The river Ganga is the national river of India and it has a lot of religious significance. The Holy river as it is considered is worshipped by people of different religion. The special puja held in the northern parts near the river banks to mark Ganga's descent on the Earth is called the Ganga Dussehra. Since it signifies the presence of the river on the Earth it is also called as Gangavataran. It falls on the Dashami Tithi or the tenth day of the bright half of the moon in the month of Jyaistha as per the Hindu calendar. This year Ganga Dussehra will be celebrated on May 24, 2018.

Devotees come to take a dip into the holy waters and it is said to wash off a person's sins. The festival goes on for 10 days and marks the emergence of the river on the Earth. The goddess of the river, Ganga is worshipped on this day.

History of Ganga Dusshera:

Ganga Dussehra essentially marks the descent of the holy river from the heaven on earth. It is said that Rishi Bhagirath took many years meditating to convince Ganga to come on earth. The sacred river finally descended on earth on this day. The river was said to be flowing in heaven and was brought down to the land in the form of a goddess.

The legend goes on to state that King Sagara's 60,000 sons were killed due to a curse from a sage named Kapila, because they disturbed his meditation. The great-grandson of Sagara, Bhagiratha wanted to perform a ceremony for his ancestors but there was no water. He appealed to Lord Brahma and eventually to Lord Shiva to help Ganga reach the earth. Lord Shiva, the third trinity then allowed the river to fall on his head before it hit on the land. The holy river's water then touched the ashes of the 60,000 ancestors and flourished in the region. Since that day, Ganga Dussehra is celebrated to mark the arrival of the holy river on earth.

Significance of Ganga Dussehra:

It is believed that Ganga along with her brought 10 rare vedic astrologic phenomenon- Jyeshtha month, Shukla Paksha (bright half), Tenth date, Wednesday, Hasta Nakshatra, Vyatipata yoga, Gar Anand Yog, Moon in Virgo and Sun in Tauras. So there is a belief that these 10 Yogas absorb all the sins of a devotee when they take a bath in the holy waters on this particular day. In Hindus, the Ganga river is of sacred importance.

This festival is celebrated with great fervour in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. On Ganga Dussehra, it means that a person will get rid of 10 of his sins. Ganga Dussehra is celebrated at major ghats of India such as Varanasi, Allahabad, Garh-Mukteshwar, Prayag, Haridwar and Rishikesh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2018 01:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).