Ganesh mantra
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Meaning: Om, gam: salutation to Ganapati, lord of the ganas.
When and how: At the start of the puja, 11 times.
Indha page innum Tanglish-la ezhudhala, adhanaala English-la irukku.
Shukla paksha · Jyeshtha · amanta reckoning
When is Ganga Dussehra 2027?
Sun, 13 Jun
Ganga Dussehra 2027 is on Sunday, 13 June. It is Dashami of Shukla paksha in Jyeshtha.
2028: Friday, 2 June 2028
Ask Swarn
Is this muhurat good for my chart? Ask Swarn free
Sunday, 13 June 2027
Ganga Dussehra is not a Gregorian date. It is Shukla paksha tithi 10 of Jyeshtha in the amanta reckoning, and the Gregorian day it lands on moves by up to a month between years because twelve lunations fall about eleven days short of a solar year.
- Tithi
- Dashami, Shukla paksha
- Lunar month
- Jyeshtha (amanta)
- Tithi begins
- 13 Jun, 2:45 AM
- Tithi ends
- 14 Jun, 2:12 AM
- Decided at
- Sunrise
- Sunrise in New Delhi
- 13 Jun, 5:22 AM
Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 5:22 AM on that day, and that is the instant the tithi has to be running at for the day to carry the observance. It is computed for this city rather than assumed, because it is what decides the date.
The two instants above are the astronomy and are not in dispute. The day is an interpretation of them: this observance is decided at sunrise, so it belongs to the day whose sunrise the tithi carries — not simply to the day the tithi begins.
Ganga Dussehra, the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Jyeshtha, celebrates the day the Ganga came down from heaven to earth, brought by King Bhagiratha's penance. Its name means the remover of ten (sins), and it is kept with a dawn bath in the Ganga or any holy river, worship in tens and generous summer charity. In New Delhi it falls on Sunday, 13 June 2027; the bath is best taken in Brahma Muhurta (4:02 AM to 4:42 AM), and Dashami runs 2:44 AM to 2:12 AM (14 Jun).
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Brahma Muhurta: the Ganga snan | 4:02 AM to 4:42 AMThe 14th of the night's fifteen muhurtas, ending one muhurta before sunrise. | The hour before dawn, the most valued time for the bath of the day, in the Ganga or any river, or at home with Ganga jal in the water. Pilgrims at Haridwar, Varanasi and Prayagraj gather on the ghats in this window. |
| Hasta Nakshatra | 4:59 PM (12 Jun) to 5:00 PMWhen the Moon is in Hasta nakshatra around Ganga Dussehra. | Hasta is one of the ten yogas the Puranic tradition names for this day, with Jyeshtha, the bright fortnight, Dashami, a Wednesday, Vyatipata yoga, Gara karana, Ananda yoga, the Moon in Kanya and the Sun in Vrishabha. The more of them that meet, the more the bath is praised. Some years Hasta falls on the day itself; in others it has passed or comes the next day, as the times show. |
| Sunrise | 5:22 AMThe upper edge of the Sun on the horizon, with refraction. | Arghya to the Sun follows the bath, and the day is the one whose sunrise Dashami holds. |
| Abhijit Muhurat | 11:53 AM to 12:49 PMThe 8th of the day's fifteen muhurtas, around local noon. | The midday muhurta, for families who do the puja and the giving later in the morning. There is no Abhijit on a Wednesday, by convention. |
| Auspicious choghadiya (day) |
| The day's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal choghadiyas, for the puja at home and the charity if you cannot do them at dawn. |
| Sunset: the evening deepdaan | 7:19 PMThe upper edge of the Sun leaving the horizon. | At dusk lamps are floated on the river and the Ganga aarti is sung on the ghats. At home, light a lamp beside the Ganga jal kalash at sunset. |
Auspicious windows that day
| Window | Time in New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Abhijit Muhurat | 11:53 AM to 12:49 PM | Auspicious |
| Amrit Kaal | 11:00 AM to 12:36 PM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:02 AM to 4:42 AM | Auspicious |
Windows usually worked around
These are the spans classical muhurta sets aside for beginnings. They are descriptions of a convention, not warnings: the observance is kept on its day regardless, and nothing here needs to be bought, corrected or remedied.
