SPICE APRIL 2017 IPAD LR

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An old lady makes her way towards Gangasagar
WHEN ALL ROADS LEAD
TO GANGASAGAR
THE SECOND-LARGEST MELA IN THE WORLD, THE GANGASAGAR MELA IS A
LIFE-ALTERING EXPERIENCE, WHETHER YOU’RE A DEVOTEE OR NOT
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY LOPAMUDRA TALUKDAR
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There is a popular saying
in Bengali – “Sob tirtho
bar bar, Gangasagar ek
bar.” This roughly
translates to – one can go
to any other pilgrimage many times, but
one can go to Gangasagar only once in
their lifetime. This saying mainly
originated in the ancient times because
of the difficulties faced by pilgrims in
reaching Sagar Island, which plays host
to the Gangasagar pilgrimage on the day
of Makar Sankranti. The Ganga is
worshipped as a goddess from its origin
at Gomukh in the Himalayas. But it is at
Sagar Island, situated at the tip of the
Sundarban delta, home to the famous
Royal Bengal tiger, that the Ganga finally
meets the sea, after travelling almost
2,500 km. Pilgrims in ancient times had
to cross turbulent tides in country boats
to reach the island. But times have
changed, and reaching Gangasagar is no
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