As the dusk descends upon the earth, a few holy cities in India get illuminated with the offerings made to the Holy River Ganges in form of a ritual known as Ganga Aarti. As pleasing as it to the senses, the ritual is highly spiritual and religiously significant to the Hindus. The fire is used as an offering to the Ganges and a small ‘diya’ gets floated in the river as the loud sound of traditional instruments makes the environment psychedelic. The timing for Ganga aartis varies upon the months. There are no fixed timings, but people usually start to gather at the spots as the sun goes down, so you better hurry before the sun goes down if you want to witness a great event.
Here are a few places where you must visit in order to experience the magnificence of the ritual.
Shri Ram Ghat, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh- Located right at the bank of river Kshipra, Shri Ram Ghat happens to be one of the oldest bathing places for spiritual enlightenment in the state. People can be seen taking dips in the river in broad daylight, but once the sun starts going down on the horizon, the preparations for the aarti starts taking place. The priests in long robes and having bright lamps in their hands perform the exquisite Aarti as the time approaches.
Gandhi Ghat, Patna, Bihar- The aarti here takes place mostly over the weekends. The place is known for its golden sunrise, but as the sun starts going down deep in the west, the ghat becomes brimmed with the priests in saffron robes preparing for aarti. BTSC boats are made available for the tourists as they give great view of the ritual. The climate gets filled with the sweet smell of the incense sticks as the aarti commences and everyone watches it with their breaths held in.
Hari ki Pauri, Haridwar- Haridwar happens to be the ultimate pilgrim site for the Hindus, and among other things, the Ganga aarti performed here is the most sought after and grandest thing about the place. The extravagant event involves a lot of priests, tourists, babas, idols of many different gods, incense sticks, loud speakers, and flowers. Some may complain about it being way too noisy, but that’s where the charm lies.
Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh- The aarti that takes place here in Rishikesh is one of the calmest and relaxing Ganga aarti, devoid of all the extravagance. The more spiritual tourists prefer this one among the rest of the country and for all the right reasons whatsoever. The ceremony begins with bhajans, religious songs, and a hawan before the offering is made to the Holy River silently.
Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi- Near the Kashi Vishwanath temple, every evening, once the sun descents on the horizon, a highly choreographed aarti takes place. However, people usually complain that the high magnificence and extravagance takes away most of the spiritual meaning of the event but still, it remains one of the most crowd pleasing aarti in the country. The aarti is performed by a group of young priests, all saffron clad, singing loud hymns and bhajans while making the offering to the Holy River.
Sangam Aarti, Allahabad – Hindu devotees visiting from far and wide take a dip in the Ganges from this ghat and then starts the highly enthralling evening Ganga Arti. One can witness sighting of priests wearing colorful robes burning incense sticks and lighting bright lamps to worship the Ganga Mata. Hymns sung in the background settings create the ideal ambiance to captivate thousands of pilgrims all over the world.
The Hindu worship ritual, Ganga aarti holds all the charm to captivate visitors and nowadays has found its way into the travel itineraries of many. A tryst with the evening Ganga Aarti at these destinations can be defined as spirituality is at its spectacular best.
Its great to worship our holy ganga, We should also treat it goddess by making everyone aware of not littering in it.