| Window | Time in New Delhi |
|---|---|
| Rahu Kaal | 5:35 PM to 7:19 PM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 12:21 PM to 2:05 PM |
| Durmuhurta First | 5:28 PM to 6:24 PM |
| Varjyam | 1:09 AM to 2:47 AM |
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Sunday, 13 June 2027, from the sunrise, sunset and the positions of the Sun and Moon for this city. The Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a window whose clock time falls after midnight still belongs to the evening before; a time on another date carries that date.
The dawn bath
Bathe in Brahma Muhurta, in the Ganga or any river or lake you can reach safely, or at home with a little Ganga jal in the bath water, saying the verse Gange cha Yamune chaiva. Some families take ten dips, one for each of the ten sins the day is said to remove.
Arghya to the Sun
After the bath, offer water to the rising Sun from a copper lota, with a few grains of rice and a red flower in it.
Take the sankalp
Hold water, rice and a flower and say your name, gotra and place, and that on Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami you worship Mother Ganga, praying to be freed of the ten kinds of wrongdoing of body, speech and mind.
Set up the altar
On a clean chowki place a kalash of Ganga jal, a picture of Ganga seated on her makara, and Shiva, in whose locks she came down. Many also honour Bhagiratha, whose penance brought her. Light a ghee lamp and incense.
Ganesh first
Worship Ganesh with Om Gam Ganapataye Namah, offering water, roli, akshat and a flower.
Worship Ganga in tens
Offer Ganga roli, haldi, akshat, a white or yellow cloth and, as the day's custom asks, everything in tens: ten kinds of flowers, ten lamps, ten fruits, ten kinds of naivedya, ten betel leaves and sesame.
Abhishek of Shiva
Pour Ganga jal over a Shivling at home or in a temple with Om Namah Shivaya, and offer bel leaves, remembering that Shiva held the Ganga in his matted hair so that her fall would not shatter the earth.
Mantra and the katha
Chant Om Namo Gangayai Vishvarupinyai Narayanyai Namo Namah 108 times, recite a Ganga stotra if you know one, and read or hear the story of Bhagiratha and the descent of the Ganga.
The daan of the day
Give in charity, in tens where you can: pots of water, hand fans, umbrellas, sattu, sherbet, mangoes and melons, grain, sesame, jaggery and clothes, to ten people or ten households in need, or to a temple.
Aarti
Sing Om Jai Gange Mata with the ghee lamp or camphor, ring the bell, and ask pardon for any mistake in the puja.
Deepdaan at dusk
At sunset float a small lamp on the river in a leaf cup, or light one beside the Ganga jal at home. Use flour or clay lamps and leaves, never plastic or foil.
The meal
Eat sattvik food after the puja; many keep a fast or a single meal. Nirjala Ekadashi, the strictest Ekadashi fast, follows the next day, so many eat lightly.
- Ganga jal The heart of the day: for the bath, the kalash and Shiva's abhishek. Clean water with a few drops of it is the substitute.
- Kalash and a copper lota The kalash holds Ganga jal on the altar; the lota is for the Sun's arghya.
- A picture of Ganga, and of Shiva Ganga seated on her makara; Shiva with Ganga in his locks; a Shivling for abhishek.
- Chowki and a white or yellow cloth The altar.
- Roli, haldi and chandan For tilak and the offerings.
- Akshat (whole rice) Unbroken grains.
- Ten kinds of flowers Whatever the season gives; tradition asks for tens.
- Ten lamps, ghee or oil and wicks Clay diyas for the puja and the dusk deepdaan.
- Ten fruits Mango, melon, banana, litchi, cucumber or what the season brings.
- Naivedya Sweets, kheer or jaggery; ten kinds if you can.
- Ten betel leaves and supari Offered with the naivedya.
- Black or white sesame (til) Offered to Ganga and given in charity.
- Bel leaves For Shiva's abhishek.
- Incense, camphor and a bell For the puja and the aarti.
