Ganga Dussehra 2024: Date, Time, Rituals and Significance

Ganga Dusshera 2024 Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024

Ganga Dussehra, also referred to as Gangavataran, is an important festival in the Hindu calendar. It is set to be celebrated on Sunday, June 16, 2024. The festival commemorates the descent of the sacred Ganges River from the heavens to the earth. Lasting ten days, it is a period of significant religious observance.

Ganga Dusshera 2024 Date and Timings:

On the auspicious occasion of Ganga Dussehra, devotees engage in several rituals to pay homage to Goddess Ganga and solicit her divine blessings. The principal rituals include:

• Snan (Holy Dip): Devotees visit to the banks of the Ganges River to immerse themselves in its sacred waters, a ritual believed to purify the soul and wash away sins.
• Patra Puja (Offering Leaf Boats): Decorating and floating leaf boats with lamps, flowers, and sweets as offerings.
• Chanting: Reciting sacred mantras and hymns for blessings and devotion.
• Aarti: Performing fire rituals with lamps and chanting at the river steps to express reverence.

Ganga Dussehra is celebrated with great religious and spiritual significance. Devotees pay homage to Goddess Ganga through prayers, by taking sacred dips in the Ganges, and conducting rituals to cleanse their body, mind, and spirit.
Maa Ganga, revered by names such as Shubhra, Bhagirathi, Mandakini, Shivapriya, and Jahnavi, is worshipped as the living deity manifesting on Earth as Ganga Jal. It is believed that bathing in the waters of the Ganges absolves one of sins and bestows purity.
According to legend, it was sage Bhagirathi's austere penance that brought Ganga down to Earth, providing moksha to his forebears. Lord Shiva moderated Ganga's descent, ensuring she fulfilled her celestial purpose.