According to this book Festivals, Fairs and Fasts of India
regarding the Ganga Sagara Mela it says, "In Bengal, the Ganga
Sagara festival (Mela) is held on Makara Sankranti (15th January
when the sun goes from kumbha [Aquarius] rasi to makara [Pisces]
rasi) on Sagara Island. Sagara means the ocean, and the island is
located where the river Ganga enters the ocean. A well-attended
fair is held and people come from long distances to bathe here.
After the bath Ganga Ma or the Goddess Ganga is worshipped. It is
believed that Ganga entered the ocean at this point to wash the
bones of the 60,000 sons of Sagara, in whose memory the island is
held sacred. There were reportedly killed by a curse from sage
Kapila
(see Ganga Dussehra)"page 17.
Ganga Dussehra:
"Festivals connected with rivers are essentially bathing festivals.
Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day of Jyeshtha. River
Ganga is worshipped as a mother as well as a Goddess, particularly
by people of Uttara Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal through which the
river flows. On this day, if a devotee is unable to visit and bathe
in the river Ganga, then Ganga jal (water) kept in most Hindu homes
is used for purification. A bath in the river is said to purify the
bather of all sins. The Ganga is revered all over India even in
places far from its course.
Initially, river Ganga flowed in the heavens. She was brought down
to earth by the severe penances of the sage Bhagiratha and that is
why she is also called Bhagirathi. According to the story, of the
descent of the Ganga, once a number of demons were harassing the
hermits by disturbing them in their ascetic duties. During the day,
they would be chased into the ocean. But in the darkness of the
night, they would emerge from the ocean and start harassing the
hermits again. In desperation the hermits appealed to Rishi
Agastya. Agastya, known for his gastronomic powers, drank all the
water of the ocean. Though this was done in good faith, it resulted
in depriving the world of the water needed for sustenance and the
earth became parched and dry. Bhagiratha brought this drought to
and end.
According to the legend, King Sagara of the Ikshvaku dynasty ruling
at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh had two queens, Keshani and Sumati, but
neither had a child. Sagara performed severe austerities before his
wives could produce sons. But whereas Keshani gave birth to a son
called Asmajas, Sumati bore 60,000 sons. Sagara performed the
Ashwamedha sacrifice to declare his suzerainty over the
neighbouring kingdoms. According to the prevalent custom, the
sacrificial horse was let loose and allowed to wander into the
neighbouring kingdoms. If the horse was caught, a battle ensued and
the outcome decided the winner. The 60,000 sons of Sagara were
following the horse when they saw him enter a cavern where sage
Kapila was meditating. Not seeing the horse in the cavern, they
presumed that Kapila had captured it. They did not kill Kapila as
he was a sage but they started disturbing his meditations. Annoyed
at being disturbed, Kapila with a curse burnt the 60,000 sons of
Sagara. Time passed and later Bhagiratha, the great grandson of
Sagara, chanced to come across the bones of his dead ancestors. He
wanted to perform the shraddha of his ancestors but there was no
water available for the ceremony. Agastya having drunk all the
waters of the ocean, the country was passing through a severe
drought. Bhagiratha prayed to Brahma, the Creator, to end the
drought. Brahma asked him to pray to Vishnu, the Preserver, to
allow the heavenly Ganga, issuing from His big toe, to come down to
earth. Vishnu when prayed to by Bhagiratha agreed, but asked him to
request Shiva, the third member of the Hindu trinity of Gods, to
allow the torrential rain to fall on his head before it came to the
earth as the river was very forceful and if she were allowed to
come down unchecked, her fall would split the earth. Shiva agreed
to take the gigantic weight of the cascading Ganga on the matted
hair piled high on his head. This ensnared and delayed the progress
of the river which, in meandering through the labyrinth of his
hair, lost its force and then gently descended to the Himalayas
from whence it flowed to the plains bestowing its waters on the
parched earth. And that is why the anthropomorphic image of Ganga
is shown in the matted hair of Shiva who is also called Gangadhara.
Being born in the Himalayas, Ganga is considered the elder sister
of Parvati, who is also a daughter of the Himalayas.
According to the Agni Purana and Padma Purana, the Ganga descended
to the earth on Ganga Dussehra day and a bath in the holy river on
this day is said to purify one of all sins. To die on the banks of
the Ganga is considered most auspicious. If that is not possible,
then the immersion of the ashes after cremation in the river Ganga
is a must, as it then releases one from the cycles of birth and
re-birth.
the seven ways of worshipping the Ganga are: by calling out her
name, 'Oh Ganga'; having darshan of her; by toughing her waters; by
worshipping and bathing; by standing in the waters of the river;
and by carrying clay dug out of the river. Ganga in her
anthropomorphic form is shown as a beautiful young woman standing
on a crocodile and holding a waterpot in her hands. Her image, with
that of the Goddess Yamuna, another sacred river deity, is often
depicted on the doors of temples and palaces. In Gujarat, there is
a legend according to which Ganga came down to the earth on Rishi
Panchami, the fifth day of Bhadra (September) at Tarnetar. There is
a sacred tank where people congregate for a holy bath on that day
(pages 82-82.) (see Tarnetar festival 106-107, 120-121. not so
relevant to us - nice pictures of the fair and bathing ghats
though.)
(Shakti M. Gupta. 1991. Festivals, Fairs and Fasts of India.
Clarion Books)
