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| September 12, 2010 | Ahead of Shraadh, dried up Phalgu river disappoints residents in Gaya | |
Gaya: A dried up Phalgu River has turned a major worry and disappointment among local residents and religious minded here, ahead of the upcoming occasion of ‘Pind Daan’ or
‘Shraadh’.
A large number of people from across the country converge here, especially on
the occasion of Shraadh, the 15-day occasion related to death ritual. They seek
salvation for of their loved ones’ departed souls. As per popular belief, performing
‘Shraadh’ or ‘Pin Daan’, the salvation ritual, on the banks of Phalgu river ensures
salvation to the dead. People come here to perform this ritual for their ancestors
or departed souls of their families to relieve them of all sins and help their
souls attain peace. However, due to absence of water in the River Phalgu, these
devotees are facing lot of problems in performing these traditional rituals. "We
face a lot of problem as there is no water in the river. No water to take bath.
Lot of people from Orissa comes here. To perform any ritual we use pipe water,"
said Dilip Kumar, a devotee from Orissa. Residents here say that as the river
is totally dried up, it will be difficult to provide water for so many visiting
people by digging the riverbed. "On this traditional occasion of religious rites,
in which lakhs of people come from far off places, arranging water for them by
digging the river bed would be a difficult task. If this continues then it will
affect the ensuing rush of 'Pind Daan' ritual," said Suresh Narayan, a social
worker. The water of this river holds great significance in Pind Daan ritual,
without which it is considered incomplete. "Water of River Phalgu is used for
'Pind Daan'; then only this ritual is considered complete. This year there is
no water in Phalgu," said Swami Raghwacharya, a priest. The religious ritual of
Pind Daan will commence on September 22. People take a holy dip in the River
Phalgu
as part of this death ritual for their ancestors or departed souls of the family.
Hindus believe in reincarnation or in the cycle of birth. They believe that body
changes with every birth but the soul remains the same. The Hindu philosophy says
that this cycle can be broken and soul can be put to rest forever by performing
'Pind Daan' or ‘Shraadh’.
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