Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], June 6 (ANI): A large number of devotees gathered at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar on Friday to take a holy dip in the Ganga River on the occasion of Nirjala Ekadashi, considered one of the most sacred days in the Hindu calendar.

Pilgrims from across the country reached the banks of the Ganga to take part in the royal bath and offer prayers to Ganga Mata. The event came a day after the celebration of Ganga Dussehra, leading to heavy footfall on both days as devotees offered prayers, performed bathing rituals, and chanted religious hymns.

A devotee, Vipul Sharma, said, 'It is the eleventh of Ekadashi, and its bath is a royal bath. You can see how many faiths people are associated with this thing, such as our religion, Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma, and I say that Sanatan Dharma is not such a big religion for everyone.'

Another devotee, Bhaisaheb Roshan Lal, called it a special day for the Hindu community. Lal said, 'Today is the bath of Ekadashi. This is a special bath. Shiva's grace is such a pleasure. There is a good system of administration, and everything is good. All is good. There is safety somewhere, so there is so much excitement to go.'

Pilgrims travelled from various parts of India to participate in the spiritual event.

Hetal, a devotee from Rajkot, said, 'This is our Hinduism, so it is our faith. I feel so good. I came. I saw this for the first time today. I saw it in the video, but I liked it very much. We went to the bath in that other valley. Just happiness, peace and good health.'

Jinal, another devotee from Ahmedabad, shared her experience and said, 'The atmosphere is very spiritual. It is very religious., The energy is coming from the crowd. It is just happiness and peace.'

Local authorities had deployed security personnel and implemented crowd control measures to ensure that the rituals were carried out smoothly and safely.

Nirjala Ekadashi falls on the eleventh lunar day of the waxing phase in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. The name 'Nirjala' means 'without water,' referring to the strict fast observed on this day. Among the 24 Ekadashis observed in a year, Nirjala Ekadashi is considered the most austere and spiritually significant. (ANI)