Devotees visit Gaya to pray for salvation of ancestors

Gaya, Sep 7 (ANI): With the onset of the fortnight long 'Shraddha,' solemn Hindu ceremonies, a serpentine queue of devotees has begun trotting up the Pret-Sheela (ghost-stone) hill shrine in Gaya to pray for the salvation of their ancestors and get rid of the evil spirits.

Elderly faithful, from far and wide, are carried by kin and porters on baskets to pray for the departed.

After performing prayers at the shrine, devotees take a dip in the holy water to appease their deity.

"I have come here to pray for my ancestors. I am going up the hill to pray for them," said Kashi Prasad, a devotee.

Devouts who performed these rituals believe this will relieve their ancestors of all sins and help their soul attain peace.

Hindus believe in reincarnation, or in the cycle of birth. They believe that the body changes with every birth but the soul remains the same.

The Hindu philosophy says this cycle can be broken and the soul can be put to rest forever by performing "Pind Daan". (ANI)