Why Thousands Walk Barefoot in Kanwar Yatra – The Devotion Behind the Pain
- Neha Kumari
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
The streets of the northern India turn into a sea of saffron every year during the holy month of Shravan. These are the Kanwariyas, pilgrims of the Lord Shiva, who cover hundreds of kilometers on foot in order to carry sacred water of Ganga.
So why then would they put themselves through a situation, which causes them so much pain?
To the majority, it is a simple answer of faith.
The History about the Yatra
Kanwar Yatra has basic relations with the mythology of Hindus. We are made to believe that Lord Shiva had once consumed poison with the intention of saving the globe, and to lower down the fire in his throat Ganga water was served to him.
Making this godly gift has its recreation where the faithful bring water gathered at pilot stations such as Haridwar, Gaumukh or Gangotri, and trek to pay the Abhishekam in their respective Shiva temples.
Though this is not a mere ritual, and it is more of a test of devotion.
Why Barefoot?
The lack of shoes is a pictorial representation of the submissiveness and submission. To get the blessings of Mahadev, many Kanwariyas feel that they can take this discomfort as a minor sacrifice.
To them the sore feet are a prayer: they stage their blisters as incantations, turn their lameness into a progress towards piety.
It is not about survival. It is all about belonging.
Mental Strength, Physical Strain
The weather is usually hot and dusty and temperatures soar above 35o C in July and the roads are hot, dry and unforgiving. Nevertheless, Kanwariyas still walk barefooted, singing a cheerful song Bol Bam.
The physical challenge is challenging but the mental endurance can never be matched.
To most people, the walk is also a meditation. A respite to the life turmoil.
An individual oath, A Pilgrimage
Others do it to make a mannat (wish) happen, as a job, or a child, or a healing. Some do it in remembrance of some loved one. Every worshipper has a narrative, a cause, internal narrating with Shiva.
The barefoot walk turns into the connection between the earthly and the heavenly world.
True Stories, True Faith
Ramesh is a 28-year old Kanwariya of Bihar who walks 120 kms per year to ensure his father remains healthy. He says with cracked feet and glowing his face, Itna toh Mahadev ke liye kar hi sakte hain. To him this is no pain, it is purification.
Aarti is a college girl staying in Delhi, this year was the first time she participated in the Yatra. I wanted to be rawness, I wanted to be real. This walk cured a section of me which therapy could not cure,” she said.
These are tales that Yatra is all about.
A Tradition, Not a Trend
Whether it is because of participatory loud music and reels which seems to attract the younger generation and is turning out to be a youth trend or not, deep down, the Kanwar Yatra remains to be a practice of sacrifice and surrender.
The barefoot journey is the most sincere sign of such commitment. It teaches us that spirituality does not require luxury, but it only requires intent.
Their feet are covered with dust with stories that cannot be put in Instagram captions.
The Barefoot Walk, The Science
It is believed that walking over nature with bare feet aids in blood circulation and decreases stress levels- also known to the western world as grounding.
The benefits are however spiritual in the case of the Kanwariyas and scientific second. It is not earth that heals them, but it is their faith.
Nevertheless, it is interesting how nowadays, practices once considered as a part of ancient times till now seem to coincide with the concepts of wellness.
Bandh on the Road
Community support is one of the most heartrending features of the Yatra. Strangers give Kanwariyas food, shelter, and medical care without caring about the caste and the class.
This common faith creates an unsaid connection between millions.
Hardship is lightened, when shared. Faith can only be stronger when it appears.
Concluding statement: A Trip is More Than a Trip
The Kanwar Yatra that walks barefooted is not all about religion, it is all about strength, remembrance, and respect. It is a journey with soul one step at a time.
In the world, where all seek to run to comfort, these worshippers enter into discomfort, all in order to get that connection that they cannot see, yet so strongly believe.
This is the strength of the trip. And yet so Human.
📅 By News Anek Digital Desk | July 13, 2025
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