Mahalaya: Hindus pay tribute to their ancestors at the Hooghly river

Sep 30, 2019, at 06:31 pm

Gearing up for the Durga Puja celebration, the Bengali community, like many others, on Saturday observed the final day of Pitru-paksha through Mahalaya, the auspicious occasion when one pays tribute to ancestors through prayers, rituals and a dip in the river Ganga. The day marks the commencement of Devipaksha (Fortnight of the Goddess). In West Bengal, day breaks at 4 am on Mahalaya by listening to the famous radio broadcast Mahishasur-Mardini, a recital conceptualised by the late Birendrakrishna Bhadra. Throngs of people were on the banks of Hooghly river as they took a dip and offered prayer (tarpan) for their forefathers. Images by Soumo Das/IBNS