Ganga Sagar Mela 2009

Baba

So we went and we survived.

The original plan was to go there on the 12th and come back on the 16th, but due to other reasons we had to change this and travel on the 13th, coming back on the 15th.

We had a car to take us to the ferry and our driver decided to take us to Namkhana as the Lot 8 and Kakdwip ferries would only start later in the day as the tide was still too low about noon. When the traffic congestion became too bad we proceeded on foot.

Soon there were signs of a line forming and a friendly man advised us to join this line, making room for us. There were still people passing this line, but then some of them got turned back. We inched forward and it took us about 90 Minutes or so. Then our friendly Indian shouted "Come, come!" Soon we found ourselves on the ferry, but this boat took far longer than it should. We were going for about an hour and after that we had to wait for a space on the jetty for another 2 hours or so. There were more than a dozen ferries waiting to dock. It was dark when we got off the boat.

We asked for jeeps, but there were only buses. They were ok and the trip was not too long as we must have reached a ferry port much nearer to the south of the island. But we were completely lost on arrival. It was dark and we just followed the biggest crowd. Then I saw a sign for ISKCON and we went there to ask for accomodation. They were full.

We finally found "dormitory" space at the Ramakrishna Mission and this was excellent as they even had toilets. The dormitories consisted of rooms with a fairly thin layer of straw on the concrete floor. And they also give out free meals.

We decided not to get up at three in the morning like everyone else, but to go to the actual Mela ground after sunrise. It was just one kilometer easy walking with all the pilgrims. The atmosphere was great, people bathing everywhere, colourful, festive. Then we visited the Naga Babas near the temple, who sit in neat little cubicles and dispense blessings by the thousands. A photograph cost a few rupees and some of them are so thronged with pilgrims that there was no way to get a clear shot.

So this was a great day. Also my body had adjusted to the hard floor and I slept very well the next night. And were happy that we had decided to travel back on the 15th as we had seen many people start back directly after their snan on the 14th.

Nevertheless we started off early. There was a group of 6 women who asked if we would like to share their Jeep with them and we happily agreed. Even an accident along the way to the ferry was not a major problem. This time we were at the jetty headed for Lot 8.

But the problems started after that. First a long wait alongside the public toilet area because the tide was too low. Then three to four hours of very hard pushing and shoving until we got on the ferry. This was the hardest jostling of my life and I have bruises to tell the tale. One woman fainted. When we got off the launch on the other side we felt like we had just finished a marathon. Then we walked towards Calcutta until we met our driver. With a meal in Diamond Harbour (we had not eaten until 3.30 PM) we got back to Calcutta after dark.

So, if you ever want to go:
Start early. You want to be on one of the first ferries. It is better to get on a ferry to the northern jetty.
Travel light, but take a light sleeping bag and possibly some kind of mat. Also a cup for tea and maybe a plate.
There was bottled drinking water, but it was sold out often. I carried a Steripen and this was the first time I really needed the thing. The Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram seem to be good addresses for accomodation. But there are also many tents, even small DIY ones.

I would in the future go down at least two days before the main bathing day and travel back either before or at least two days after this date which was Jan 14 in 2009. But I think one Ganga Sagar Mela is enough for a lifetime.

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Baba

palerider

Wow, great story and observations. How many people do you reckon were there?

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I always wanted to be someone when I grew up, I realise now that I should have been more specific.

Baba

Palerider, I checked later on the net and the one number I found was 350,000. This seems about right as I have an average figure of 5 lakh in my head and we heard that numbers were down due to the Mumbai bombings.