r/IncredibleIndia

Finally got to witness the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. The atmosphere was incredible chants, bells, lamps, and hundreds of people gathered together. Videos don't really capture the feeling of being there. Definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Varanasi.

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I had the chance to visit MAHA KUMBH MELA🕉️ last year which is celebrated every 12 yrs and 2025 was special due to a certain alignment of stars🌌 and planets 🪐as per Hindu religion.. This is one of the largest peaceful human gatherings held at TRIVENI SANGAM, the holy confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.🏞️

The core reason for the Kumbh Mela comes from the Puranic legend of the Samudra Manthan (the churning of the cosmic ocean) by the Devas (demigods) and Asuras (demons) to obtain Amrit, the nectar of immortality.🍯

A few drops of the immortal nectar spilled from the pot and fell onto four specific locations on Earth -:

*Prayagraj (at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati)

*Haridwar (on the banks of the Ganga)

*Nashik (on the banks of the Godavari)

*Ujjain (on the banks of the Shipra)

Because 12 days in heaven equal 12 years for humans, the Kumbh Mela is celebrated at these four places in rotation every 12 years🌍

Picture 1- This is the holy confluence of the rivers and this is the place where everyone is supposed to take AMRIT SNAN - THE HOLY DIP. It is believed to cleanse your soul and supposedly have the power to remove all the negativity from your life.🏞️

Picture 2- We had to hire a boat from the starting point till the centre where the holy rivers met. Then we proceeded for the holy dip at the confluence. This moment was very special because as per Hindu religion, the time of the holy dip and the place of confluence had deep sentimental values for every HINDU.🛶

Picture 3- This was the SEA OF PEOPLE swarming towards the river so as to complete the dip at the holy time which was decided by some biggest preachers of Hinduism by looking at the star and planets alignment.🎡🎎

Picture 4- Artwork on the streets showing lord RAM ji with his bow and arrows.🏹

Picture 5- The elephant and her owner travelled from far just to attend the holy meetup of SADHUS and recite god's name in the form of bhajan (devotional songs). The elephant was especially trained to do NAMASTE (🙏) and greet people. This was a very wholesome moment.🐘

As a Hindu, this moment was surreal for me and these photos took me back to those days.

What makes HINDUISM endlessly fascinating is that it feels less like a historical museum piece and more like a living, breathing ecosystem🔱🕉️

[OC]

Caught a snap of one of the ancient walls in the monastery!Such a surreal sight ✨

Hope this brings a little calm to your day.