Context: The state government of West Bengal announced new initiatives to attract pilgrims to Gangasagar Mela.
Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Key facts about the Gangasagar Mela.
Major Highlights:
- The slew of initiatives announced by the state government include:
- participation certificate for pilgrims participating in the annual pilgrimage.
- e-Anushandhan (pilgrims can access facilities at the mela ground)
- e-Parichay (QR code-enabled identity band) to prevent missing people in the mela crowd.
- The state government has been pushing for a “national mela” status for the Gangasagar Mela for several years.
About Gangasagar Mela
- Gangasagar Mela (Gangasagar Yatra) It is an annual religious festival held on Sagar Island in the state of West Bengal.
- It is held at the confluence of the Ganga with the Bay of Bengal in West Bengal.
- Travelling a distance of approximately 2,525 km from Gangotri (the originating place), Ganga ends her journey in Sagar Island where it merges with Bay of Bengal.
- The festival typically starts a few days before Makar Sankranti and concludes shortly after.
- Makar Sankranti is a highly auspicious occasion in Hinduism, marked by the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Capricorn (Makara Rashi).
- Rituals:
- Devotees participate in rituals such as taking a holy dip in the Ganga, offering "Arghya" (water) to the Sun God and performing "Deepdan" (lighting lamps), seeking liberation (moksha) and spiritual upliftment.
- It is considered the second-largest religious gathering in India, following the Kumbh Mela.
- Religious significance: It is believed that a dip in the Ganga at Sagar Island during this auspicious time is equivalent to the merit of performing 100 Ashwamedha Yagnas (a grand Vedic ritual).
Historical mention of the Fair
- Gangasagar is mentioned in the Mahabharata's Vana Parva, which provides proof of the existence of the pilgrimage site in 1500–2000 BC.
- According to the Mahabharata, Kapilmuni - the progenitor of Samkhya philosophy, had an ashram at Gangasagara.
- Gangasagar pilgrimage is also mentioned in Raghuvaṃśa, a Sanskrit epic poem written by the great poet Kalidasa in the fifth century AD.
- King Devapala of the Pala dynasty mentions in an inscription that he performed rituals at the confluence of the Gangasagar.