Have you heard about Ganga Dussehra? According to Hindu calendar, The Ganga Dusshera is observed on the Dashmi tithi of Shukla Paksha of Jyeshta month or falls on a day before Nirjala Ekadashi. In 2018, it is celebrated on 24th May in India. It is believed that on this auspicious day, the mother Ganga descended to earth from heaven.
Popular Legend behind the arrival of Goddess Ganga:
According to a legend, King Bhagirath took several years to meditate to convince mother Ganga to come to earth to purge the cursed souls of Bhagiratha’s ancestors. Pleased with the penance of King Bhagirath, Gange Maa finally decided to arrive. Hence to observe the holy arrival of Ganga from heaven to beautiful earth, the day is celebrated with full of enthusiasm and devotion by Hindus.
Unquestionably, The holy river Ganga holds a special place for Indian and is considered as one of the holiest and sacred rivers of India. So, called the mother Ganga. The river is worshipped with a belief that mother Ganga washes away all the sins of mankind associated with thoughts, actions and speech. It helps in providing peace and purification of one’s soul.
The Dusherra word stands for “Dus” which means 10 and “Hara” which indicates to defeat. Therefore, it is a belief that praying goddess ganga and reciting ganga strotra on this day helps a person attain salvation from 10 types of sins.
Taking a dip in the holy river Ganga on this sacred day is also believed to cure people of their illness/ailments. One must visit Ganga ghat nearby their home to pay homage to Goddess. But if you are not able to visit and bathe in the pious river Ganga, then pour some Ganga water on you as we all know that Ganga jal is found in most of the Hindu homes for purification. On this occasion, many devotees observe fast for a full day without even gulping a drop of water until evening to seek divine blessings of Ganga Maa.
The day holds more important especially for the people of Uttar Pradesh. All the major ghats of India such as Allahabad, Varanasi, Garh Mukteshwar, Prayag, Rishikesh and Haridwar can be seen crowded as Lakhs of people come to these ghats to take a holy dip and worship goddess Ganga by lighting lamp or Diya to pay their respect to Gange Maa. The devotees also perform aarti, sing bhajans, shlokas, and offer sweets, flowers.
As Ganga Dussehra is observed in peak summers, few devotees choose to distribute lassi, sharbat, Shikanji, Roohafza in various places. There are people who organize food stalls on the occasion of Ganga Dusshera to get maximum benefit from almighty.