In Indian mythology, stories are often not about good versus evil. They often have surprising layers. One story in particular involves a character named Ravana—who is the main villain in the Ramayana—who is typically characterized as a demon king and an Asura. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that Ravana was also an intelligent man, a great scholar and a true devotee of Lord Shiva.

Some ancient legends even state Ravana was the first Kanwariya. For anyone who might not be familiar with this: the Kanwar Yatra is a pilgrimage taken by the devotees of Lord Shiva that occurs every year during the holy month of Sawan (the month also called Shravan).

During this month, Kanwariyas (the devotees) will travel long distances by foot and collect water from holy rivers, primarily the Ganga–notably from places like Haridwar, Gaumukh, and Gangotri in Uttarakhand–to offer to Lord Shiva in temples in their home towns and villages, putting it in special pots called kawads.

In texts for the time of the Samudra Manthan–the churning of the ocean by gods and asuras–tradition took root. During this event, first, deadly poison called halahala came out of the ocean, Lord Shiva drank it, and held it in his throat turning it blue symbolizing the power within and saving the worlds. But halahala also put destructive energy into Shiva; something had to be done, and when Ravana learned of this, he enacted something called tapasya or deep penance to help Lord Shiva.

There are many variations of the legend, but the basics are the following: Ravana walked to the Ganges, and collected holy water (it is said that he would drain drying lakes to collect all he could) and on the way back offered abhishek at what is now the Pura Mahadev temple, at Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh), which extolled Shiva, who had so much poison in him, to lessen the elements of halahala making him ill. That explains why many believe that Ravana was the first Kanwariya.

A History of the Kanwar Yatra
While the tradition is age-old, British accounts of it from the early 1800s note that it was not a large festival and only a few holy men and pilgrims—or maybe with the assistance of wealthy Marwari traders—would trek barefoot to collect Ganga water and return for a devotee abhishek.

In the 1980s, everything changed, and the Yatra became more organised and confident. The Yatra has one of the largest gatherings throughout India today, with millions of Kanwariyas making the journey each year.

So next time you see Kanwariyas walking around during the month of Sawan, remember: a journey which seems so unimaginable could have begun with an unexpected devotee: Ravana, the scholar king who seems to be a forgotten servant of Lord Shiva.

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