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Devotees take holy dip during solar eclipse

     Allahabad/ Amritsar: Scores of people gathered at the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati in Allahabad on Wednesday to take a dip during the longest solar eclipse of the century. Bathing at the confluence of the three rivers during solar eclipse holds special significance for the Hindus. They believe it absolves them off their sins and helps them to gain salvation. "When the solar eclipse takes place, residents of Prayag, people from other parts of the country and foreign countries bathe in the confluence of the river Ganga and Yamuna and get salvation," said Pandit Girija Shankar Shastri, a priest. Families came to the banks of the river Ganga and Yamuna and performed rituals to receive blessings of the sun god. Another popular myth and reason for taking a bath during an eclipse is that the sun god takes bathing as a gesture of kindness because he faces a difficult time during an eclipse. In return, he protects the bathing devotees during their bad times. In Amritsar, people took a bath in a pond in the famous Durgiani Temple complex and offered prayers to the sun god. "We all pray for world peace and for the welfare of our familes," said Rajinder Kumar Sharma, a devotee. Devotees also offered special prayers to the Goddess Durgiani.
-July 22, 2009