Phailin brings abundant water in holy Falgu river in Gaya

Gaya, Oct 15: Cyclone Phailin which triggered heavy rainfall in neighbouring Jharkhand, has proved a boon for the famous religious town of Gaya in Bihar filling the otherwise dry Falgu river with abundant flow.

"Water was overflowing in Falgu river known for observance of "Pitra Paksha" (ritual for salvation of ancestors), a scene witnessed after almost five years," Suresh Narayan Singh, a social activist said.

Director Bihar Meteorology R K Giri told PTI today that the excess water in Falgu river was due to downpour in neighbouring Jharkhand caused by Phailin.

Besides, the running water from mountains from nearby Hazaribagh and Chatra in Jharkhand also has brought abundant water in the river which otherwise remains dry, Giri said.

Singh, who performed 'pind daan' here of Delhi gangrape victim and that of Sarabjit Singh, Indian prisoner who died in Pakistan jail, said the water flow had washed away the dirt accumulated during the Pitra Paksha rites that ended in the first week of October.

Falgu river which flows past Gaya in Bihar, is a sacred river for Hindus. There is reference to the city of Gaya and the Falgu in the Ramayana.

Mythology states that following a curse, the Falgu lost its water, and the river is simply a vast stretch of sand dunes.

According to folklore, in the absence of Rama, his wife Sita offered 'pinda' on its banks to Dasharatha, father of Rama,which invited this curse.

PTI