Buckets of holy water slung over their shoulders, millions of Hindu devotees have been walking for days.
The water, scooped up from the holy river Ganges, is destined for the pilgrims’ local temples. And the precious cargo must be treated delicately: spilling a single drop, or touching another person before reaching home, would cancel out the devotional deed.
Breaking up the wearying journey, devotees gather for outbreaks of extravagant revelry – ground-shaking music and dancing fueled by devotion, ganja and alcohol, as befits in their eyes Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and renewal, to whom the festival is dedicated.
This is the Kanwar Yatra festival, which draws tens of millions onto northern India’s roads each year. It’s gotten louder and rowdier in recent years – and increasingly bound up with the Hindu-nationalist politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Inside a tent along the route, the air was thick with marijuana and music. Devotees sipped bhang, a preparation of cannabis with milk and other fruits, and broke into dance.
A group of Kanwariyas carry holy water from the Ganga River in Haridwar to Gurugram, during the Kanwar Yatra on July 21, 2025. – Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times/Getty Images
As monsoon rain poured outside, Pankaj, an auto-rickshaw driver from New Delhi who goes by one name, led the dancing. He said this was his 21st time performing the ritual.
“I always get lost in the city of Bhole Baba (Lord Shiva), like slipping into a trance,” he told CNN.
“He [Shiva] ensured we did the entire journey peacefully, dancing, praying and enjoying ourselves. He makes sure we are happy.”
The bhang also helps, he said.
The concoction is “a religious offering,” he said. “Bhang is something all devotees share with each other. We drink and also make others drink.”
In Delhi, some of the millions of devotees could be seen, holy water balanced in pails, or containers hanging from each end of the kanwar pole that gives the festival its name.
Along the roadway, trucks mounted with huge speakers played pounding religious music set to bass-heavy beats, making the ground tremble.
Aarti Kumar, 21, a former bouncer, was on the way back to her hometown with her friends. She said they had walked 280 kilometers (175 miles) so far with the sacred cargo.
Aarti Kumar after trekking 280 kilometers during the Kanwar Yatra in New Delhi on July 22, 2025. – Aishwarya S. Iyer/CNN
“We are looking forward to offering the holy water and completing the pilgrimage, we are awaiting it in anticipation and excitement that our hard work of so many days will pay off.”
Pushkar Singh Dhami, chief minister of Uttarakhand, said the state witnessed an “unprecedented confluence of faith and order,” with more than 45 million devotees visiting to take the sacred water of the Ganges.
Devotional politics
But each step can spell devotional disaster. If the holy water spills or falls to the ground, or if a devotee comes into physical contact with another person, then the water becomes impure and the ritual is forfeit.
Kumar described seeing one man whose water had fallen. “He broke down in tears and I cried looking at him,” she said.
The water is meant to show thanks to god, or provide spiritual relief, including purifying the devotee’s soul of sin.
“Devotees hold this water close to their heart and bring it back with such care and warmth. So it is heartbreaking when it falls and becomes impure.”
The tension of the challenge, combined with the drugs and alcohol going about, can make for a combustible atmosphere around the devotees – who are almost all young men.
The Kanwar Yatra passes through the northern states that form the bedrock of support for Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government, which critics accuse of attacking the secular ideals enshrined in India’s constitution.
Recent pilgrimages have been marred by reports of violence against authorities, and tensions have risen when crowds pass through Muslim areas.
A Lord Shiva devotee carries sacred Ganga Jal (holy water) during the ongoing Kanwar Yatra in New Delhi, India on July 15, 2025. – Naveen Sharma/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
This year, authorities in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh states, through which the Ganges runs, banned devotees from carrying the swords and tridents associated with Shiva, due to fears of violence.
They also mandated that restaurants along the journey display the names and details of their owners via QR codes. Critics say displaying those details may encourage some observing the festival to boycott shops owned by those of another faith – an attack on the secularism enshrined in the constitution.
On 14 July, local media reported, citing police, that a group of devotees had vandalized a restaurant in Meerapur, Uttar Pradesh, alleging that the owners, who were Muslims, had not displayed their identities as local authorities had mandated.
Days earlier, a member of the state legislature, apparently took matters in his own hands. Video posted online allegedly showed him Nandkishor Gurjar shutting down a butcher’s shop in the town of Loni.
“This is the (pilgrimage route),” the man was heard shouting in the video. “Meat shops cannot open here.”
Authorities are also unwilling to intervene when devotees run amok, said businessman Danish Khan.
“These kanwars behave like they are the owners of state and national highways, dancing on high-volume DJs, sometimes drunk and beating people. The police are often just watching and giving them a free hand,” he said.
Ankit Gupta says the Kanwar Yatra is a way to forget his day-to-day troubles. Pictured in New Delhi on July 22, 2025. – Aishwarya S. Iyer/CNN
Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, appealed to devotees to participate in the pilgrimage responsibly.
“Some elements are working constantly to disrupt the faith and devotion of this pilgrimage,” he told a press conference. “They’re doing this through posts on social media and other ways. These elements are trying to defame the pilgrimage.”
Another complaint is that social media has turned the festival into just another opportunity for self-promotion.
“Before social media no one was competing on the amount of water they were bringing back, the size of the DJ, how loud the music is, or the speed with which you are doing the pilgrimage,” Sandy N, an entrepreneur from Delhi, told CNN.
“Now everything has become a gimmick and it is being done irresponsibly,” the 50-year-old said.
But for the majority, the journey is still a way to find peace.
In one of the tents set up for the devotees in the capital, laborer Ankit Gupta put out plates and food in anticipation of the arrival of the next group of pilgrims.
“This is our devotion for Lord Shiva… Tomorrow it will come to an end,” he said ruefully.
“It is a break from the otherwise hectic lives we live to make ends meet.”
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