The river Ganga is considered the holiest rivers in the country. It is often referred to as Maa Ganga and an important festival celebrating the descent of this river on the planet is celebrated as Ganga Dusshera. Also known as Gangavataran, it is a festival that marks the avatarana (descent) of Ganges onto the Earth. Celebrated each year, it falls on the Dashami Tithi or the tenth day of the bright half of the moon, in the Hindu calendar month of Jyaistha. Ganga Dussehra 2019 will be celebrated on June 12 this year. People worship Goddess Ganga and it is said that taking a dip in the holy river water will purify a person's soul from all their past sins. Ahead of Ganga Dusshera 2019, we give you some brief about the history and significance of Gangavataran.

While the day of Ganga Dusshera is the last day of the celebration, the festival begins 9 days in advance, preceding this holy day. It is widely celebrated in the states of Northern India. People hold a Puja near the bank of the river and offer their respects to the holy water. Ganga Saptami 2019 Date and Puja Muhurat: Wishes, Images and Messages to Celebrate Ganga Jayanti.

History and Significance of Ganga Dusshera

As we mentioned earlier, Ganga Dusshera is the day which marks the descent of the holy river from heaven on earth. As per legends, Rishi Bhagirath performed a deep meditation for years to convince Ganga to come on earth. Ganga, it is said, earlier flowed in heaven from where she was brought down to the Earth in a form of Goddess. This very day on which she came back on the earth, marks Gangavataran.

According to legends, King Sagara and his 60,000 sons were killed because of a curse from sage Kapila. The great-grandson of Sagara, Bhagiratha wanted to conduct a ceremony for his ancestors but there was no water. He then appealed to Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva to help river Ganga make her presence on the earth. Lord Shiva helped the river to reach the earth by letting her fall on his head and thus reach the ground. When this holy water of Ganga touched the remains of the ancestors the region was flourished. So the arrival of river Ganga on the Earth is considered very holy.

Celebrations of Gangavataran

The festive day of Ganga Dusshera is celebrated with great fervour in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. It is said that taking a dip in the water of Ganga will get rid of 10 of his sins. So people gather and perform a puja around the Ganga Ghat and then take a dip in the water. Hundreds of priests gather along the Ghat to perform the Ganga aarti. It is a beautiful spectacle to witness.

In the year 2017, almost 15 lakh people had gathered for the celebrations of Ganga Dussehra in Haridwar. So it is indeed of the greatest festival observed here.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2019 04:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).