- Leaf cups (dona) and flour or clay lamps For floating lamps on the river at dusk; avoid plastic and foil.
- Earthen water pots For the daan of water in the summer heat.
- Hand fans and umbrellas Traditional summer gifts of the day.
- Sattu, sherbet ingredients and jaggery For giving and for the pyau (water stall) many set up.
- Grain and clothes for charity Rice, wheat or barley, and simple clothes, as you can afford.
- Janeu and a red or yellow thread For Ganesh and Shiva where it is the custom.
- A Ganga stotra or the katha Optional; the story is given above.
Snan mantra: inviting the holy rivers
गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति ।
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् सन्निधिं कुरु ॥
Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Sarasvati
Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jale'smin sannidhim kuru
Meaning: O Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari and Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri: be present in this water.
When and how: Said once while bathing, or while adding Ganga jal to the bath water at home; the verse every household uses to sanctify the water of a bath or a kalash.
Ganga mantra
ॐ नमो गङ्गायै विश्वरूपिण्यै नारायण्यै नमो नमः
Om Namo Gangayai Vishvarupinyai Narayanyai Namo Namah
Meaning: Om, salutation to Ganga, whose form is the whole universe, who is Narayani; salutation, salutation.
When and how: 108 times after the offerings, on a tulsi or rudraksha mala, or as long as you sit on the ghat.
Remembrance of Ganga
गङ्गा गङ्गेति यो ब्रूयात् योजनानां शतैरपि ।
मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति ॥
Ganga Gangeti yo bruyat yojananam shatairapi
Muchyate sarvapapebhyo Vishnulokam sa gachchhati
Meaning: Whoever says 'Ganga, Ganga', even from a hundred yojanas away, is freed of every sin and reaches the world of Vishnu.
When and how: A well-known verse in praise of the Ganga, said with folded hands by those who cannot reach the river.
Shiva panchakshari
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Meaning: Om, salutation to Shiva. The words namah shivaya come from the Shri Rudram of the Yajurveda.
When and how: While pouring Ganga jal over the Shivling, 11 or 108 times.
Aarti Ganga Aarti: Om Jai Gange Mata the full text
ॐ जय गंगे माता, श्री जय गंगे माता।
जो नर तुमको ध्याता, मनवांछित फल पाता॥
चंद्र सी जोत तुम्हारी, जल निर्मल आता।
शरण पड़ें जो तेरी, सो नर तर जाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता॥
पुत्र सगर के तारे, सब जग को ज्ञाता।
कृपा दृष्टि तुम्हारी, त्रिभुवन सुख दाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता॥
एक ही बार जो तेरी, शरणागति आता।
यम की त्रास मिटा कर, परमगति पाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता॥
आरती मात तुम्हारी, जो जन नित्य गाता।
दास वही सहज में, मुक्ति को पाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता, श्री जय गंगे माता।
जो नर तुमको ध्याता, मनवांछित फल पाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता, श्री जय गंगे माता॥
Om jai Gange Mata, Shri jai Gange Mata.
Jo nar tumko dhyata, manvanchhit phal pata.
Chandra si jot tumhari, jal nirmal aata.
Sharan paden jo teri, so nar tar jata.
Om jai Gange Mata.
Putra Sagar ke tare, sab jag ko gyata.
Kripa drishti tumhari, tribhuvan sukh data.
Om jai Gange Mata.
Ek hi baar jo teri, sharanagati aata.
Yam ki traas mita kar, paramgati pata.
Om jai Gange Mata.
Aarti maat tumhari, jo jan nitya gata.
Das vahi sahaj mein, mukti ko pata.
Om jai Gange Mata.
Om jai Gange Mata, Shri jai Gange Mata.
Jo nar tumko dhyata, manvanchhit phal pata.
Om jai Gange Mata, Shri jai Gange Mata.
