Devotees Throng Varanasi to Mark Ganga Dussehra
June 2nd, 2009Source: www.hinduonnet.com
VARANASI, INDIA, June 2, 2009: Over four hundred thousand devotees took a holy dip in river Ganga at Varanasi on Tuesday to mark the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, the day of arrival of the river on earth. The devotees thronged the banks of the holy river early in the morning to offer prayers and seek blessings.During the occasion, women offered prayers and distributed fruits and food to the priests. Kripa Nath, a sadhu, said, “We pray to the Goddess that we get rid of this cycle of birth and death and attain moksha.”
In Hinduism, Ganga is a celestial river originating in the heavens. It was gifted to mankind and descended on the earth after great penance undertaken by king Bhagirath, after whom she is also called Bhagirathi.
