West Bengal · East
Gangasagar (Sagar Island)Gaṅgāsāgara
Where the Ganga meets the sea; Kapil Muni Temple and the Makar Sankranti mela
- Principal temple
- Kapil Muni TempleThe sage Kapila (Kapil Muni), regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu
- Nearest airport
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
- Nearest railway station
- Kakdwip railway station (Sealdah suburban line), near Harwood Point; ferry across the Muri Ganga to Kachuberia, then ~32 km by road
- Tradition
- Vaiṣṇava
Overview
Gangasagar lies at the southern tip of Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, where the Ganges enters the Bay of Bengal. Tradition holds that the sage Kapila's ashram stood here and that Ganga descended to free the 60,000 sons of King Sagara, which is commemorated on Makar Sankranti. Every year in mid-January pilgrims gather for a holy dip at the confluence and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni Temple, in what is described as the second-largest Hindu fair after the Kumbh Mela.
See sources [1–6]- The sage Kapila (Kapil Muni), regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu
