Gangasagar Mela

Every festival in India is celebrated with pride and joy by all Indians and planning a festival tour in India during any festival can acquaint you to the diverse culture and traditions of the country. Gangasagar Mela is one such important festival of India which is celebrated every year in the month of January in West Bengal. This is a globally acclaimed festival tour where more than 30 lakhs of pilgrims and tourists from far across the nation and the globe gather at Gangasagar.

Location and Date of Ganagasagar Mela
Gangasagar Mela is celebrated every year on Makar Sankranti. The dates vary between 13 th and 15 th January. It is a one-day event celebrated at the Sagar Island in the Ganges delta, lying at the top of the Bay of Bengal, and is about 100 km from Kolkata.

Gangasagar Mela Celebrations and Beliefs
Sagar island is considered as a place of Hindu pilgrimage. On the day of Makar Sankranti (usually, 14th January), tourists and pilgrims take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganges and Bay of Bengal. They offer
their prayers to River Ganga and the Sun lord. It is said that taking a dip in the river Ganga on an auspicious day is a way to purify your souls and sins.

The Gangasagar Fair – Some highlights

• The Gangasagar mela, also referred as Ganga Sagar Yatra or Ganga Snan, is celebrated on a grand scale like as the Kumbh Mela and is considered to be the biggest pilgrimage fair of Eastern India.
• The whole island looks very vibrant and colorful.
• Thousands of devotees gather at the island to witness this Gangasagar mela.
• The whole atmosphere becomes amazingly mesmerizing with sounds of the bells echoing all around, aromatic essence and smoke of the incense sticks spreading purity. Flowers and rose petals beautify the bank and the river. At night, the Ganges looks all the more alluring with lighted diyas and flowers floating in the river.
• Apart from the general pilgrims, the gathering of Naga Sadhus gives a distinctive identification and divinity to this fair.
• Varied rituals are followMany devotees prefer to stay at the camps set at the venue. Tourists stay in cottages and hotels situated nearby.ed by the devotees making it another popular attraction at the fair.
• While making a Gangasagar mela tour, you can also visit places nearby like as the Kapil Muni temple, the sea beaches, the fairgrounds, the Sagar lighthouse and port, and also the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram.

The Gangasagar Fair is considered as the gateway of Moksha for many. A visit to this festival fair is highly recommended. Plan Gangasagar mela tour with Truly India Tours, the best tour operator for India.