People take dip in Ganga on Ganga Dusshehra

Lakhs of devotees on Wednesday took a holy dip in the Ganga at Har ki Pauri and other ghats of the river on the occasion of Ganga Dusshehra.

Dwarkapeeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati took the ritual bath on Brahma Ghat here and prayed for the country's happiness and prosperity by making an offering of milk and flowers.

Swami Swaroopanand was joined by a host of seers including Swami Amritananda Saraswati Brahmachari, Subuddhananda ji Maharaj Brahmachari and Sahajananda ji Maharaj Brahmachari as he took the holy dip in the river to mark the occasion.

Special prayers were held in the temples and maths dotting the city to celebrate the festival.

An idol of Goddess Ganga kept in a flowery palanquin (Utsav Doli) was also bathed in the river at Gangotri in Uttarkashi district on the occasion which also saw thousands of devotees from all over the country and abroad to take a holy dip in the Bhagirathi.