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Gangasagar Mela 2017..... Candid Moment

for a holy dip at Gangasagar

 

Gangasagar pilgrimage and fair, held annually, is the second largest congregation of mankind after the holy Kumbha Mela. Gangasagar finds mention in sacred texts and ancient scriptures of Hindu mythology including the two great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

 

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

 

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Uploaded on May 15, 2017
Taken on January 14, 2017