FairIndian · Hindu
Chandrabhaga Mela
Magha Saptami Mela
Next date
Saturday, 13 February 2027
In short
A sunrise bathe near Konark on Ratha Saptami, at a river that is no longer there.
The story
Samba, Krishna's son, was cursed with leprosy and by the Puranic account was cured by worshipping the sun at the mouth of the Chandrabhaga, which is why the Konark sun temple stands where it does. The river has since silted up and what is left is a pond, but the bathe is still taken there before sunrise on Magh sud satam, and the crowd then walks up to face the sun as it comes out of the sea.
Why it matters
A pilgrimage to a river that has dried, kept exactly as it was. It is one of the clearest cases in India of a rite outliving its geography.
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