Gangasagar - pain, bliss and sanctification
bliss
Sadhu smoking marijuana in his tent (akhara) at Gangasagar fair ground
Marijuana (Ganja - গাঁজা) is the herbal form of cannabis, and comprises the dried flowers, the subtending leaves, and the stalks of mature, pistillate female plants. Cannabis has an ancient history of ritual usage and it has been used as an aid to trance in a religious and spiritual context in India since the Vedic period dating back to approximately 1500BC but perhaps as far back as 2000BC.
Cannabis or ganja is associated with worship of the Hindu deity Shiva and itself is seen as a gift (prasad, or offering) to Shiva. It is very popular among the Bauls, Fakirs and other Sadhus of India who openly acknowledge that the use of cannabis has allowed them to gain a more spiritual perspective.
Bob Marley - Ganja Gun www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKX86bM0kfc
The Gangasagar Mela continues to throb with life, with the energy of millions of pilgrims. The pilgrimage may be extremely tough, but the pilgrims know that the visit will purify their souls. The visit fulfils their lifelong desire and often one can see tears of joy rolling down their cheeks. That is the magic of religion!
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. 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.
Images of Bengal, India
See other shots of this series: flic.kr/s/aHsk7aV1mM
Gangasagar - pain, bliss and sanctification
bliss
Sadhu smoking marijuana in his tent (akhara) at Gangasagar fair ground
Marijuana (Ganja - গাঁজা) is the herbal form of cannabis, and comprises the dried flowers, the subtending leaves, and the stalks of mature, pistillate female plants. Cannabis has an ancient history of ritual usage and it has been used as an aid to trance in a religious and spiritual context in India since the Vedic period dating back to approximately 1500BC but perhaps as far back as 2000BC.
Cannabis or ganja is associated with worship of the Hindu deity Shiva and itself is seen as a gift (prasad, or offering) to Shiva. It is very popular among the Bauls, Fakirs and other Sadhus of India who openly acknowledge that the use of cannabis has allowed them to gain a more spiritual perspective.
Bob Marley - Ganja Gun www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKX86bM0kfc
The Gangasagar Mela continues to throb with life, with the energy of millions of pilgrims. The pilgrimage may be extremely tough, but the pilgrims know that the visit will purify their souls. The visit fulfils their lifelong desire and often one can see tears of joy rolling down their cheeks. That is the magic of religion!
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. 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.
Images of Bengal, India
See other shots of this series: flic.kr/s/aHsk7aV1mM