The Birth Of Gangotri To Wash Away The Sins!

The Birth Of Gangotri To Wash Away The Sins!

Our devotion towards Goddess Ganga takes us to the state of Uttarakhand on to the Greater Himalayan Range at the height of 3,100m. This is the residing place of the divine Gangotri. Gangotri acquired the status of a pilgrimage for the Hindus, for being the spot of origin of the River Ganges. There’s a legend describing the birth of River Ganga.

The story reveals the life of King Sagar, who after killing the demons, decided to conduct the Ashwamedha Yagam. In this Yagam, the King’s horse is taken on an uninterrupted journey around the world as mark of his supremacy. This was being supervised by King Sagar’s 60,000 sons born from queen Sumati and another son Asamanja, born from another queen, Kesani. When the King of the Lords, Indra found out about this Ashwamedha Yagam, he stopped the horse and tied it at Rishi Kapil’s aashram, who was then in deep meditation. When the sons of King Sagar, came there in search of their horse and found it there, they attempted to take it back, which disturbed Rishi Kapil’s meditation. Angered by this, Rishi Kapil cursed all the princes putting an end to their lives.

To get rid of the curse placed on their family, Bhagiratha, the grandson of King Sagar, meditated on Goddess Ganga, to free them of their sins and grant them salvation. Since then, River mands a lot of attention. It is believed that, Lord Shiva sat Ganga also came to be known as Bhagirathi. The submerged Shivalingam also deat this spot to take Goddess Ganga into his matted locks. Visiting Gangotri will take you a step closer to the Lord.

-Kruti Beesam