Devotee celebrate 'Makar Sankranti' with a holy dip in Ganges.Byline: ANI Varanasi/Tatapani (Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (hĭmä`chəl prədāsh`), state (2001 provisional pop. 6,077,248), 21,629 sq mi (56,019 sq km), NW India, in the W Himalayas, bordered by the Tibet region of China on the east. Shimla is the capital. ), Jan 14 (ANI): Devotees thronged Varanasi to take a holy dip in the river Ganges on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti' on Wednesday. Braving the winter chill Track listing Disc one
"We take bath in the river and make offerings of rice, jaggery jag·ger·y n. Unrefined sugar made from palm sap. [Portuguese dialectal jágara, probably from Malayalam to a priest," said Shakuntala, a devotee. As per Hindu astrology, transition of the Sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn zodiac during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is known as 'Makar Sankranti'. From this day, begins the six-month long 'Uttarayana', the Sun's journey in the northern hemisphere. While the traditional Hindu calendar is basically based on lunar positions, but 'Makar Sankranti' is a solar event taking place every year on January 14. It is also believed that a holy dip during Makar Sankranti washes away all sins. "Today the sun enters into northern hemisphere from the southern hemisphere. Therefore the day is of great significance. Today, the devotees take holy dip and make offerings to the priests," said Bharat Pandey, a priest. In Himachal Pradesh, scores of devotees gathered at Tatapani hot water spring and took a holy dip. Apart from curing skin diseases, the dip in the spring is also believed to be auspicious by the devotees. The devotees also make 'Tula Daan', a tradition where the devotees make offerings of cereal to the priests equal to an individuals' weight. "The offerings made here on Makar Sankranti hold great significance. It is said that one should come and make offerings here for ridding one of all negative elements," said Kamini, a devotee. The co-relation of cosmic events with a person's life is an important aspect of Hindu astrological system. The entry of sun into northern hemisphere on Makar Sankranti is considered very auspicious by the Hindus for attaining higher worlds hereafter. (ANI) Copyright 2008 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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