It is said that King Sagar and his 60 thousand sons were killed due to the curse of Rishi Kapila. Bhagiratha, the great grandson of Sagar, wanted to organize a ceremony for his ancestors but there was no water. Due to the difficult penance of King Bhagirath, the descent of Ganga Maiya on the earth was possible, but due to lack of power to bear the velocity of the Ganges inside the earth, Lord Shiva gave him a place among his jatas, so that the water of the Ganges can be available on the earth in the form of a stream. Lord Shiva also has an important contribution in bringing Ganga Maiya to earth.
On the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, a large number of people coming from rural areas started in the capital Patna from late night, which is still going on. As soon as dawn, the devotees started taking a dip in the Ganges with the shouts of ‘Har-Har Gange, Jai Ganga Maiya, Har-Har Mahadev’. There was an influx of those who took a dip of faith in various ghats of the capital Patna in the early hours today. After bathing, people offered prayers in various temples and donated. In temples also, the number of people who offer prayers is seen in the temples.
On the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, a fair is held on the banks of the Ganges in ten days. Devotees perform the Aarti of the Ganges and take a bath in the Ganges. The fair is organized on a large scale, in which millions of devotees participate in this festival. Haridwar, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Rishikesh are the major cities where the fair of Ganga Dussehra is organized. On this day, Aarti of Yamuna river is also performed in many cities Mathura, Vrindavan and Bateshwar. On this day Lassi, Sorbet and Shikanji are consumed as donations and offerings.
Apart from this, watermelon, melon and sattu are also donated and consumed. In cities like Haridwar and Varanasi, this festival is celebrated with great pomp. Diyas are shed in the Ganges river at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi and Ganga Maha Aarti is organized. Jyotishacharya Pandit Rakesh Jha quoted Skanda Purana as saying that Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami has been called Samvansarmukhi. In this, bathing and charity is considered very virtuous.
According to the Smriti Granth, bathing and donating in the Ganges on the day of Ganga Dussehra brings freedom from sins equal to ten Mahapattaks (three kayik, four oblivion and three mental). On this day, the pair of Northfalguni and Hasta Nakshatra is becoming a virtuous combination of coincidence, Siddha Yoga and Ravi Yoga. According to the Purana, bathing on the day of Ganga Dussehra, after worshiping, chanting of Narayanayai Dasharaiyai Gangayai Namah ten times after worshiping, you get freedom from debt and stigma and infinite virtue.
Astrologer Jha, citing Varaha and Shiva Purana, said that on the day of Ganga Dussehra, the donation of Sattu, Fan, Ritufal, Supadi, Jaggery, Water Budh -rich pot gives a boon of health, prosperity and descent growth. On this day, by donating ten lamps after bathing, the ancestors attain salvation. On this day, Ganga meditation and bathing leads from sins like work, anger, greed, fascination, fish, jealousy, brahmas, deceit, fraud, Parninda.
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