Devotees from Bihar, UP and Nepal take holy dip at Valmikinagar Triveni Sangam on Mauni Amavasya

Bettiah: Thousands of devotees from across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal thronged the Triveni Sangam on the Gandak Narayani river in Valmikinagar, West Champaran district, to take a holy dip on the occasion of Magh Mauni Amavasya, beginning at the crack of dawn on Sunday.

Despite the biting cold, a large number of pilgrims had started arriving at the site nearly two days in advance.The sacred confluence, located on the India-Nepal border where the Gandak, Tamsa and Sonaha rivers meet, is regarded as a major pilgrimage destination during the Hindi month of Magh. A three-day fair is organised on the occasion with stalls selling oranges, cardamom and bay leaves in abundance.Narendra Kaushik, a resident of Padrauna under Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh, who left for Valmikinagar late on Saturday night and arrived at around 2.30am with his wife Sudha and their children, said, “We reached early to complete the rituals in peace before the crowd swelled.

We bathed at the Triveni Sangam and offered prayers. On the day of Magh Mauni Amavasya, after bathing, we followed the tradition of donating rice, sesame seeds and cows.

Afterward, we visited the Jatashankar Temple and Nar Devi Mata Temple, located in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, to offer prayers.”Krishna Thapa, from Bhumahi village under Gandaki Pradesh district in Nepal, stood waist-deep in the river and prayed for his family’s health and prosperity.

“They say bathing at the Triveni Sangam where the Gandak, Tamsa and Sonaha rivers meet washes away all sins and fulfils the deepest wishes,” he said, clutching a small brass pot filled with rice, sesame and vegetables.Nandkishore Tiwari, a priest from Raxaul in East Champaran district, who visits the Triveni Sangam in Valmikinagar every year for a holy dip, explained the religious significance of the day. He said during the month of Magh, when the Sun transits along with the Moon in Capricorn, the period is known as Mauni Amavasya.

“On this day, there is a tradition of donating sesame seeds, rice, cows and money after bathing in the holy river.

There is also a tradition of worshipping Lord Vishnu and Shiva. Bathing and donating are done while observing silence and behaving like sages,” he said.After Prayagraj, the Triveni Sangam of the Gandak Narayani river is considered the second-largest confluence point, where a massive crowd gathers on Mauni Amavasya, he added.Hare Krishna Mishra, a priest facilitating cow donations on the riverbank, said bathing in silence on Mauni Amavasya yields excellent results. “Not speaking ill of anyone on this day is also considered equivalent to silence. After bathing, there is a tradition of donating umbrellas, beds and bedding, especially cows and gold. It is said that bathing on Mauni Amavasya today gives the same merit as penance in the Satya Yuga, devotion in the Dwapar Yuga and knowledge in the Treta Yuga.

Those who perform tarpan for their ancestors bless them eternally and attain salvation,” he said.Bagaha SP Ramanand Kaushal said elaborate security arrangements were in place with joint teams of police and the Sashastra Seema Bal managing the crowds at the Triveni Sangam. He said the district administration deployed over 200 police personnel and imposed a ban on vehicular movement on the road leading to the ghats.