Ganga Sagar Mela + Joydev (Baul) Mela

glossolalia mcgee

as i continue my quest to nail down the EXACT dates and logistics of getting to both these melas....


1. can anyone confirm the dates of Ganga Sagar Mela and/or Joydev Mela? i have heard many different things. do the festivals overlap? are they on the same three days? do they last three days, 6 days, three weeks? (i have heard all these)

2. does anyone know about logistics of traveling between Sagar Island and Kenduli, especially when it is crazy with pilgrims?

3. does anyone know about accomodations at Sagar or Kenduli?

4. has anyone been or is anyone planning on going who would like to discuss or possibly meet up?

huzzah very exciting sounding journeys

thanks for any help or information

tintin8801

ganga sagar mela and joydeb mela are diferent and occur in diff places,
gangasagar mela will ocur around 14/15th jan and joydeb mela after 1 month.

i have been to those melas, fr further details u can pm me.

glossolalia mcgee

hi tintin,

officials of birbhum district have told me that joydev mela lasts from the 13-21 of january. i have heard that the last day of poush (jan 14th) and the first two days of magh (15-16) are best

what about accomodation? i wont have my own tent, are there communal tents or guesthouses at either place? also food, should i bring all my own food?

most importantly, as you have been to both melas, how long do you think it will take to travel from sagar island to kenduli? i have heard it takes all day to get from sagar to calcutta, and then 4-6 hours to get to kenduli...

thnks for your help!!

tintin8801

i did pm u check and let me know

atala

I have been to Joydeb mela. It is always around Makara Sankranti, January 15, for about a week. Famous Lila-kirtaniyas (literally: singers of songs of divine plays) of West Bengal come and give their performance, and Bauls with their Ekataras ("guitar" with one string) also show up; they are in fact the most attractive singers for Western standards. People attending kirtanyas' performance start to cry because what they sing is so moving. One cult group that danses themselves into ecstasy with a dark sounding drum-beat also performs.

There is not much lodging opportunity at Joydeb. I stayed in a private house that a friend arranged, so I could not help with this one. Also since I went by car I cannot detail the travel requirements. If I remember correctly the next larger place is Bolpur. It would most likely take half a day from Kolkata to get to Joydeb.

jyotirmoy

I had written about the Bauls please dig

atala

I know you did, and I contributed there too, but I thought better not to leave false information uncorrected, in case someone does dig later, and reads only this thread.

DrDatura

I've read in a couple of place that the pilgrimage for Ganga Sagar Mela will peak on January 13th. The mass immersion in the river/bay will be in the early morning of the 14th (if I'm reading things correctly). Sources:

http://www.bangalinet.com/makarsankranti.htm
"Makar Sankranti falls on the day of the year when the sun-considered the king of all grahas (planets)-is in the rashi (zodiac sign) known as Makar (Capricorn). This is considered the most beneficial and auspicious zodiac of the sun. The calculations for determining Makar Sankranti are done according to the solar calendar. Therefore, Makar Sankranti always falls on the 14th January according to the English calendar."

http://www.lohrifestival.org/when-lohri.html
"The 13th day of January or the date of Lohri is considered extremely auspicious by Hindus as it marks the sun’s entry in to the 'Makar Rashi' (the Capricorn) from the Tropic of Cancer. In other words, sun starts moving towards Uttarayan (North) from Dakshinayana (south). The earth is farthest from the sun at this time and begins its journey towards the sun. Thus, marking the end of the coldest month of the year (Paush) and the beginning of the month of Magh (January- February)."

terryg2u

The two festivals occur at the same time as they celebrate the same thing...14th january

Gangasagar Mela :Vasanta Utsav, Fairs & Festivals of West Bengal The largest fair of the State, Gangasagar Mela is a three-day event held in mid-January, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, at Sagar Dwip. Lakhs of pilgrims come for a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal.

Kenduli Mela : on the occasion of Makar Sankranti (mid-January) another fair is held at Kenduli in the district of Birbhum. The Mela draws the largest number of Bauls, the wandering minstrels of Bengal.

You go with the pilgrims...can catch local transport...no problem.
You can just move into a hut, straw on the sand and sleep with the pilgrims. i have done it twice.

You cannot be at two places at once...both places involve a degree of roughing it...but it is a choice...

Terry.

machadinha

For further searches, kindly note there are a bunch of alternate spellings: Joyadev Mela, Joydeb, Joyadeb, Jayadeva, and then some... A search on this site and elsewhere for "Baul[s]" will also yield some pointers.

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