In the month of Shravan (between July and August), thousands of devotees of Lord Shiva take the annual Kanwar Yatra, travelling to places where the river Ganga flows to collect holy water to pour over the Shiva Linga. Rishikesh, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, is one such major pilgrimage site, where Kanwariyas travel to fetch the holy water.
During this annual pilgrimage, a video from a hotel in Rishikesh has surfaced on social media, which captured the condition of a room where Kanwariyas were staying. The woman, who captured the filthy and strewn condition, said that such people should not be allowed in hotel rooms and urged people not to rent it to them.
The video shared on X showed the room was left littered with six empty alcohol bottles, snack packets, used leaf plates and disposable items after the devotees vacated the premises. The bed was left in a bad condition, with the bedsheet and blanket scattered here and there. They also left the bathroom dirty and in unhygienic conditions.
“Inhone yahan pe kya gandh macha rakhi hai (They have left the room in such a mess),” the woman recording the clip said, adding that they have even stolen a television and fridge from the room. She also pointed out that their actions have now burdened the housekeeping staff with so much work.
She continued, “Shudh nagri ko ashudh karne aaye hai yahan pe (They have come to make the pure city impure).” She then warned other people against renting them rooms solely because of the mess they created in the room. “Iss room ko banane mein kitna time lagega. Aap log dekh sakte ho bade hi bure haal hai (It will take so much time to make this room now. You guys can see the bad condition),” she added.
#उत्तराखंड
धार्मिक स्थल ऋषिकेश में जो मकान मालिक किराए पर रूम देते हैं, उन्होंने यह दृश्य देखकर निर्णय लिया है है कि कांवड़ भक्तों को हम रूम नहीं देंगे।
कांवड़ भक्तों को जो कमरा किराए पर दिया गया था, उस कमरे के अंदर शराब की 6 खाली बोतल, नमकीन के खाली पैकेट्स, चटनी पत्तल, व… pic.twitter.com/CPrGvT7AAI
— Abhimanyu Singh (@Abhimanyu1305) August 9, 2026
“Civic Sense RIP”
The incident has since sparked widespread outrage among people on the internet, with many people calling out the lack of basic civic sense in the pilgrims.
“Civics sense RIP in India,” wrote a user.
Another said, “Kisi ko room mat do…jinme bhakti hai wo apne bhakti ke dam par hi yatra karen, nahi to na karen.”
Meanwhile, an individual asked, “Proof kha hai ki ye kawadiye hi the.”
Someone else said, “Instead of making a video, you should have checked the room before letting them go.”