By OUR STAFF REPORTER
HARIDWAR, 12 Jun: Devotees performed ritual dips in the Ganga River here, today, on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra. It is believed that this is the day on which the Ganga descended upon the Earth. A massive crowd turned up for the bath. A large number of them chose Har-ki-Pauri for the bath, as the most auspicious site. It was on this day, according to scriptural belief that Raja Bhagirath succeeded in his austerities and achieved salvation for his ancestors by bringing down the waters of the Ganga. People had begun to arrive here before midnight. According to a pandit, special astrological configurations had occurred after a period of sixty years to make the occasion particularly auspicious. The devotees offered seasonal fruits for the prayers performed during the ritual bath. The administration had made elaborate arrangements in anticipation of the large crowds. A large number of security personnel were deployed everywhere under the command of SP City Kamlesh Upadhyay. The entire mela area was divided into 6 super zones, 15 zones and 43 sectors. Each zone was commanded by a DSP level officer, and every sector by an Inspector level officer. The Char Dham Yatra traffic was diverted outside the city to avoid jams. Despite this, there was still much traffic congestion and the pilgrims had to face a lot of difficulties.
