The month of Sawan is going to start from 30th July. Along with this, Kanwar Yatra, which is counted among the biggest annual journeys in the world, will also begin. During this period, lakhs of devotees will reach Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri of Uttarakhand or Varanasi and Prayagraj of UP to take Ganga water. Then from there we will return to our home several hundred kilometers away. Most of the devotees complete this journey on foot. This is the reason why it is counted among the most difficult religious journeys.
In Uttar Pradesh, the number of pilgrims to Kanwar Yatra has increased rapidly since 2017. Due to this, a big market for hotels, dhabas, transport, tents, puja materials, food items and local business has also been created. It has also benefited the economy of the state. According to a research report of Lucknow’s Giri Institute of Development Studies in 2024, Kanwar Yatra generates business of about Rs 1000 crore i.e. more than Rs 10 billion in Uttar Pradesh.
How much did the number of Kanwariyas increase in 4 years?
According to estimated figures, in the year 2025, approximately 3.5 crore devotees from Uttar Pradesh will participate in the Kanwar Yatra. At the same time, in 2024 this number will be between 3.5 crore to 4 crore. Apart from this, the number of Kavandis from UP remained around 2 crore in 2023 and 2022. Whereas in the year 2025, a total of more than 4 crore 52 lakh devotees had participated from all over the country. In the year 2024, about 4 crore 80 lakh Kanwariyas had undertaken the journey. The number of devotees in the year 2023 was estimated at 3 crores. At the same time, in the year 2022, about 3 crore 80 lakh devotees from all over the country participated in the Kanwar Yatra. However, in the years 2025 and 2023, the number of devotees decreased as compared to the previous year. But despite this, it can be assumed that there has been an increase of more than 1 crore Kanwadis in 4 years.
Who benefits the most from Kanwar Yatra?
During the Kanwar Yatra, thousands of food shops, clothes sellers, fruit sellers and shopkeepers selling pitchers (Kanwar) would have benefited a lot. Also, most of the Kanwar pilgrims are on foot. In such situations, we stop at dhabas. Due to this, dhabas earn record profits. During the Yatra, the earnings of food shops double-triple as compared to normal days. Dhabas, which usually have a turnover of Rs 2 lakh in a normal month, earn Rs 5 to 6 lakh during the Kanwar Yatra.
This earning is not only for the dhaba owners and roadside shops, but the daily wage laborers also earn money. Actually, during Kanwar Yatra, the demand for staff to work at dhabas increases. In such a situation, a laborer who used to earn his living by doing small jobs every day, earns up to Rs 600 a day by working at dhabas during the Kanwar Yatra. Apart from this, he also gets two full meals.
Which sectors benefit the most?
- Hotel and Dharamshala
- Dhabas, restaurants, fruit-vegetable vendors
- Milk and Dairy, Pooja Samagri
- Tent House, Transport, Medical Store
- Mobile charging and repair, cloth and shoe market
Which districts of Uttar Pradesh benefit the most?
Most of the Kanwar pilgrims go to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri to collect Ganga water. The route to reach here includes cities like Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, Agra, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Meerut, Baghpat. It is a simple thing, if Kanwar pilgrims pass through these routes, the traders of these districts will benefit.
Apart from this, passengers coming from Eastern UP reach their destination via these routes via Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Lucknow. In such a situation, all those cities and towns of the state will benefit from where the Kanwar pilgrims would have passed. This clearly means that the Kanwar Yatra is proving helpful in boosting the economy of all the cities of UP during that period.
What is the government doing for Kanwadis?
Kanwar Yatra does not have only religious significance. It also has economic importance. The administration makes preparations on a large scale to make the Kanwar Yatra peaceful and safe. The government has set a target of ‘zero incident’ and ‘zero accident’ (i.e. no accident) for the journey. In view of the Kanwar Yatra, the government spends crores of rupees on works like road repair, barricading, police system, medical camp, ambulance, CCTV, drone surveillance, drinking water, electricity, cleanliness. Apart from this, so that the passengers do not face much trouble, the government also makes adequate arrangements for places to stop and rest and food shops for them on the way.
Kanwar Yatra is now an economic event, not a religious one.
It can be clearly said that Kanwar Yatra is no longer just a religious event. It has become an important part of the seasonal economy for North India, especially UP. Every year in the month of Sawan, business worth crores of rupees is done from the devotees coming for Kanwar Yatra. Small dhabas, shopkeepers and even laborers get a good opportunity to earn in this month. This provides employment to lakhs of people directly and indirectly. This is the reason, governments have now started preparing for it as an economic event instead of a religious event.
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