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NEW DELHI: Makar Sankranti was celebrated on Tuesday with hundreds of thousands of people taking holy dip and thronging temples to offer prayers. The festival marking the winter harvest is known in different parts of the country by different names. While it is known as Makar Sankranti in eastern parts of north India, it is celebrated as Pongal in the south and as Bihu in north-eastern India.
Thousands of Hindu devotees gathered on the banks of the Ganga, in Haridwar, at sunrise to take a holy dip in the river. It is believed that a holy dip here during Makar Sankranti washes away all sins. Special prayers were also offered on the occasion. Ramsevak Singh, a police official, said many people could not reach the venue as their trains were delayed due to severe cold wave. In Punjab, thousands thronged the Golden Temple on the occasion. The festival has a special significance for the Sikhs as 40 Sikh soldiers who joined the force of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth spiritual leader, had laid down their lives fighting the Mughals. Makar Sankranti, considered to be one of the most zestful festivals, is essentially a festival for farmers. For peasants, Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of a new financial year because on this day they settle the division of products of the land between themselves and the tillers. Many cultural programmes and fairs were also organised on the occasion. A kite festival was organised in Gujarat to mark the festival. The skyline of Ahmedabad, the State's main city, was dotted with colourful kites of various shapes and sizes. Hindu scriptures say Makar Sankranti dates back to the origin of the earth when gods and demons, after stirring the oceans, squabbled over who should get the holy "amrit" or nectar, one drop of which guaranteed immortality. Lord Vishnu, the God of Preservation, transformed himself into a woman to distract the demons, who wanted the nectar for themselves. The holy liquid was offered to the gods. But the demons chased the gods, who spilled drops of the nectar at four cities - Allahabad, Nasik, Haridwar and Ujjain. Since then, bathing at these four places in north and western India has been considered a sacred rite.
-ANI |
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