Thousands take dip in Yamuna on occasion of Ganga Dussehra despite alarming pollution levels

Mathura/Agra: Thousands of devotees took a holy dip in the Yamuna river in Mathura, Vrindavan, and Bateshwar in Agra on Sunday to celebrate Ganga Dussehra. [caption id=“attachment_3517377” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Devotees taking holy dip in river Ganges on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra festival at Sangam, Allahabad on Sunday. PTI[/caption] The day commemorates the advent of the Ganges, the holiest of rivers for the millions of Hindus, to earth from the heavens above. The day is celebrated with a ritual bath in the river, and offerings of water melons and ‘kakdi’. In Mathura and Vrindavan, temples held special ‘darshans’ of the presiding deity amid a riot of white flowers and fragrance. “However, many pilgrims visiting the Yamuna are put off by the stinking water, but those who do take a dip return with sense of both fear and guilt,” said Jagan Nath Poddar of Vrindavan. The irrigation department ensures a release of 1,000 cusecs of extra water for Ganga Dussehra, but it was not done this year, leading to resentment among saints of Braj area, he added.