Text as it is commonly sung. This aarti is not in the Gita Press Aarti Sangrah; the printed Aarti Chalisa Sangrah linked here reads 'jyoti' for 'jot', 'sab jag ki gyata' for 'sab jag ko gyata', 'matu' for 'maat' and 'nit' for 'nitya'. Printed text
The katha
King Sagara of Ayodhya performed the ashvamedha sacrifice, and Indra stole the horse and left it near the hermitage of the sage Kapila. Sagara's sixty thousand sons dug their way to it, found it grazing beside the meditating sage and accused him of theft; when Kapila opened his eyes, they were burnt to ashes. Only the waters of the Ganga, which then flowed in heaven, could bring them peace.
Sagara's grandson Anshuman and his son Dilipa tried and died without succeeding. Dilipa's son Bhagiratha left his kingdom and kept a penance so great that Brahma agreed to let the Ganga go to earth. But her fall from heaven would have split the earth apart, so Bhagiratha prayed to Shiva, who caught the river in his matted locks and let her down gently in streams.
The Ganga followed Bhagiratha's chariot across the land. On the way her waters flooded the sacrifice of the sage Jahnu, who drank her up and, at the prayers of the gods and Bhagiratha, released her again, which is why she is called Jahnavi. At last she reached the ashes of Sagara's sons, washed over them, and they rose to heaven. The Valmiki Ramayana tells the story through Vishwamitra, and tradition remembers the descent on Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami.
Because of Bhagiratha the river is also called Bhagirathi, and a great, patient effort is still called Bhagirath prayas.
Why it is kept
Dussehra here is dasha-hara, the remover of ten: tradition holds that a bath in the Ganga on this day washes away ten kinds of wrongdoing, three of the body (taking what is not given, causing injury, and unlawful relations), four of speech (harsh words, untruth, slander and idle talk) and three of the mind (coveting what belongs to others, wishing harm and holding false views). The ten are listed in the Manusmriti; the day turns them into a resolve.
The Puranic tradition names ten yogas for the bath, among them Hasta nakshatra, a Wednesday and the Sun in Vrishabha, and praises the day most when many of them meet; its times are listed above. Nirjala Ekadashi follows the next day, and many calendars keep Gayatri Jayanti with it. It is not the Dussehra of Ashwin, Vijayadashami, and it is a different day from Ganga Saptami in Vaishakha, which remembers the Ganga's birth, or her release from Jahnu.
The bath, or Ganga jal at home
Bathe in the Ganga or any river in the early morning; if you cannot, add a little Ganga jal to your bath and say the snan verse. Tradition values the intention as much as the place.
Gifts in tens
Give ten of something useful, ten pots of water, ten fans, ten portions of fruit or food, to ten people or households in need. The number keeps the meaning of dasha-hara.
A pyau of cool water
Set up a stall of water or sherbet for passers-by, as many towns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar do on this day; Jyeshtha is the hottest month.
Shiva abhishek with Ganga jal
Pour Ganga jal over a Shivling with Om Namah Shivaya; it is believed to please Shiva, who carries the Ganga.
Keep fresh Ganga jal at home
Bring home Ganga jal, keep it covered in a clean copper or brass vessel in the puja corner, and use a few drops in water for purification through the year.
A gift to the river itself
Join or support a clean-up of a river ghat, or simply carry your own waste back. A river honoured as a mother is best served by keeping her clean.
Remember the ancestors
Offer water with sesame to your ancestors after the bath, as Bhagiratha's story is itself about bringing peace to those who came before.
Do
- Bathe early, ideally in Brahma Muhurta, in a river or with Ganga jal at home.
- Offer arghya to the Sun after the bath.
- Worship Ganga with offerings in tens, and Shiva with Ganga jal.
- Give water, fruit, fans and food in charity, in tens where you can.
- Recite the Ganga mantra or a stotra, and hear the story of Bhagiratha.
- Float only flour or clay lamps on leaves, and take your waste back with you.
- Keep the day's food sattvik.
- Stay with children and elders at crowded ghats, and bathe only where it is safe.
Don't
- Do not throw plastic, foil, idols, old pictures or puja waste into the river.
- Do not use soap or shampoo in the river.
- Do not go into deep or fast water, or bathe where the ghat authorities forbid it.
- Do not quarrel or speak harshly on a day kept for setting aside the sins of speech.
