Somvati Amavasya: Over 7.5 lakh devotees take holy dip in Ganges

Haridwar: On the eve of Somvati Amavasya, the most important day in the Hindu religion, over 7.5 lakh devotees thronged the banks of Ganga to take a holy dip in the water on Monday. Many devotees reached the Ganga ghat in the morning to prepare and offer prayers for Somvati Amavasya. In a conversation with ETV Bharat, Pandit Manoj Tripathi said that fasting on the occasion of Somvati Amavasya replaces all the troubles with happiness and prosperity in one's life and this is the reason why the devotees eagerly wait for this festival throughout the year. The devotees also worship the ancestors on the occasion and the ancestors' blessings remain forever, the Pandit said. 

Tripathi further said Somvati Amavasya comes once or twice a year and the devotees prioritise a dip in the Ganges as by bathing in the Ganges and donating on the occasion, God bestows his blessings on the people.

While taking a bath in the Ganges, the devotees offer their prayers to the Sun and recite Gayatri Mantra considering it to be auspicious. The devotees then offer their prayers to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Subsequently, women worship the Peepal tree as the tree depicts special glory in Hinduism. 

Last year on the occasion of Somvati Amavasya, around 40 lakh devotees reached the Ganga ghat, offered prayers and took a dip in the holy river. The government, then, deployed more than 2,000 police personnel for the security of the devotees and also to maintain peace and order during the festival.