“My bones are destined
to make corals in the Ganga ” – Swami
Vivekananda
The river
Ganga isn’t something that needs introduction,
being the most sacred river to Hindus across the world. People from far and
wide come here to expiate their sins in the holy water. The Ganga Aarti on the
banks of the river is truly a sight to behold! The Ganga originates in the
Himalayas in Uttarakhand, and flows down across North India and Bangladesh , finally ending its journey in the Bay of Bengal .
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Ganga
Dussehra is a festival that celebrates the descent of the Ganga onto earth, and
is celebrated along the major cities on the banks of the river like Allahabad , Haridwar and Rishikesh, although the epicenter
of the festival is at Varanasi , also called Benares . It is celebrated on the tenth day of Jyeshtha, a
month on the Hindu calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar, it falls
somewhere in May-June. This festival is not to be confused with Ganga Jayanti,
which celebrates the birth of the Goddess Ganga. Read on to know more about how
this festival came to be.
The Story
The story
of the Ganga river begins with the king Kapila
whose meditation was disturbed by the king Sagara’s sixty thousand sons.
Irritated beyond words, Kapila focused his burning stare on Sagara’s sons,
reducing them to ashes and banishing them to the netherworld. Their only chance
of escape was water from the Holy Ganga, who then resided in Heaven.
The task
of freeing Sagara’s trapped sons was undertaken by one of his descendants, the
king Bhagiratha. He meditates for years and is finally granted his wish. The
Goddess Ganga agrees to descend to earth, but she warns him that her immense
strength might destroy everything on earth. Bhagiratha pleads with Lord Shiva
to help, and he finally agrees to let Ganga
flow down to earth through the coils of his hair. It is this descent of the Ganga or ‘Ganga Avataran’ that is celebrated as the Ganga
Dussehra festival.
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The Religious Significance
Due to
the main characters in the story of Ganga ’s
descent, they are also the most worshipped during this festival – King Bhagiratha,
Lord Shiva and Goddess Ganga. Ganga Dussehra is also called Ganga Dashami, and
several rituals are held across the river banks, dedicated to these three main
deities.
The
descent of Ganga is said to coincide with ten
Vedic astrologic landmarks or Yogas. The combination of these yogas is said to
absorb man’s sins when he takes a dip in the holy water. Dussehra is a mix of
‘Dus’ meaning ten and ‘hara’ meaning defeat. Thus this festival is also an
occasion for destroying one’s sins, the belief being that you can attain
salvation from ten of your sins – 3 physical, 4 verbal and 5 mental.
The Celebration
On Ganga
Dussehra, idols of the Goddess Ganga is dressed in white clothes and decorated
with white flowers and a pooja is conducted to worship her. Ideally, one should
bathe in the river itself for salvation, but if it isn’t possible, it is
recommended to bathe in regular water to which a little Ganga
jal or holy water has been added. Many devotees fast for the whole day,
abstaining from food and water and breaking their fast only after the moon
rises. A bath in the Ganges is followed by
eating fruit to break the day-long fast.
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The Ganga is a beautiful sight during this festival. Women
float flowers, leaf boats and oil lamps in the river, filling the air with a
lovely fragrance and the soothing sounds of temple chants and hymns. There are
also large fairs to be seen, as well as donation centres, since it is
considered auspicious to donate anything in numbers of ten, especially edibles
and things that offer protection in summer, like shoes, clothes and umbrellas.
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Today,
the festival of Ganga Dussehra is also an occasion to think about preserving
the river and fighting pollution. The religious nature of the Ganga river
attracts devotees from across the world, and several awareness campaign have
begun to ensure that devotees keep the river clean and safe for other people as
well as for the rich flora and fauna for whom the river Ganga is home as well. To
quote Swami Vivekananda again, “See what an atmosphere of
holiness is here -- the pure air of the Ganga
-- what an assemblage of Sadhus -- will you find anywhere a place like this!”
