Ganga Dussehra: The Worship of a Vanishing River

                     The festival is a mix of white cotton with bright yellow-red hues, fresh hot breakfast and an offering of redemption from sin. The summer morning air was filled with the smell of food, flowers and faith.

The roads leading to the Har Ki Pauri and other ghats were a mess of devotion and confusion. It is at Haridwar in Uttarakhand that the Ganga finally leaves the Himalayas, the abode of Gods, to then enrich the plains with fertility and her blessings.

The Ganga Dussehra, celebrated every year on Dashmi (the 10th day) of the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon cycle) in the Jyeshtha (high summer) month of the Hindu calendar, is a celebration of the Goddess' arrival on Earth from Heaven.

Celebrations are held at ghats in villages and cities all along the river Ganga. Considered extremely auspicious, a dip in the Ganga on this day is said to rid one of up to 10 lifetimes of sins.

Not the Actual Ganga

It is happening along the canal that comes from the Bhimgouda barrage, while the actual course of the Ganga - even on the day that marks her descent to Earth - remains dry.

The waters of the Ganga is absent for eight months a year as its flow is dammed and diverted for power and agriculture. We continue to celebrate the river we've created, instead of the actual entity that calls out for help.

If the celebrations are instead shifted to the banks of the actual river, who knows, the river might be allowed to flow through its actual course at least for a few days. Most visitors or pilgrims today are completely oblivious of this fact, assuming the canal to be the actual river.

The Celebrations

The celebration at Haridwar, much like any other festival, was an explosion of colour and activity, while also providing for livelihoods through endless products and services on sale. The many pandits with their rituals, street food vendors, toy sellers capitalising on the presence of children, selfie-stick sellers and those selling faith or objects of faith. Just the ability of finding peace and personal space in such an overwhelming situation might qualify one for karmic points.

Pilgrims from across the country had travelled for the Ganga Dussehra celebrations. All rituals aside, it was interesting to see how folks who had travelled from long distances, were navigating the tight spaces and language barriers.

There were multiple free food camps set up for visitors, far from the hustle of the main ghats that are mostly commercialised. We'd often also find people in deep conversation, discussing possible routes and timings of getting back to their villages.