- Do not eat meat or drink alcohol on the day, by the custom of most families.
- Do not treat the bath as a licence; tradition asks for a resolve not to repeat the ten wrongs.
By region
- Haridwar and Rishikesh
- Lakhs of pilgrims bathe at Har Ki Pauri and the Rishikesh ghats, the evening Ganga aarti draws huge crowds, and many also go up to Neelkanth Mahadev.
- Varanasi
- Bathing at Dashashwamedh and the other ghats from before dawn, deepdaan on the river at dusk and a grand Ganga aarti.
- Prayagraj and Garhmukteshwar
- A dip at the Sangam in Prayagraj; at Garhmukteshwar, on the Ganga in western Uttar Pradesh, a large fair and bathing festival.
- Uttarakhand (Kumaon above all)
- Families paste a dwar patra over the main door: a paper with coloured geometric designs and a verse naming the sages Agastya, Pulastya, Vaishampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu, traditionally believed to keep lightning away. Family priests prepare and bring them.
- Bihar and Bengal
- Crowds bathe at the ghats of Patna and along the Hooghly.
Bhog, prasad and fasting food
- Sherbet and cool water Given at pyau stalls and to guests; bel, rose or lemon sherbet.
- Sattu As a drink or laddoos, and given in charity.
- Mango, melon, cucumber and litchi Fruits of Jyeshtha, offered in tens and shared.
- Kheer or a sweet For the naivedya and the family meal.
- A light sattvik meal Many eat once, and lightly, with Nirjala Ekadashi the next day.
Two years back, this year, and two ahead. Past years are kept rather than dropped so you can check the engine against a calendar you already have.
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sunday, 16 June 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Thursday, 5 June 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Wednesday, 24 June 2026 | past |
| 2027 | Sunday, 13 June 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Friday, 2 June 2028 | upcoming |
Every row is computed for New Delhi from the same ephemeris, not looked up. Sunrise decides which day a tithi names, and sunrise differs across India by more than an hour, so a date computed for Delhi can be a day out elsewhere.
There is no single authority that settles a Hindu festival date, and the divergence is genuine rather than sloppy. Three causes account for almost all of it.
- A tithi rarely starts at sunrise. One that is running at the deciding moment on two days — or on none — is claimed by both days under different rules.
- Month reckoning. North India runs purnimanta, the south and west amanta. The same dark fortnight carries different month names in the two, so an observance defined as "krishna X of month Y" can land a full lunation apart.
- Which moment decides. Most vratas belong to the day whose sunrise carries the tithi, but not all: this one is decided at sunrise. Almanacs that apply the sunrise rule to everything move several festivals by a day.
So this page shows its working. If your pandit or your family almanac gives a different day, the instants above will usually show you exactly why — and that is more useful than a date asserted without one.
Common questions
When is Ganga Dussehra?
Sunday, 13 June 2027. It is Dashami of Shukla paksha in Jyeshtha, and that tithi runs from 13 Jun, 2:45 AM to 14 Jun, 2:12 AM.
Why does another calendar give a different Ganga Dussehra date?
Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.
When is Ganga Dussehra, and when should the holy bath be taken?
In New Delhi, Ganga Dussehra falls on Sunday, 13 June 2027, Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami. The bath is best taken in Brahma Muhurta, 4:02 AM to 4:42 AM, or soon after sunrise, and the puja and charity are done while Dashami runs, 2:44 AM to 2:12 AM (14 Jun). Times change by city, so choose yours on this page.
Why is Ganga Dussehra celebrated?
It celebrates the descent of the Ganga from heaven to earth, won by King Bhagiratha's penance to bring peace to his ancestors, the sixty thousand sons of Sagara. Shiva caught her in his locks so that her fall would not split the earth. A bath, worship and charity on the day are believed to wash away ten kinds of wrongdoing.
What is Ganga Dussehra, and what does its name mean?
It is the festival of the Ganga's descent, on Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami. Dussehra here is dasha-hara, the remover of ten: the three wrongs of the body, four of speech and three of the mind that a bath in the Ganga on this day is said to wash away. It is a different festival from Dussehra (Vijayadashami) in Ashwin.
