Volume-XI, Issue-VI, November 2025 |
Kanwar Yatra as a Living Folk Practice of Varanasi: Shifting Paradigms Dr. Mahima Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of English, DAV PG College, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Shreeyukta Basnet, Research Assistant, Department of English, DAV PG College, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Shubham Kumar, Research Assistant, Department of English, DAV PG College, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
Received: 25.11.2025 | Accepted: 29.11.2025 | Published Online: 30.11.2025 | Page No: 202-210 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.11.issue.06W.173 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
This paper explores Kanwar Yatra and its recent emergence as a dynamic, living folk practice of Varanasi rooted in the city’s sacred geography, as well as the current shifting paradigms of Kanwar Yatra in the city, newly shaped by performative devotion and introduction of technological interventions and collective memory, particularly of the youth participating in the pilgrimage. The paper employs an ethnographic research method utilizing extended field visits, informal interviews, testimonies from pilgrims as well as visual archiving. Locations have been selected based on the official government allotted Yatra routes for the pilgrims, as well as some popular spaces such as Kashi Vishwanth Temple, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Godowlia etc. which the kanwariyas frequently visit as a part of their pilgrimage. | ||
Keywords: Kanwar Yatra, Sawan Yatra, Folk, Varanasi, Kashi Vishwanath |