Ganga Sagar or Sagar Dwip Visit
Ganga Sagar or Sagar Dwip visit is really a fantastic experience. For Hindus, the Ganges is a sacred pilgrimage, so many people say that they must visit the Ganges at least once in their lifetime. There was a time when this pilgrimage site was very inaccessible, meaning that most of the pilgrims who visited it did not return. This is because of the natural calamities, although the situation has changed a lot now and it is quite easy to travel here. It is said that coming here on Makar Sankranti day and bathing in Ganga water can achieve a special perfection though I don’t know if there is any scientific explanation for this but most of the people especially saintly monks throng this place on this day. At present Makar Sankranti has such a large crowd that special initiatives are taken by the West Bengal government to handle it and direct launches from Howrah or Kolkata are arranged and even helicopters are available.
But let me tell you one thing for those who come from outside West Bengal and don’t know much about this place that when you come and come on Bakr Sankranti day you will come with the assumption that you will not get a hotel i.e. you will have to spend the night under the empty sky and this area Very cold meaning no small children should be brought here. The place is very small but there are so many people gathering here that the situation of the West Bengal government becomes violent to handle it so there is an unimaginable amount of police force here at that time. Not only the police but also many volunteers are brought here to handle the crowd. But I have never been here on Makar Sankranti day so I can’t say much about what happens on that day I went on a normal day and am sharing that experience with you.
From Sealdah you can easily reach Namkhana or Kakdwip by taking a train to Gangasagar which is where the Ganga meets the sea. But I am wrong to say that you can’t reach here very easily because there is frequent launch facility on Makar Sankranti day but not on other days i.e. you may not come back on the day you reach there. I think the biggest problem to reach here is the irregular movement of launches ie there are very few launches to reach the place so if you think I will return on the day I go then I think it is practically impossible.
When I reached there it was almost evening so I had to spend a night there but the problem was that I didn’t have any identity card like voter card or aadhaar card which are mandatory for hotel booking so I couldn’t get a hotel and I was forced to stay there. There are temporary centers where i spent that night. The strangest thing is that even though this place is a religious danger, I saw that fish and meat were available in the hotels here, so I felt a bit khatka, but I was a Bengali, i.e. not a vegetarian, so that night was going to be good for me.
After eating I went to Kapil Muni’s Ashram and there is a Kapil Muni’s Ashram which also has a religious story which I am discussing with you. Kapil Muni is said to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu’s son. He used to live in this ashram and was busy with his own activities but at some point a king became confused that his horse for the for Ashwamedha Yogya hidden in this Kapil Muni ashram and Kapil Muni, despite knowing everything, hid his horse. So he sent his sons to rescue this horse but in reality there was no horse hidden in Kapilmuni’s hermitage so in anger Kapilmuni destroyed all his sons later though their souls ascended to heaven with Kapilmuni’s blessings.
I can still remember when I went it was rainy season but even then, I had to spend the night in a raincoat because it was very cold there and at the same time there was a terrible roar coming from the sea which was destroying my ears. To be honest I didn’t go there and enjoy it that much because I went on another day Makar Sankranti day, but the place is very small but completely empty. I also want to warn you that if you go on a day other than Makar Sankranti, you may feel a bit insecure as there are very few people in the area which is a bit uncomfortable. When I got up in the morning, I was very cold and to be honest I had no idea that the water of the Ganges could be so cold and the roaring of the sea along with it was making my day. Let me add some additional information that if you come on Makar Sankranti day it’s different but if you come on any other normal day you may have to face traffic problem as there are not so many vehicles starting from launch i.e. very slow transport. The medium is here but if you come with a pious mind then you will understand the importance of this place and I can tell you for sure that the place is quite beautiful in terms of natural beauty.
