Tag: Ganga

“A fool indeed is he who, living on the banks of the Ganga, seeks to dig a little well for water.”

River Cruise on River Ganga, Varanasi

On By Judhajit RoychoudhuryIn Cruise & Boats, India12 Comments

Varanasi is one of the most visited religious destinations in India, thanks to its historic ghats, splendid temples and the distinct flavour of the city itself. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, a fact that makes it even more fascinating as a popular tourist spot in India. It is the river Ganga though, which lends the city its identity. Indeed, the city and the river have become synonymous with each other. We went for the evening river cruise for the fabulous views of the river Ganga, the ancient Ghats and the Ganga Aarti.

18th anniversary of our Diksha

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Potpourri6 Comments

Diksha is a ceremony of initiation and the entering of a religious order. It involves a guru giving a mantra to a disciple and having the disciple agreeing to follow a certain religious practice. During diksha, a Guru provides a disciple with a Guru Mantra. The sole aim of the Guru Mantra is to control the senses and set the individual in the path of Brahman consciousness.

Chandraketugarh: A Lost Civilization

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn India, Prehistory & Ancient History, Sightseeing21 Comments

What connects Bengal and the Indus Valley Civilisation? A 2,500-year-old archaeological site, suffering from neglect might have the answer. A thriving settlement between the 4th century BCE and 12th century CE, Chandraketugarh is often thought to be the kingdom of Gangaridai as referred to by ancient Greek and Roman writers. Apart from its historical significance, Chandraketugarh is of great cultural importance, associated with Bengali poet and astrologer Khana, the daughter-in-law of Varahamihira, the famed astronomer and mathematician who was part of Chandragupta Vikramaditya’s court.

Durga Puja, Varanasi, 2008

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Culture, Event & Festival, India7 Comments

The festival season in India means bright colours, lights, giant floats, ceremonies and excitement. The major Indian celebration is Durga Puja (Puja meaning worship). The Hindu Goddess Durga is the goddess of Shakti (power). Magic may be the only word that best describes the pageantry and fanfare that revolves around Durga Puja. While going through …

Continue reading Durga Puja, Varanasi, 2008

Shahi Snan at the Kumbh Mela. Prayagraj, 2019

On By Judhajit RoychoudhuryIn Culture, Event & Festival, Heritage, India, Places of Worship23 Comments

The Kumbh Mela — the largest congregation in the world — sees world gathering of saints, pilgrims, devotees to take holy dips in the sacred confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mystical Saraswati. Bathing in these rivers is thought to cleanse and purify ones’ soul of all sins. Recognized by UNESCO as India’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’, Kumbh Mela never ceases to amaze and its amazement is always felt in the grandeur of it being the largest religious-cultural festival in the world. 

A River Is Now Legally a Person

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Potpourri24 Comments

A river in New Zealand has become the first in the world to be legally recognised as a living entity and granted the same rights as a human. The sacred river will be granted all the corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person after a 170-year battle led by a local Maori tribe known as the Iwi. Rights of Nature or granting legal personhood to nature may finally provide balance in legal systems around the world that tend to view nature as only an economic resource for humans.

Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj

On By Indrajit Roy ChoudhuryIn Cruise & Boats, Culture, IndiaLeave a comment

In Hindu tradition Triveni Sangam is the "confluence" of three rivers. Sangam is the Sanskrit word for confluence. The point of confluence is a sacred place for Hindus. A bath here is said to wash away all of one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. One such Triveni Sangam, in Prayagraj (Allahabad) has two physical rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and the invisible or mythic Saraswati River. The site is in Prayag (Allahabad).