Saab Tirth Bar bar, Gangasagar Ek Baar (All holy place visit time and again, but to Gangasagar you only go once )

(All holy place visit time and again, but to Gangasagar you only go once )

By popular request here is a more detailed story on gangasagar

The way to get there is :

You need to get to Kolkata, or Calcutta and then the fun begins.

Step one:

01 . Sealdah- Namkhana 3-hour train journey ,

one will need to do a bit if dance and hop to balance onself for most part of the way till one can score a seat for themselves, which might take anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours . people from all walks of life will keep you company and it is a start of you know not what 

To Gangasagar they all go

once off the train one makes there way towards the jetty located 2 km approx. from the train station, you get to realize what you are coming to as you meet your co-travellers from all walks of life ( mostly the poorer people , farmers and people with faith, and less of stress and irritation)

Waiting to board the Boat

as one stands in the que, the wait could be anywhere from 3 hours to 6 hours before one can make it to the boat, and that kind of makes one aware why it is said , Gangasagar only one in ones lifetime, finally one boards the boat which carries approx 100 people on a trip and is not overcrowded, and comfortable

Pilgrims on the boat

 Boat one travels in

02.  Launch (a small boat) to chemagudi Jetty by ferry the ride is an hour long, and one sails on the Indian Ocean, it is choppy waters and the tide plays a role thus small boats are used, bigger vessels tend to get stuck depending on tides.

A small ride by bus or trecker or taxi, takes one to Ganga Sagar mela ground, where ones senses are attacked by

All sorts of visuals

 The Sadhus generous with there blessings

The trinket sellers, with there wares

  The sweet meat , offering to Gods and humans

the conch shells 

Kapil Muni Ashram

Kapil Muni Ashram,

The deity was set up in 1437, the structure is a stone block considered to be representational of Kapil Muni

As part of the Gangasagar mela, which is, second only to the khumb mela and happens every year on 14 Th or 15^th January

Had devotees bathing at the holy hour and worshipping the sun God

 Praying to Sun God

  Drying of clothes

Anything that seems to be happening at Gangasagar, seems to be beautiful and with character, one does indeed get the vibes of spirituality and lack of commercialization is a welcome feel at this event

 Tents at The banks of  River Ganga

The accommodation of tents provided by the government free of cost was amazing and it was all just so well managed it was a pleasure from all angle, Cant say I found anything lacking right down to plentiful toilets too for r the 30 lack Pilgrims (official figure)

Toilets for all

It was amazing to see all the folks lines up and in a orderly fashion using the toilets, there was no open defecation, something that one hears about, but I saw just one person attending to natures call in the open, out of all the folks there, amazing indeed,

The Sankranti day had all the actions,

The amazing sights of pilgrims taking a bath and sadhus blessing and playing there instruments, a sight for all

 The sun rises on D day

 Gau daan

The act of giving the cow to one’s Guru, pundit or deserving Brahmin, is done with the aim of acquiring victory over one’s senses, thereby enabling one to successfully overcome the challenges of the world. Symbolically represented, the devotee who performs such an action can expect to be freed from the cravings of his material world, from his sensual attractions and afflictions and worldly tastes since the one to whom he has made the gift has himself been freed from them. Chanakya Maharaj, writing in Chanakya Niti, states,‘Trishna Vaitarni Nadi’- Lust is the river in hell.’

( source-swahainternational.org)

The process continues on

#gangasagar #namkhana, #ganga

Personally I was in the River Ganges for 5 Hours too, guess all my sins have been washed off too, if not, I am presuming I will be lucky enough to visit Ganga sagar again next year, for more Photo opportunity