Lakhs of pilgrims are flocking to Sagar Island in West Bengal’s southernmost tip for the annual Gangasagar Mela, which takes place between January 12 and 14, to commemorate Makar Sankranti.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Kapil_Muni_Temple.jpg/1200px-Kapil_Muni_Temple.jpg)
What is Gangasagar Mela?
- Devotees from all over the country gather at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal every year during Gangasagar mela to take a sacred dip during Makar Sankranti (mid-January).
- After the Kumbh Mela, the mela is said to be India’s second largest pilgrimage gathering.
- Gangasagar, Bengal’s largest and oldest living tradition, has been mentioned in Indian epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, dating back to 400 BCE.
- According to legend, Queen Satyabhama built the first Kapil Muni’s temple in 430 AD, and Swami Ramanand established the current idol in 1437, ushering in a pilgrimage that continues to this day.
About Sagar Island
- Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata.
- This island is part of the Sagar CD Block in the Kakdwip subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India.
- Although Sagar Island is part of the Sundarbans, it lacks the tiger habitat, mangrove forests, and small river tributaries that characterise the Sundarban delta as a whole.
- This island is a Hindu pilgrimage site.
- Every year on the 14th of January, hundreds of thousands of Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal and to offer prayers (puja) at the Kapil Muni Temple.
Source: https://www.gangasagar.in/