KUMBHA MELA 2010 - HARIDWAR
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Kumbha mela 2010 - Haridwar
Saturday, January 9, 2010
It will be better for anyone intending to visit the Haridwar Poorn
Kumbh Mela - 2010 to reserve his/her stay there (in some Ashram or
Dharmashala or Hotel, etc., either at Haridwar or its twin town of
Rishikesh that is 24 kms from Haridwar) well in advance. For more
information, the intending pilgrim may visit the Official Website of
Uttarakhand Government for accommodation and other details at:
http://www.kumbh2010haridwar.gov.in/
Please see the pdf linked below for details about the Haridwar Kumbh
Bathing dates and significance of the hoary tradition.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24983696/kumbhamela2010
End of forwarded message from S. Kalyanaraman
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
harmony
soul. It also helps in controlling one's desires in a materialistic world,"
he said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34857432/ns/world_news-world_faith/
<use...@mantra.com and/or www.mantra.com/jai (Dr. Jai Maharaj)> wrote in
message news:20100109Oj68aO9059ml0jmoyQJKoyI@LU3ZX...
P. Rajah
> "................ bathing in the Ganges river on the occasion purifies one's
> soul. It also helps in controlling one's desires in a materialistic world,"
> he said.
>
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34857432/ns/world_news-world_faith/
The Central Pollution Control Board has declared the Ganga water unfit
for drinking along its entire stretch on the Indian plains downstream
from Haridwar. At many places, the water has been declared unfit for
bathing as well, though bathing in Ganga is considered a holy act by Hindus.
http://www.gits4u.com/water/ganga.htm
Things have come to such a pass that the Ganga water is at present not
fit just for drinking and bathing but has become unusable even for
agricultural purposes.
Nearly 89 million litres of sewage is daily disposed into Ganga from the
12 municipal towns that fall along its route till Haridwar. The amount
of sewage disposed into the river increases during the Char Dham Yatra
season when nearly 15 lakh pilgrims visit the state between May and
October each year.
According to the Ganga pollution control unit of Uttarakhand Peyjal
Nigam, Haridwar alone accounts for 37.36 million litres of the sewage
that goes directly to the Ganga without getting treated in any plant.
Apart from sewage disposal of half-burnt human bodies at Haridwar and
hazardous medical waste from the base hospital at Srinagar due to
absence of an incinerator are also adding to pollution levels in the Ganga.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/india/Ganga-pollution-reaches-alarming-levels/Article1-227845.aspx
Filthy Ganges is the biggest sin, say Hindu worshippers
�The water in [the] river is so dirty that no one can take a dip. It is
dark red, whereas the Ganges used to be bluish green,� Shankaracharya
Vasudevanand Saraswati, head of the main Hindu monastery in Allahabad, said.
�The pilgrims come here to wash away their sins but after a dip here,
they may carry skin diseases with them,� Hari Chaitanya Brahmachari, who
runs the monastery in Varanasi, said. The Hindu leader has filed a case
against the state of Uttar Pradesh for not keeping the Ganges clean.
Many devotees drink the water, which environmentalists say contains up
to 3,000 times the accepted level of fecal coliform bacteria.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article1290811.ece
A Prayer for the Ganges
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/ganges-200711.html
The 13-mile stretch of Yamuna that runs through the capital is the
dirtiest of any river in India, unable to sustain aquatic life and unfit
even for animals to bathe in.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/16/AR2009121603782.html
On the other hand, in the face of the evidence:
Haridwar has an area of around 12000 square kilometers and is situated
at the height of 1000 feet above the sea level. The water of River Ganga
remains very clean and hygienic here in spite of addition of many
impurities. This is a big miracle and even, scientists have not been
able to point out the exact reason for the same.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/353168/haridwar_india_one_of_the_holiest_cities.html
Little wonder that there is no real interest in cleaning up the river.
Hunter
> "................ bathing in the Ganges river on the occasion purifies one's
> soul. It also helps in controlling one's desires in a materialistic world,"
It'll also probably kill you due to all the dead bodies, piss and shit
floating down the river.
http://www.nowpublic.com/festival_boycott_levels_rising_over_sacred_ganges_pollution