Ganga Dussehra celebrated sans Ganga snan, temple visit

Varanasi: Ganga Dussehra was celebrated amidst ‘lockdown conditions’ with tight security arrangements at the Ganga ghats and roads leading to the ghats on Monday.
The city, which normally witnesses gathering of thousands of devotees at the ghats for holy bath and offering prayers at Kashi Vishwanath Temple and other shrines on the festive occasion, wore a deserted look on Monday due to restrictions on gathering of people to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Holy dip in the Ganga was also completely banned.
The presence of police and paramilitary personnel along the ghats to prevent religious gathering gave a curfew like feel.
District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma had made it clear a day before the celebration that gathering of devotees for bathing or religious activities would be not allowed on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, with Section 144 of CrPc in force in the district. The violation of the prohibitory order would be viewed with strictness and legal action would be taken against such people.
Mythologically, Ganga Dussehra, also known as Gangavataran, is celebrated to mark the descending of Ganga from heaven to the earth on Dashami (10th day) of the waxing moon of the Hindu calendar month of Jyeshtha.
Besides, the local administration has also prohibited the traditional religious procession for offering Gangajal to Lord Vishwanath on the occasion of Nirjala Ekadashi on Tuesday. The DM said that no ritual like bathing in Ganga or offering jalabhishek at temples of Lord Shiva would be allowed in the district.
He also made an appeal to the people to stay at home and perform the traditional rituals at home only. The deployment of magistrates and police at the ghats and roads leading to the riverfront has been started from Sunday night. The DM said that these officials would monitor the areas till the end of festivities on Tuesday night.