Gangasagar Mela 2023: Dates, Place, History, Timings and Attractions

Gangasagar Mela 2023: The festival is celebrated on January 14-15 every year.

Gangasagar mela: The Mela will start on January 8 and continue till January 17. (Representation image from Reuters)

Gangasagar Mela 2023: Gangasagar mela is organised every year around Makar Sankranti. Ganga originates from Gangotri and marks the end of her journey in Sagar Island where it merges with the Bay of Bengal. Hindus visit Sagar Island to take a holy dip in the river Ganga on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Gangasagar Mela Date

The festival is celebrated on January 14-15 every year. The Mela will start on January 8 and continue till January 17.

Why is Gangasagar Mela organised?

Hindus believe that King Sagar once conducted Ashwamedha Yagya. King Indra stole the sacrificial horse tied the horse in the pataal lok. Later King Sagar’s sons came to fetch the horse and found it close to Kapil Muni’s ashram and mistook him as a thief.

Kapil Muni then cursed the boys and turned them into ashes. Bhagirath, the grandson of King Sagar meditated for years and requested river Ganga to flow down over the ashes of his ancestors. Ganga accepted the request and came down cascading from the heavens and washed over the ashes of King Sagar’s sons' ashes.

The souls got salvation. Today, millions of people reach Sagar Islands and take a holy dip in the confluence of the sea and river Ganga to attain salvation and get freedom from old sins.