Ashokastami: Thousands throng Brahmaputra, take holy dip

Thousands of devotees thronged the Brahmaputra river to take a holy dip on the occasion of Ashokastami in Dhubri.

Devotees celebrate this festival with pomp and fervour. People from Meghalaya, West Bengal and various parts of Assam have come to take a bath in the Brahmuputra as part of a ritual of the festival.

Since ages, Hinduism believes that taking a bath in Brahmaputra frees one of all sins. After taking the dip, devotees offer prayers and as per rituals consume curd (Doi) and flattened rice (sira).

Several stalls have also joined in the Ashokastami Mela being held at the bank of the river. The festival will go on for a period of fifteen days in the district.

At the same time, along with Dakshin Pat Xattra's Xattradhikar, many devotees take holy dip in the river according to Vaishnav customs in Majuli. After the ritual, Xattradhikar Nanigopal Goswami worshipped the Bhagawat and also greeted the people of Assam for the auspicious Rongali Bihu.