Ganga Dussera
Ganga is considered the holiest river by Hindus and bears
a religious and spiritual significance in their lives. Ganga Dussera is
celebrated on the tenth day of the Shukla Paksha (the bright side of the moon)
of the Jyestha month as per the Hindu calendar.
This day is also known as Ganga Avataran. In Sanskrit, Avataran translates to arrival or a descent, hence the name Ganga Avataran means the arrival of Ganga. It marks the day when Ganga descended on earth from heaven, before which she is believed to have resided in Lord Brahma’s stoup. Once a Suryavanshi King – Bhagirath, offered penance to Lord Shiva to rid his ancestors of a curse and free their souls. Lord Shiva, pleased with King Bhagirath’s worship allowed him to bring Ganga on earth, carrying the purity of heaven with her and washing away the sins of his ancestors. The day bears a unique combination of ten distinct astrological vedic calculations, which are Jyestha month, shukla paksha, tenth day, Wednesday, hastha nakshatra, Moon in Virgo, Vyatipat yog, Gar Anand yog, and Sun in Taurus.
Ganga Dussera is celebrated with much enthusiasm across
the religious cities and towns near the mighty River Ganga – especially
Allahabad, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Varanasi. The puja celebration at Varanasi
is the grandest and is said to be spiritually liberating with culmination of
the celebration with Ganga Aarti at the Dasawamedh Ghat. For those who are away
from the places near ghats can offer puja at home as well. The idol of Goddess
Ganga is bathed with holy water, dressed in white clothes and adorned with a lotus.
On this day people also worship King Bhagirath, since he brought Goddess Ganga
down on earth and Lord Shiva, as he tied her with his hair to control her
stream and avoid havoc on earth. People chant mantras to invoke her and pray
with complete devotion and faith. The mantras are chanted in counts of ten. After the puja, devotees donate food items
among those who are needy. As per Skand purana, it is recommended that the donations
are also made in the counts of ten i.e. ten fruits or ten kilos of rice and so
on. The donation of black sesame seeds are believed to bring positive results
for bringing moksha for the ancestors.This day is also known as Ganga Avataran. In Sanskrit, Avataran translates to arrival or a descent, hence the name Ganga Avataran means the arrival of Ganga. It marks the day when Ganga descended on earth from heaven, before which she is believed to have resided in Lord Brahma’s stoup. Once a Suryavanshi King – Bhagirath, offered penance to Lord Shiva to rid his ancestors of a curse and free their souls. Lord Shiva, pleased with King Bhagirath’s worship allowed him to bring Ganga on earth, carrying the purity of heaven with her and washing away the sins of his ancestors. The day bears a unique combination of ten distinct astrological vedic calculations, which are Jyestha month, shukla paksha, tenth day, Wednesday, hastha nakshatra, Moon in Virgo, Vyatipat yog, Gar Anand yog, and Sun in Taurus.
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