continuously; in fact it can be placed on a stand while the owner rests or bathes. The 'sitting kanwar' can even be placed on floor while the owner does something else. A Dak kanwar has to keep running.

The kanwaria practice seems to have been fuelled in recent times, partly perhaps by saffron resurgence in north India, and entire national highways get blocked off for weeks on end, to allow the crowds of kanwarias to return to their villages or move to Haridwar! But like it or not, this is modern day religiosity at its fervent best!

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