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Hand in hand, brothers and sisters to take a dip in Yamuna today
The brothers and sisters take a dip in the Yamuna in Mathura and then go to the temple of ‘Yamunaji-Dharamraj’ on Vishram Ghat , which is believed to be a rare temple dedicated to the God of Death. The sisters pray to Yamraj for releasing their brothers from the tentacles of death and pardon them for wrong-doings so that they enjoy both a long life as well as a good afterlife.
Agra The narrow lanes leading towards river Yamuna from Holi Gate crossing in Mathura will be aflutter with activity in the wee hours of Thursday as men head towards Vishram Ghat with their sisters for a holy dip in the sacred river on Bhai Dooj.
As per tradition, the day is celebrated in Mathura as Yam Dwitiya and brothers and sisters take a dip in the Yamuna holding each other’s hands.
“The location at Vishram Ghat is unique as it houses a temple of ‘Dharmaraj’ or the God of Death – Yamraj who was brother to Yamuna (river), both being the children of Sun,” said 68-year-old Gopeshwar Chaturvedi, a renowned environmentalist and patron of ‘Shri Mathur Chaturved Parishad’.
‘Brothers and sisters come here from different parts of the country. Most of them are from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. They reach Mathura and visit nearby destinations related to Krishna but gather in Mathura city a night before Yam Dwitiya and begin moving towards Vishram Ghat,” he said.
Chaturvedi added, “They take a dip in the Yamuna and then go to the temple of ‘Yamunaji-Dharamraj’ on Vishram Ghat, which is believed to be a rare temple dedicated to the God of Death. The sisters pray to Yamraj for releasing their brothers from the tentacles of death and pardon him for his wrong-doings so that he enjoys both a long life as well as a good afterlife. The ritual of bathing begins early after ‘Yamuna Aarti’ at 3 am. Devotees reach a day in advance to attend the aarti.”
Padam Shri awarded Mohan Swaroop Bhatia, a veteran of Braj literature, said, It is believed that the tradition begun with Yamuna and Yamraj, they being brother and sister. On Bhai Dooj, Yamraj visited Yamuna and she offered him the best of delicacies. Pleased with it, Yamraj asked Yamuna to make a wish. She asked Yam to spare the lives of those brothers who took a dip in river Yamuna while holding the hands of their sisters on Bhai Dooj. Yamuna’s wish was granted and since then this tradition has been popular as ‘Yam Dwitiya’ in Braj region,” said Bhatia.
Although various ghats in Mathura and Vrindavan attract devotees with people performing similar rituals, Vishram Ghat is considered to be a pilgrimage place and witnesses the maximum turnout on this occasion every year because of the temple of ‘Dharmaraj’ and Yamuna.
In view of the anticipated footfall, security measures have been put in place and boats lined up in the river Yamuna to mark the limit of access.
