Ganga Dussehra will be commemorated on Monday followed by Nirjala Ekadashi on Tuesday. However, this will be the first time in recent history when devotees wont be thronging to Haridwar for ceremonial dips in the Ganga river on these two occasions.
It is believed that the Ganga descended to earth from heaven on the day celebrated as Ganga Dussehra. Bathing in the holy river on this occasion is believed to bring great merit to the devotee and absolve a person from 10 kinds of sins. Every year thousands of people throng to Haridwar to bathe in the holy river on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra.
However, due to the Covid-19 contagion and restrictions in place to contain its spread, the otherwise crowded Har ki Paidi ghat is expected to bear a deserted look on this occasion. The Ganga Arti is being conducted daily in the morning and evening. However, only the priests are present during this Arti with people prohibited from entering Har ki Paidi in view of Covid-19.
The Haridwar superintendent of police (City) Kamlesh Upadhyay along with city magistrate Jagdish Lal and other officials held a meeting with Ganga Sabha office bearers and decided not to open Har ki Paidi to visitors on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra Snan and Nirjala Ekadshi Snan. The SP City informed this correspondent that the Ganga Sabha priest will conduct ritual worship on the occasion but the Ganga ghat will remain out of bounds for the general public.