CELEBRATING RIVERS OF INDIA

Read. Imagine. Travel

Namaste! With the international borders reopened after nearly two years and India welcoming International Tourists since 15th November, our team is all geared up to receive your esteemed guests in India.

Recognized with the “Safe Travel Stamp”, from WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), Indo Asia Tours is aligned with the ‘Safe Travel protocols’, adhering to our responsibilities as a responsible tour operator and have adopted health and hygiene global standardized protocols.

We believe that our past editions of TravNama intrigued you as much as they did to us while writing about it! The deeper we dig into ancient India and its aspects; the feeling of sharing the interesting facts grows. So here we are, with one more edition that focuses on “Celebrating the rivers of India”.

The rivers play a vital role in people's lives through various means and mediums and their cultural & the religious connections enhances their importance. There are many rivers in India, and all of them are revered in one way or the other and every river has a story to tell. However, some of them with highest religious importance are Ganga, Indus, Yamuna, Sarasvati (believed to be now an underground river), Godavari, Kaveri, and Narmada. Realizing the significance of rivers in India, a dedicated festival 'PUSHKARAM' is celebrated once in a year for each one of these rivers. The decision on which river it is to be celebrated depends upon the zodiac sign, the river is associated with. Amazed! Yes, each river is associated with a Zodiac sign (even some zodiac signs are associated with multiple rivers) and the river whose zodiac sign enters planet Jupiter is celebrated. It is also called as Pushkaralu in Southern India. This pattern of festivals is similar to that of the famous Kumbh Mela and celebrated with devotion and cultural programs. Watch a video on the story of Kumbh mela – Largest spiritual gathering in the world. It was last hosted with full strength in 2019 in Prayagraj earlier known as Allahabad.

Sounds interesting? It’s just a beginning, as there are several other rituals and festivals associated with these rivers, which are celebrated in the monthly or yearly cycle in their respective regions.

Let us introduce you to some of the festivals celebrated around the rivers in India:

GANGA DUSSEHRA
The Ganges or Ganga is the most sacred of all rivers and Ganga Dussehra is a Hindu festival celebrating the descent of the river Ganges from heaven to earth on this day. In accordance to the luni-solar system, this festival is celebrated on the 10th day of the waxing moon, which is around June. The Ganges is the most celebrated and revered river in India. It flows through half of the country and is a lifeline to habitation along its banks. A holy dip in its water is believed to wash off all the sins. As per Hindu mythology, even after death, the soul is believed to attain salvation only after immersing the ashes in the Ganges.

Ganga Dussehra, which marks the day when Ganges descended on earth, makes the rituals more auspicious and important. So, a large number of people gather on the Ghats of the Ganges to take a holy dip, do charities, and seek blessings of this pious river to wash off the sins, committed knowingly or unknowingly. The religious flavour that can be felt throughout the day is glorified in the evening by the beauty of the floating earthen lamps on the river and lively surroundings during the aarti ceremony, which is a grand sight than other normal days.

As per the mythological story associated with this day, King Bhagiratha prayed to Lord Vishnu (creator of the universe) and requested him to send the heavenly Ganges to earth to immerse the ashes of his ancestors (King Sagar and his 60000 sons) for their salvation. Finally, after his penance of thousands of years, on this day Ganges descended on earth.

Ganga Dussehra is celebrated with full enthusiasm on all the ghats (a flight of steps leading down to a river) of Ganges, through which it flows covering different parts of India. However, if one has to see the grandness of the festival, Varanasi is the place.

During this festival all of the 84 Ghats are lit up with lamps, and are full of devotees who offer prayers and take a holy dip in river Ganges. Varanasi also hosts cultural performances on this day, where artists display various dance forms thanking Gods and making the environment lively.

KUMBH MELA, GANGES
Kumbh literally means an earthen pot, but it actually is the confluence of all our cultures. A major pilgrimage of Hindus, the festival is celebrated every third year, switching among the 04 river-bank religious sites, namely Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), and Nasik (Maharashtra), in a cycle of 12 years. While it returns to each site only after 12 years as PURAN (full) KUMBH, the chronology is such that ARDH (half or six yearly) KUMBH falls either in Haridwar or in Prayagraj only.

And MAHAKUMBH, which falls only once in 144 years, is celebrated only in Prayagraj, after 12 Puran Kumbh Melas, which is also a confluence of three holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati. Doesn’t the mathematics behind it raise eyebrows?

As per Hindu mythology, the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan) by Gods and demons resulted in a pot (Kumbh) of Amrit (elixir of immortality). As both wanted the entire elixir, they entered the scuffle, which lasted for 12 days. In this chase, few drops accidentally spilled at four sites; Ujjain, Nasik, Prayagraj, and Haridwar. Thenceforth, these 04 sites are believed to have spiritual powers. Kumbh Mela, which is a mass Hindu gathering and pilgrimage, is celebrated to commemorate this event. Among all 04 sites, Prayagraj is believed to be the oldest and enjoys more religious significance than others. The place is credited to have attracted a gathering of around 100 million people during the Kumbh Mela in the year 2013.

Apart from the bathing rituals in the holy river and other religious ceremonies, one can also see several holy men like Naga sadhus (Priests who do not wear clothes), Kalpawasis (people who take bath three times a day), and Urdhawavahurs (these follow the practice of putting severe austerities to body).

They come from every nook and corner of the country to perform sacred rituals in this fair and are a unique sight.

