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Mobile App launched by Uttarakhand CM will Help Kanwariyas during the Yatra

On Monday, Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched a mobile app for Kanwarias that have started reaching the state to collect water from Ganga river.

The app, named “Har Shiv Shankar – Sawan Mein Kanvad” will provide all important information related to facilities like yatra route, traffic diversions, medical facilites, divers and police force deployment. The app can be easily downloaded from internet. It has been developed by a private software firm on request of Roorkee MLA Pradeep Batra. The app will also help trace the location of a devotee in case of an emergency.

The Kanvar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Siva, known as Kānvarias, to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar. During this pilgrimage, kanwarias fetch holy waters of Ganges River. Millions of participants gather sacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in their local Śiva shrines, or specific temples such as Pura Mahadeva and Augharnath temple in Meerut, and Kashi Vishwanath, Baidyanath, and Deoghar in Jharkhand. In 2016, about 3.24 crore kanwarias reached Haridwar, and this year the number is expected to go further up.

“Pilgrims in large numbers come to Uttarakhand for the Kanwar yatra and we are confident that this application will smoothen their religious trip by providing timely information and updates,” chief minister said after launching the application.

“The app will provide updates to help Kanwarias and at the same time will be helpful in maintaining smooth flow of traffic,” BJP MLA from Roorkee Pradeep Batra said, according to TOI.