Ganga Dussehra 2023: Auspicious Muhurta, Rituals, Story & Significance

Ganga Dussehra is an important festival in Hinduism. This festival is celebrated on the Tenth Tithi (10th day) of the Shukla Paksha (Waxing Phase of the Moon) of the Jyestha month as per the Hindu Lunar Calendar. This festival is mainly celebrated with great festive spirit in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, Delhi. Ganga Dussehra will be celebrated in 2023 on Tuesday, May 30th.

On this day, a large number of people bathe in the Ganges and worship Mother Ganga who came to Earth in the form of a river. There is a belief behind taking a bath in the water of river Ganga which is that by taking a bath in the holy river, all the sins of the person are washed away and he/she attains purification of the soul.

The importance of Ganga Dussehra is related to the fact that on this day Lord Shiva held Maa Ganga in his matted locks. People remember this day as a grand event and by taking a bath in the river Ganges, they get rid of all their sins.

Ganga Dussehra 2023: Auspicious Time and Date of Worship

Ganga Dussehra is a Hindu festival that is celebrated on the ‘Dashmi Tithi’ (10th Date) of the ‘Shukla Paksha’ (Waxing Phase of the Moon) in the month of Jyeshtha as per the Hindu Lunar Calendar.

Ganga Dussehra 2023 will be celebrated on 30th May.

The set of various Shubh Muhurtas or Auspicious Timings to worship Maa Ganga or take a dip in Her Holy waters are as follows:

• Brahma Muhurta: 04:03 AM to 04:43 AM
• Pratah Sandhya: 04:23 AM to 05:24 AM
• Abhijit Muhurata: 11:51 AM to 12:46 PM
• Vijaya Muhurta: 02:37 PM to 03:32 PM
• Godhuli Muhurta: 07:12 PM to 07:32 PM
• Sanyah Sandhya: 07:13 PM to 08:14 PM

Religious Significance of Ganga Dussehra

Ganga Dussehra is a major festival in Hinduism, which is celebrated every year in the month of Jyestha. People get spiritual upliftment by worshiping and bathing in the holy river Ganga on this day. It is said that on this day Lord Shiva had brought Ganga Maa to the Earth by storing her in His matted locks. On this day people bathe in the river Ganges and worship Her as well as Lord Shiva. Moreover, this festival reflects the importance of religion, culture and traditions and inspires people to adopt religious sentiments in their lives.

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Worship Mother Ganga with this method on Ganga Dussehra 2023

The method of worshiping Goddess Ganga on Ganga Dussehra is as follows:

Bathing: Bathing in the river Ganga is of great importance on this day, so people come from far and wide to visit and bathe in the Holy Ganga on this day. If you are unable to bathe in the Ganges due to some reason, then on this day you should bathe at home by adding Ganga water to the bath water.

Worship Material: Flowers, Ardhya, Lamp, Incense, Naivedya, etc. should be collected for worship.

Worship Method: If you have gone to bathe in the Ganges, then you should worship Mother Ganga there after the bath. If you are celebrating Ganga Dussehra at your home, then you can worship the idol or picture of Maa Ganga in your home. For this, worship Ganga Maa by dedicating flowers, ardhya, lamp, incense, naivedya etc. to Her.

Ardhya: People take the blessings of Mother Ganga by offering Ardhya. For this, take water in a plate and put milk, ghee, honey, flowers etc. in it. Then offer Ardhya to Mother Ganga with this water.

Naivedya: For Naivedya, people offer sattvic food like fruits, sweets and kheer to Maa Ganga.

Aarti: In the end, recite the aarti and mantra of Mother Ganga and seek Her blessings. After the worship is over, the Prasad of the Goddess must be distributed among the devotees.

Benefits of taking a Holy Dip in the River Ganga

According to beliefs, many benefits are obtained by taking a dip in the holy river Ganga.

Economic Benefits: It is believed that taking a dip in the river Ganges brings economic prosperity.

Religious Benefits: Bathing in the river Ganges has religious significance. According to religious beliefs, taking a bath in the holy water of Mother Ganga absolves one of sins and purifies the soul.

Health Benefits: Bathing in the river Ganges gives health benefits to the native. Ganges water is free and pure from chemicals, due to which bathing improves skin diseases.

Story Related to Ganga Dussehra

According to a legend, there was a king named Sagar and he had two queens. While one of his wives gave birth to one son, on the other hand, his second wife gave birth to 60,000 sons. It is said that once the king performed Ashwamedha Yagya. But the horse which was dedicated to the Yagya deity after the Yagya was stolen by Indradev and Indradev left that horse in the ashram premises of Sage Kapila.