While the festival attracts millions of people at each location, the largest gathering is recorded at Prayagraj, and the second to it is Haridwar. It is an incredible sight to see so many people gathering in one place. In addition to religious ceremonies, trade and commerce is also a part of this fair. Many handicrafts and other shops are set up to cater to the needs of the congregation.

This fair is something 'Never to miss' cultural sight of India. Therefore, many camping facilities come into existence to cater as many international and local tourists as possible.

Interesting fact: Having such a large and peaceful gathering, Kumbh Mela has got its name in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of community.

GANGA SAGAR MELA
Another festival celebrating the holy Ganges, Ganga Sagar Mela is the second-largest religious congregation held in the country after Kumbh Mela. As festival dates depend upon the positioning of the Zodiac signs and stars, the date for this festival is also decided based on Sun entering a particular position, which usually takes place in the month of January every year. And taking bath in the holy river Ganges during this moment of time is considered auspicious. The time is also celebrated as another important festival called Makar Sakranti in many parts of India. Approx. 100 kms from Kolkata, Ganga Sagar Mela is held at the confluence of Ganges and Bay of Bengal, and thousands of people visit here to take a holy dip followed by a visit to the Kapil Muni temple nearby.

We already shared with you the story about King Bhagiratha earlier (under Ganga Dussehra), Kapil Muni was the sage who cursed King Sagar's 60000 sons to turn into ashes, and Bhagiratha prayed to Ganges to come down to earth to enable him to immerse their ashes.

Importance of Rivers in other religious festivals of India

Chhath Puja: Dedicated to Sun God, in this annual four-day-long festival, devotees worship the first ray of the Sun in the morning and the last ray in the evening. One of the rituals, among many, is taking a bath in the Holy River.

During Chhath Puja, thousands of devotees take a dip in Ganges, Yamuna and in other holy rivers in India. The festival is celebrated six days after Diwali or on the sixth day of the Kartik month in the Hindu calendar that usually falls in the month of November every year.

The festival is unique to the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh which are also famous for numerous Buddhist and historical sites.

Makar Sakranti: Another festival dedicated to Sun God, which marks the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. The worshipping or the celebrations start with a bath in the Holy River. The festival is celebrated with different names in different parts of the country in the month of January. In many parts of the country, people also fly kites on this day. For the overseas visitors an International Kite Festival is celebrated in Gujarat and various other states of India.

It has become synonymous with Makar Sakranti. Of late, this festival in Gujarat attracted visitors from several countries like Japan, Italy, USA, Malaysia, Singapore, France, UK, Canada, Australia, Brazil, China and Indonesia who take part in the kite flying competitions.

Durga Puja: Dedicated to Goddess Durga, this ten-day festival concludes with the immersion of the idol of Goddess in a river following religious rituals. The festival coincides with other festivals of Navratra and Dussehra celebrations.

Usually, this festival is celebrated either in the month of October or November and Kolkata is the best place to witness this vibrant festival. Watch how Durga Puja is celebrated in West Bengal in this beautiful video.

Aadi Perukku: The festival is celebrated to honour water bodies for their significant role in sustaining life in Tamil Nadu. The festival date falls in mid-July when the monsoon sets in Tamil Nadu, and when farmers get ready for sowing the crop. So, they pray and thank all the water bodies for sufficient water they need in their day-to-day life.

Apart from religious celebrations, river banks also host some of the famous art and culture festivals. Such cultural festivals, also promoted as river festivals are organized to emphasize the importance of rivers in our lives and strengthening of the public-river connect. Some of these festivals are:

Ganga Mahotsav, Ganges: This five-day annual festival celebrated every year after Diwali is organized along the ghats of the River Ganges in Varanasi. It showcases the city's rich culture and traditions and strengthening of the public-river connect. The celebrations includes crafts fair, stage performances, traditional Indian sports like country boat-race, Indian style wrestling competitions etc.

The last day of the festival coincides with Dev Deepawali, the grand and most sought after festival of Varanasi, when Gods are believed to descend to earth to bathe in the river Ganges.

Sacred River Festival, Narmada: The festival is organized and celebrated every year in the third week of February for 03 days in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. Cultural performances, including dance and music on the banks of river Narmada, are the highlight during this festival. The majestic Ahilya fort on the river bank, which is beautifully decorated and lit up, is the best place to stay during festival times. Watch a glimpse of this festival.

Malabar River Festival: The festival hosts a white water kayaking championship every year in July. The championship is held in Kozhikode (Kerala) in Chaliyar, Iruvanjippuzha, and Chalippuzha rivers. Kayakers from different countries participate in this competition.

Siang River Festival: Also known as the Yomgo river festival, this annual festival is celebrated in January in Arunachal Pradesh. While promoting ecotourism, the festival hosts a variety of cultural, traditional, and adventure activities.

Sindhu Darshan festival: Held every year in June on the banks of river Indus (also known as river Sindhu), in Ladakh, this three-day festival draws focus to the Sindhu river as a symbol of the India’s National Integration and unity among diversity. The festival is also known as Singhe Kabaab Festival and features cultural events such as musical shows, art exhibitions and dance performances, organised by artistes belonging to different parts of India.

In India, rivers have been given a special significance and remained an object of worship, since time immemorial. Apart from their life-sustaining properties, rivers also play a vital role in many religious ceremonies and rites. Come and explore the rivers of India with us, either by witnessing a mesmerising river-bank festival or simply by indulging in river cruising. With us, the itinerary is not just a travel route or a trip. We design, conceptualize and handcraft every journey for you. Our bespoke itineraries and curated experiences in different destinations are what make for those memorable travel moments.