Hindu devotees love to use Kanwars made by Muslim artisans

As lakhs of Kanwarias, the saffron-clad devotees of Lord Shiva, undertake their back and forth pilgrimage from their native places to Hardwar, various Muslims artisans have been making decorative Kanwars or pots for these pilgrims for decades.

By Ashish Goel

Dehradun, Aug.9 : As lakhs of Kanwarias, the saffron-clad devotees of Lord Shiva, undertake their back and forth pilgrimage from their native places to Hardwar, various Muslims artisans have been making decorative "Kanwars" or pots for these pilgrims for decades.

A "Kanwar" is a decorative bamboo pole, carried on shoulder with covered water pots balanced at its two ends. Lord Shiva's devotees are known as "Kanwarias" in local terminology for carrying these Kanwars.

Mohammad Ikram and his family have been involved in the Kanwar-making trade for about two decades.

"It's been over 16 to 17 years since I took up this work. I never faced any problem being a Muslim and doing something for the Lord Shiva's devotees (Bholas), the Kanwarias. All people who buy Kanwars are very well known to me for many years." said Ikram.

Akram Ilahi, another Kanwar-maker, claims popularity among Kanwarias for the shape of the veins on his wrist that many believe resembles Lord Shiva;s mythological trident.

"I do not find any difficulty in doing this work. I have been doing this work for several years. I have a trident on my hand by the grace of Lord Shiva. This is biggest reason most Kanwarias visit me and buy Kanwars in particular," said Ilahi.

Kanwarias say that pursuing and celebrating their faith is far more important than any other event. Doubts about whether the Kanwars are made by a Muslim or a Hindu artisan do not come to their minds.

"The Kanwars we buy from these artisans are really of good quality. The issue of Hindu or Muslim doesn't arise. We have to love and respect both religions. The Kanwars made by them (Muslims) are perfect and exactly according to our needs," said Harish Chander, a Kanwaria.

"I have been taking Kanwars for the past eight years and usually buy from this place only. We do not have any problem if a Muslim is making a Kanwar for us. We want to respect each other and we love each other's religion also," said Daljit Singh, another Kanwaria.

Over the past ten days, thousands of Kanwarias from different parts of north India have been converging daily at the pilgrim city of Hardwar located on the banks of River Ganges.

These saffron-clad pilgrims carry water collected from the Ganga in Haridwar, Gangotri or Gaumukh (the glacier from where the Ganga originates) in Uttaranchal, and return to their hometowns to consecrate the lingams (phallic symbol of Lord Shiva) as a gesture of thanksgiving to Him.

Several of them march on foot, some ride bicycles and some travel in trucks and vans, or even by bullock cart. The route, a distance of over 250 kilometres, reverberates with the high decibel chants of bol bam and Har Har Mahadev, as invocations to Lord Shiva

As a part of individual or collective vows, the Kanwarias collect water in pots from River Ganga and tread back home, carrying these water pots tied to the bamboo pole.

Carrying Kanwars to Hardwar as an offering to Lord Shiva is a ritual during which the bamboo pole balancing the water pots on either side are never placed on the ground.

This pilgrimage is considered to be the longest fair of the world, drawing many devotees from abroad too.

ANI