After this, all the sixty thousand sons of the king set out in search of that horse. Seeing the horse in the sage's hermitage, they thought that the sage had stolen that horse and all the princes were determined to fight with the sage. Due to this the sage got very angry and he cursed all those princes to turn into ashes. Bhagirath, the grandson of King Sagar, had prayed to Mother Ganga for the salvation of these ancestors, so that all his ancestors could get salvation.

Descent of Goddess Ganga on Earth

After several years of severe austerities, Bhagirath was successful in pleasing Mother Ganga. Mother Ganga was pleased and told him that “I am ready to come on Earth as per your wish. But there is no one there to stop my mighty ebb and flow and my water flow can wipe out the entire planet. Not only this, it can destroy the lower realms as well. 

After this, Bhagirath prayed to Mother Ganga and asked her to find a solution. Then Mother Ganga replied that it is only Lord Shiva who can guide Her. If Lord Shiva agrees to bear Her on His head, then things will be perfect. Hearing all this, Bhagirath got engrossed in the worship of Lord Shiva and being pleased with the worship, Lord Shiva held Ganga in his matted locks.

On the day of Ganga Dussehra, when Maa Ganga flowed towards the Earth, Lord Shiva untied His hair and tied Ganga Mata in his matted locks. After this, Lord Shiva took a lock of his hair and from there, Mother Ganga started flowing to Earth. This place is now known as Gangotri, because Maa Ganga emerged from the Jata (hair) of Lord Shiva, hence She is also called Jatashankari.

How did mother Ganga get the name Jhanvi?

When Lord Shiva released Mother Ganga from one of his matted locks, Her flow was very intense, due to which the hermitage of Rishi Jahan was destroyed. Enraged by this, Sage Jahan stopped the Ganges there. But on the prayer of Bhagirath, he freed Goddess Ganga, hence Ganga Maa is also known as Jahnavi.

After this Ganga Maa reached the hermitage of Sage Kapil, where the ashes of all the ancestors of Bhagirath were present. Mother Ganga freed them all and fell into the Bay of Bengal, which is today known as Gangasagar.

Ganga Dussehra is primarily celebrated at these places:

This festival is celebrated in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi in India. During Ganga Dussehra, people go to the banks of the Ganges to bathe and perform aarti to Mother Ganga. The celebration of this festival is celebrated on a large scale in places like Haridwar, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Gangasagar. At these places people take a dip in the holy water of the Ganges and worship Mother Ganga.

Must follow these Rules on Ganga Dussehra

Ganga Dussehra is a holy festival celebrated in India to worship the river Ganges. On this day people bathe in the river Ganga and worship Lord Shiva in many forms.

You can keep these things in mind on Ganga Dussehra:

• You can take a bath in the river Ganga on Ganga Dussehra, it will purify you.
• On this day you should worship both Maa Ganga and Lord Shiva and also indulge in religious donation activities.
• You should donate food, clothes or other necessities to the needy on Ganga Dussehra.
• You should not pollute the river Ganga.
• Do not consume non-vegetarian food and intoxicants on this day.

Following activities on this day will be beneficial:

Ganga Snan: Waking up early in the morning on the day of Ganga Dussehra and taking a bath in the holy water of Mother Ganga purifies the mind and stabilizes one's emotions.

Use of Ganga Water: On the day of Ganga Dussehra, auspiciousness remains in the house by using Ganga water at home. Bathing with the Ganges water makes a person's body, mind and soul move towards success.

Chanting Mantras: Chanting mantras especially on the day of Ganga Dussehra fulfills a person's wishes.

Donation: By donating, the auspicious wishes of the native are fulfilled and his sins are burned.

Must Chant These Holy Mantras During Worship

You can chant these mantras in Ganga Dussehra Puja:

ॐ गंगे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति।

नर्मदे सिंधु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् संनिधिं कुरु।।

गंगे गंगे जय जय गंगे।

जय जय गंगे मैया जय जय गंगे।

त्रिपथगा त्रिपथवहा देवी त्रिपथवासिनी।

त्रिपथगा त्रिपथवहा त्रिपथदेवी नमोस्तुते।।

गंगे त्वं भवसागर तरणे दात्री सुबहुफले।

शुद्धिर्मुद्रा त्वं तथा गुरुतरे सर्वकारणभूते।।

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु गंगा रूपेण संस्थिता।

नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः।।