What should be done on Ganga Dussehra?
Bathe at dawn in a river or with Ganga jal at home, offer arghya to the Sun, worship Ganga with offerings in tens and Shiva with Ganga jal, chant her mantra, hear the story of Bhagiratha, give water, fruit, fans and food in charity, and float or light a lamp at dusk. Keep the day's food sattvik.
What should be donated on Ganga Dussehra?
Things that help in the heat of Jyeshtha: earthen pots of water, hand fans, umbrellas, sattu, sherbet, mangoes and melons, grain, sesame, jaggery and clothes. Tradition likes the number ten, ten gifts or gifts to ten people, but any gift made with respect keeps the spirit of the day.
Which mantra is chanted on Ganga Dussehra?
While bathing, the verse Gange cha Yamune chaiva, which invites the holy rivers into the water. In the puja, Om Namo Gangayai Vishvarupinyai Narayanyai Namo Namah, 108 times, and Om Namah Shivaya while pouring Ganga jal on the Shivling. The texts and their meanings are in the mantra section.
What is the story of Ganga Dussehra?
King Sagara's sixty thousand sons were burnt to ashes by the sage Kapila, and only the Ganga's water could free them. Generations later Bhagiratha's penance moved Brahma to release her, and Shiva caught her in his locks to soften her fall. She followed Bhagiratha's chariot to the ashes and freed his ancestors. The full katha is above.
How do I do the Ganga Dussehra puja at home?
Bathe with a little Ganga jal in the water, offer arghya to the Sun and take a sankalp. Set a kalash of Ganga jal with a picture of Ganga and Shiva, worship Ganesh, then offer Ganga roli, akshat, flowers, lamps, fruit and sweets in tens, pour Ganga jal on a Shivling, chant her mantra, read the katha and sing Om Jai Gange Mata. Finish by giving in charity.
What is the Ganga Dussehra dwar patra?
In the hills of Uttarakhand, Kumaon above all, families paste a dwar patra over the main door on Ganga Dussehra: a sheet of paper with coloured geometric designs and a Sanskrit verse naming five sages, Agastya, Pulastya, Vaishampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu, traditionally believed to keep lightning away from the home. The family priest prepares it and brings it to the house.
Why does this page show Hasta nakshatra?
The Puranic verse for the day names ten yogas: Jyeshtha, the bright fortnight, Dashami, a Wednesday, Hasta nakshatra, Vyatipata yoga, Gara karana, Ananda yoga, the Moon in Kanya and the Sun in Vrishabha. Hasta is the one most often checked. In New Delhi it runs 4:59 PM (12 Jun) to 5:00 PM; when it falls on Dashami, the bath is praised all the more, though the day is kept either way.
Is Ganga Dussehra the same as Dussehra?
No. Ganga Dussehra is in Jyeshtha, the bright tenth day of early summer, and celebrates the Ganga's descent; the word means the remover of ten sins. Dussehra or Vijayadashami is the tenth day of Ashwin, after Navratri, and celebrates Rama's victory over Ravana and Durga's over Mahishasura.
What is the difference between Ganga Dussehra and Ganga Saptami?
Ganga Saptami, on Vaishakha Shukla Saptami, remembers the Ganga's birth, or in another telling her release from the sage Jahnu, and is also called Ganga Jayanti. Ganga Dussehra, on Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami about a month later, remembers her descent to earth. Both are kept with a bath in the river and worship of the Ganga.
Is Nirjala Ekadashi the day after Ganga Dussehra?
Usually, yes: Nirjala Ekadashi is Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi, the next tithi, so it most often falls the day after Ganga Dussehra; when the tithis shift it can fall on the same day. Many people eat lightly on Ganga Dussehra to prepare for the waterless fast. See the Nirjala Ekadashi page for its date and parana.
Where is Ganga Dussehra celebrated most?
Along the Ganga: at Haridwar and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, at Garhmukteshwar, Prayagraj and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, at Patna in Bihar and along the Hooghly in Bengal. Uttarakhand also keeps the dwar patra custom, and families everywhere bathe with Ganga jal at home.