The biggest pilgrimage of North India known as Kanwad Mela which started from July 9 on the occasion of Guru Purnima and would continue till 22 July is seeing less footfalls now because of the Panchak period. Notably, Panchak is a period marked by the constellation of five nakshatras- Dhanista, Shatbhisha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada and Revati, considered inauspicious in religious terms during which the people refrain from going for special pujas and buying new homes.
This happens every year as the Panchak period comes in the way of the pilgrimage a few days after it starts. Most of the Kanwariyas coming from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan avoid this period. The footfalls would rise after 17 July when the time of the planetary constellation would end .
Speaking to The Pioneer, an astrologer Pradeep Joshi said, “Sun God entering ‘Kark Rashi’ when Dakshinayan period begins on 16 July is marked as an auspicious time for undertaking pilgrimage.”
A Kanwad pilgrim from Rajasthan, Hari Sharan said while talking to this correspondent that they were putting the pilgrimage on hold for five days marked as Panchak period. “During this time, we take one meal a day and chant lord Shiva's name. We would be back on the pilgrimage once the Panchak period is over."