A grand 'Ganga Maha Aarti' will be organised at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Monday evening in the wake of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Temples across Kashi are holding religious rituals, including the Kashi Vishwanath temple where the recitation of Vedas has been underway since morning.

Special Celebrations in Varanasi ahead of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha

The Indian Music Arts Center will present a kathak performance and there will be other programmes as well, he said. In the evening, the entire Kashi Vishwanath temple will be illuminated with lamps. The mahant of the Batuk Bhairav temple Jitendra Mohan Puri said the temple has been decorated with flowers and 5,100 lamps will be lit in the temple complex and Sundar Kand be recited.

Sushant Mishra of the Ganga Seva Nidhi said that keeping in mind the consecration of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, the Ganga Aarti to be held in the late evening will be organised as a ‘Maha Aarti’. “On usual days, the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi is performed by seven Archakas, but given today's special occasion, Ganga Aarti will be performed by nine Archakas and this aarti will be given the form of a Maha Aarti,” he said.

Significance of the Ganga Maha Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat

Dashashwamedh Ghat is a main ghat in Varanasi located on the Ganga River, close to Vishwanath Temple. There are two legends associated with the ghat. According to one, Brahma created it to welcome Shiva. According to the other tale, Brahma performed 10 Ashwamegha yajna, Dasa-Ashwamedha yajna and that is why it is named such. Devotees believe that when the Goddess Ganga descended to Earth, she turned into a River to wash out the sins of predecessors of King Bhagirath. So, people perform this aarti every day to thank Her. This is also the reason people believe that taking a dip in Ganga washes away your sins. The Ganga Aarti is held on the Ghat every day during dusk time. The Aarti starts soon after sunset and lasts for about 45 minutes.

With inputs from PTI