Kavad Yatras: Politics of Devotional Hindutva and Militant public Culture

In recent years, North India has witnessed the growing prominence of the Kavad Yatra, an annual religious pilgrimage in which devotees of Lord Shiva, known as Kanwariyas, travel—often barefoot and in large groups—to fetch holy water from the Ganga and offer it at Shiva temples during the Hindu month of Shravan. While historically rooted in devotional practices, the Kavad Yatra has increasingly become an arena where religion and politics intersect, particularly under the rise of Hindu nationalist politics. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and affiliated organizations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have strategically amplified the spectacle of these yatras, turning them into mass public demonstrations of Hindutva culture. More crucially, this transformation has targeted youth from marginalized caste groups, who are being absorbed into a militant volunteer force aligned with the Hindutva project.

This article examines how the Kavad Yatra has evolved from a localized religious ritual into a politically mobilized street procession, how caste dynamics shape participation, and how Hindu nationalist forces instrumentalize it to forge aggressive public culture and grassroots militancy.

The Traditional Roots of the Kavad Yatra

The Kavad Yatra dates back centuries, rooted in Shaivite traditions where devotees would carry kavads—wooden structures balanced on their shoulders—adorned with pots of Ganga water to be poured on the shivlinga. Historically, the ritual was marked by humility, penance, and devotion, often practiced individually or in small groups. Pilgrims were typically drawn from lower and marginalized castes, particularly those excluded from priestly or temple-centered forms of Hindu worship, as the Kavad offered them a direct and physical mode of devotion.

By the late 20th century, however, the Yatra began to expand in scale. Improvements in road infrastructure, state patronage, and the growth of popular religious culture amplified its visibility. Yet, it is in the 21st century, coinciding with the ascent of Hindu nationalism, that the Yatra transformed into a politicized spectacle.

The Transformation into Public Spectacle

The contemporary Kavad Yatra is no longer a quiet pilgrimage. Instead, it has become a loud, aggressive, and highly visible street procession, featuring thousands of young men clad in saffron, blasting music from trucks, waving flags, and often asserting control over public roads and spaces. Local administrations frequently shut down traffic to make way for the yatras, creating a sense of state-endorsed legitimacy.

Hindu nationalist organizations provide logistical support, food stalls, and medical camps along the routes, presenting themselves as the cultural custodians of the Yatra. Political leaders frequently appear at these gatherings, lending them electoral weight. Television and social media further amplify the spectacle, framing it as a Hindu assertion of pride.

Crucially, this transformation has brought an aggressive performative element: Kanwariyas are often seen smashing cars that obstruct their path, clashing with police, or asserting dominance in marketplaces. These moments are celebrated in pro-Hindutva media as signs of Hindu youth awakening to militant cultural pride.

Caste, Youth, and Recruitment into Hindutva

One of the less-discussed aspects of the Kavad Yatra is its caste composition. The majority of Kanwariyas come from OBC, Dalit, and other marginalized caste groups, especially from semi-urban and rural North India. Traditionally excluded from Sanskritic Hinduism, these groups find in the Yatra both a spiritual practice and a space for public visibility.

Hindu nationalist forces have recognized the political potential of this demographic. By providing organizational support and infusing the Yatra with militant symbolism—saffron flags, slogans like Jai Shri Ram, and public displays of masculine strength—the movement reorients marginalized caste youth into foot soldiers of Hindutva.

For many participants, the Yatra is less about ritual devotion and more about belonging to a larger cause, an identity that transcends caste hierarchies within the Hindutva framework. This does not erase caste discrimination but suspends it temporarily under a broader Hindu identity, creating conditions for their co-optation into militant politics.

The Making of a Militant Volunteer Force

The Kavad Yatra serves as a training ground for the creation of militant Hindutva volunteers in multiple ways:

1. Street Dominance: By occupying highways, marketplaces, and cities, Kanwariyas practice forms of territorial control, normalizing the presence of saffron-clad youth asserting authority in public spaces.

2. Discipline through Ritual: The physically demanding journey, combined with group solidarity, instills discipline and collective identity—key elements in militant organization.

3. Infusion of Aggression: Aggressive sloganeering, music, and clashes with non-participants reinforce a culture of militancy, valorized as defending Hindu pride.

4. Integration with Hindutva Networks: RSS and VHP cadres actively use these yatras as recruitment grounds, identifying committed youth and integrating them into more organized forms of Hindutva activism.

The net result is that what appears to be a religious pilgrimage doubles as political mobilization and cadre-building.

The State and Media as Enablers

The role of the state in this transformation is central. BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana have not only facilitated the Yatras but actively celebrated them as Hindu cultural revival. Police and administration are instructed to treat Kanwariyas with deference, even in cases of public violence. Roads are barricaded, and resources are diverted to ensure smooth passage, reflecting how the state becomes a participant in religious assertion.

Media further reinforces this dynamic by portraying the Yatra as a massive cultural movement of Hindu unity. Violent incidents are downplayed, while visual spectacles of saffron processions are highlighted. Social media ecosystems tied to Hindutva groups circulate videos of Kanwariyas engaging in aggressive displays, branding them as symbols of youthful Hindu masculinity.

Implications for Indian Democracy

The politicization of the Kavad Yatra has far-reaching implications. It deepens the fusion of religion and politics, normalizing aggressive Hindu identity as public culture. It also accelerates the process of caste reconfiguration, where marginalized caste youth are absorbed into Hindutva networks, diluting the potential for independent caste-based political mobilization that could challenge upper-caste dominance.

Furthermore, the culture of impunity surrounding Kanwariyas reflects the majoritarian bias of the state, where Hindu religious assertion is privileged over law and order or the rights of non-participants. This not only undermines secular governance but also sets dangerous precedents for street-level communal polarization.

The Kavad Yatra, once a humble act of Shaivite devotion, has been transformed into a political spectacle of Hindutva, instrumentalized by Hindu nationalist organizations to consolidate cultural hegemony and recruit marginalized caste youth into militant volunteer forces. By blending ritual with aggression, and devotion with political mobilization, the Yatra exemplifies how religious practices are reshaped to serve ideological projects.

As India navigates the tensions between democracy, pluralism, and majoritarian assertion, the Kavad Yatra serves as a revealing case study of how religious festivals become laboratories of political mobilization, especially in the hands of regimes that thrive on turning cultural expression into militant nationalism.