As coronavirus hits various religious celebrations across the world, the latest to be hit by the pandemic is Kanwar Yatra, the annual pilgrimage that takes place in the month of Sawan. 

On the occasion of the first Somwar of Sawan on Monday, several devotees were seen taking a dip in Ganga in Varanasi and other cities from where the holy river flows. But the chants of "Bol Bam" and religious songs on DJs were missing from the atmosphere.  

This time every year, thousands of devotees from across India, undertake the pilgrimage called `Kanwar Yatra`. However, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no Kanwariyas this year around. 

Kanwariyas mostly travel in groups to celebrate the festival and worship Lord Shiva. These pilgrims are known to visit Haridwar, Gaumukh, and Gangotri in Uttarakhand followed by Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch waters of river Ganga. Later, the holy water is dispensed as offerings to Lord Shiva in temples. 

"People are coming to visit the places of worship in the month of Sawan. However, a ban has been placed on the Kanwar yatris travelling from outside. A rapid action force has been deployed to oversee the security arrangements. Also, other measures have also been taken in view of COVID-19 lockdown," Varanasi Superintendent of Police Vikash Chandra Tripathi told ANI.

"After several rounds of meeting with the committee members of several religious bodies, announcements were made in regard to Kanwar Yatra. Therefore, there very few devotees this time around," Tripathi added.

The absence of Kanwariyas comes in the backdrop of the decision made by the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttarakhand last month to postpone the annual pilgrimage in the view of the pandemic.

The decision was taken in a virtual meeting held between Yogi Adityanath, Manohar Lal Khattar and Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday. The CMs decided to postpone the `Kanwar Yatra` as suggested by religious leaders and `Kanwar` organisations as a precautionary measure for coronavirus.

Last week, a coordination meeting was held with the DMs and SPs of neighbouring districts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana om how to implement the ban on 'Kanwar Yatra'.

Haridwar District Magistrate C Ravishankar warned that if any Kanwariya enters the district, they will have to serve a 14-day quarantine at their own expenses. 

"The meeting was held to devise a strategy in consultation with top officials of neighbouring districts for strict implementation of the ban in view of public safety," Ravishankar said.

The order has been issued keeping in view the increasing number of devotees visiting Haridwar and the possibility of the virus infecting a large number of people.    

(With ANI inputs)