This year Ganga Mahotsava will be held from January 21 to 23, 2019

Ganga has always been an important part of India and is considered as the sacred river. People came to wash away their sins by taking bath in the holy water as it is believed that the river Ganga is an ever- changing and ever- flowing sacred river from ages. Ganga is considered as the Goddess which washes away the sin of the people from the era according to the Hindu mythology.

Ganga Mahotsav, is an annual celebration on the banks of the holy river Ganga in Varanasi, at Uttarpradesh. The celebration is a five day mahotsav organized by the tourism department of Uttarpradesh. The place was originally known as Kaashi (in Sanskrit kas means light), the sacred city of Varanasi, the name has derived from the two tributaries of Ganga namely ‘Varuna’ and ‘Assi’.

The celebrations occur at Sant Ravidas ghat in Varanasi, which commences on the ‘Prabodhini Ekadashi’ and ends on ‘Kartik Poornima’ or the full the moon day. Ganga mahotsav is a festival or a commemoration gives a platform where India’s finest crafts and culture are brought together under one roof. Also there will be a wide range of arts, crafts, culture and cuisine which will be exhibited in a grand way. sports events like boating, kite flying, ganga marathon and wrestling will be also explored during the carnival.

There will be a huge amount of both national and international tourists. The last day of the fete will be on the full moon day. On the day the river Ganga are lit with thousands of earthen lamps or calls the diyas which gives Ganga a mystic look. The Ganga mahotsav is to realize and revive the earliest glory and sanctity of the river Ganga.

The Ganga mahotsav takes place in the Holy city of India, Varanasi to keep the importance of the locale as a cultural, religious and traditional capital of India. Many of the renowned personalities came and performed in the festival such as Ustad Bismillah Khan, Bal Muli Krishnan, Birju Maharaj, Zakir Hussein etc.