Gods and goddesses take holy dip in Ganga

More than a hundred local gods and goddesses from Uttarakhand's Kumaon and Garhwal regions carried in colourful palanquins had a bath in the holy waters of the Ganga at Hari Ki Pairi in Haridwar on the occasion of Chaitra Poornima today.
The occasion marked the last Shahi Snan of the ongoing Ardhakumbh mela which concludes on April 30.
The palanquins, called Devdolis and carried in a procession, converged at Har Ki Pairi for the bath to the accompaniment of instrumental music.
People from different places gathered in the town to witness the colourful yatra and Shahi Snan of the Himalayan deities in the Ganga.

It was under the aegis of the Devbhoomi Lok Sanskriti Virasatiya Shobhayatra Samiti that the Shahi Snan of local deities took place for the first time in the state during the ongoing Ardhkumbh fair.
Erstwhile Tehri royals, including Tehri MP Mala Rajyalakshmi Shah and her husband Manujendra Shah, also attended the event and saw the palanquins carrying the deities off as they left for their respective destinations.