Gangasagar...... To Start The Day With A Holy Dip
A naga sadhu (naked ascetic) at Gangasagar on the Makara Sankranti day
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...... To Start The Day With A Holy Dip
A naga sadhu (naked ascetic) at Gangasagar on the Makara Sankranti day
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