BERHAMPUR: The Kawar is a test of one's devotion and physical endurance. This year, in an amazing show of devotion, a 45-year-old kawariya reached here after a 700-km-long journey that he undertook barefoot. L Sriramulu Dora of Hatibandh Street in Berhampur carried holy water from the Hooghly at Howrah all the way to the famous Gokarneswar Temple here. He poured the holy water on the Shivae Linga here on the fourth Monday of Shravan. The saffron-clad Shiva devotee also poured the holy water at Sakaleswara Temple at Sukunda on the outskirts of the town before reaching Gokarneswar.
Towards the end of his journey, Dora's legs were swollen and his feet were bleeding, but his unflinching devotion for Lord Shiva made him strong enough to endure the physical pain. He walked barefoot for 19 days, carrying the holy water and made it to his destination on Sunday, in time to pour the water the next day.
The fifth month of the Hindu calender, Sawan, is very auspicious for the people of this faith. Thousands of Shiva devotees fast throughout the month, eating only falahar' avoiding anaj' or cereals. In 2010, Shravan month begins on July 26 and ends on August 24 in North Indian Hindi calendars.
Every year in the month of Sawan which falls during the monsoon, you can see groups of kawariyas' walking alongside streets and highways, some barefoot, chanting Bam Bam Bhole' or Bol Bum'. Clad in garishly orange clothes these people carry kawars' or pots of holy water from rivers to be poured on shivalings at temples across the country.
Although he has been carrying holy water to the shiva linga for the last four years, this was the first time he covered such a long distance, and that too all alone. "I did not face any trouble in my journey, rather I got support from people I met along the way," he added.
Some people advised me not to venture on the journey because I would have to pass through the red corridor. "I am a devotee of Lord Shiva and I kept chanting his name all along the way to arrive safely at my destination," said Dora, a shopkeeper by profession. "I have a firm belief that my wishes will be fulfilled by this pilgrimage," he said.
In the last four years, he has carried holy water from the rivers Rushikulya and Mahanadi from different places including Purushottampur, Ganjam town and Cuttack. "This year I wanted to cover a long distance and start my journey to Howrah after performing all the rituals here," he said.
Dora began his journey on July 26. He travelled along national highways and rested at village temples at night. Not only did he walk barefoot, he only had seven proper meals in the 19 days of his journey. At other times he survived on fruits and chivda'. "The only thing that gave me strength to endure such physical hardship was chanting the name of the lord," he said.
MAY LORD SHIVA AND AMBIGAI ALONGWITH
GANESHA AND LORD MURUGA BLESS THIS UNIVERSE.
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