Hindu pilgrims starts arriving Langalband for Astami Snan on Friday

Narayanganj, April (BDNEWS) – As the 8th day of lunar fortnight in the Bengali month of Chaitra approaches, Hindu devotees from home and abroad started assembling at Langalbandh for Astami snan, a holy bath in the river.

Langalband, a Hindu holy place situated on the bank of old Brahmaputra close to Dhaka-Chittagong highway and 20 kilometres to the southeast of Dhaka city, wore a festive look where thousands of Hindu devotees from Bangladesh, India and Nepal will take part.

Local police started a special drive to free the parts of the Brahmaputra that has illegally been grabbed. Ahead of the bath festival, the ghats (jetties) of the Brahmaputra have been renovated.

The silt of the river, however, has not been dredged. The organisers apprehend the devotees may face problems because of the silt.

The pilgrims believe that the bath in the river will please Brahma and they will be relieved of their sins and distresses.

To facilitate bathing for the devotees, benevolent persons built a number of bathing ghats. There are now 13 such ghats and these are Premtala ghat, Annapurna ghat, Raj ghat, Baradeswari ghat, Gandhi ghat, Joykali ghat, Pathankali ghat, Srirampur ghat, Kalibari ghat, Kalidah ghat, Shankar ghat, Shikhri ghat and Rakshyakali ghat. At Langalbanda there are 10 temples and several asrams (hermitages).

As the holy river washes the place unceasingly, unending streams of people visit the place round the year to seek blessings of Brahma. The two-kilometre long holy site of Langalband witnesses devotees of all ages. A huge traditional fair is also arranged on the occasion of the holy festival for 3-4 days. People come to the fair to buy articles of arts and crafts.

Most local people believe that the blessings of all the holy places of the world are pooled in the waters of the Brahmaputra on the auspicious day of Chaitra and by touching the water a believer becomes free of all sins and attains eternal salvation.

BDNEWS/1825 hrs