What is it?

• The Kanwar Yatra is a pilgrimage organised in the Hindu calendar month of Shravana. Shiva devotees generally walk barefoot with pitchers of holy water from the Ganga or other holy rivers. 
• The legend of the ritual goes back to the ‘samudra manthan’, one of the episodes in Hindu mythology, which is narrated in the Bhagavata Purana, in the Vishnu Purana, and explains the origin of ‘amrita’(elixir of life).
• An important festival with similarities to the Kanwar yatra in North India, called the Kavadi festival, is celebrated in Tamil Nadu, in which Lord Muruga is worshipped.

Why in News:

• Uttarakhand government has decided to suspend this year’s Kanwar Yatra in view of the COVID-19 situation.

 Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/uttarakhand-govt-cancels-kanwar-yatra-owing-to-covid-19-say-sources/article35305245.ece