Gangasagar.......... A Pilgrimage
A group of pilgrims performing a kirtan at the fair ground
Kirtan (devotional singing) is a spiritual practice coming from India, particularly Bengal. Literally translated as “celebrating, praising, glorifying”. Kirtan is not about artistic achievement and perfection but rather about reaching a meditative or ecstatic state of mind.
Kirtan is generally practiced as call-and-response – a lead singer chanting a line which then is repeated by the rest of the group. The songs as such are mostly relatively simply structured and repetitive, usually starting slowly and then building in pace and intensity. Kirtans are usually sung in groups.
Kirtan chanting are performed in India's bhakti devotional traditions and became more common with the spread of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) of Bengal, worshipped by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the full incarnation of Lord Krishna, popularised the chanting and singing of Krishna's names (Kirtan)........
Gangasagar pilgrimage and fair, held annually, is the second largest congregation of mankind (more than 0.8 million this year) after the holy Kumbha Mela. Almost a million of Hindu devotees from all over India gather at Gangasagar for a holy dip and perform rituals and prayer (puja) with a belief that it will cleanse and purify their souls.
Besides the devotees, hundreds of sadhus, some smeared with ash and some with vermillion and sandalwood paste, priests and alms-seekers come to Gangasagar every year for a unique spiritual experience!
The river Ganga (Ganges) which originates in the Gangotri glacier in the snow clad high Himalayas, descends down the mountains, reaches the plains, flows through ancient pilgrimage sites, and drains into the Bay of Bengal. A dip in the ocean, where the Ganga meets the sea is considered to be of great religious significance particularly on the Makara Sankranti day (January 14/15), when the sun makes a transition to Capricorn from Sagittarius.
Images of Bengal, India
Gangasagar.......... A Pilgrimage
A group of pilgrims performing a kirtan at the fair ground
Kirtan (devotional singing) is a spiritual practice coming from India, particularly Bengal. Literally translated as “celebrating, praising, glorifying”. Kirtan is not about artistic achievement and perfection but rather about reaching a meditative or ecstatic state of mind.
Kirtan is generally practiced as call-and-response – a lead singer chanting a line which then is repeated by the rest of the group. The songs as such are mostly relatively simply structured and repetitive, usually starting slowly and then building in pace and intensity. Kirtans are usually sung in groups.
Kirtan chanting are performed in India's bhakti devotional traditions and became more common with the spread of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) of Bengal, worshipped by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the full incarnation of Lord Krishna, popularised the chanting and singing of Krishna's names (Kirtan)........
Gangasagar pilgrimage and fair, held annually, is the second largest congregation of mankind (more than 0.8 million this year) after the holy Kumbha Mela. Almost a million of Hindu devotees from all over India gather at Gangasagar for a holy dip and perform rituals and prayer (puja) with a belief that it will cleanse and purify their souls.
Besides the devotees, hundreds of sadhus, some smeared with ash and some with vermillion and sandalwood paste, priests and alms-seekers come to Gangasagar every year for a unique spiritual experience!
The river Ganga (Ganges) which originates in the Gangotri glacier in the snow clad high Himalayas, descends down the mountains, reaches the plains, flows through ancient pilgrimage sites, and drains into the Bay of Bengal. A dip in the ocean, where the Ganga meets the sea is considered to be of great religious significance particularly on the Makara Sankranti day (January 14/15), when the sun makes a transition to Capricorn from Sagittarius.
Images of Bengal, India