As a partial lunar eclipse or Chandra Grahan occurred in India on the intervening night of July 16 and 17, the Ganga Aarti at Varanasi’s Dashashwamedh Ghat was held four hours earlier at 3pm on July 16. The timing for the famous Ganga Aarti in Varanasi was brought forward on account of the lunar eclipse.
The ritual is held at 7 pm everyday in summer and at 6pm during winters generally. The 3pm ritual yesterday was held hours before the usual time.
As per the Hindu beliefs, an eclipse is considered to be inauspicious, and therefore, no religious ritual can be performed for a specified period of time before, during and after it. Among other practices observed during an eclipse, temple doors are kept shut for a specific period of time.
Keeping these beliefs in mind, the organisers of Ganga Aarti at Varanasi’s Dashashwamedh Ghat have decided to perform the ritual in the afternoon instead of the usual timing in the evening.
In India, the partial lunar eclipse was visible in the wee hours of Wednesday, July 17. According to NASA, the Moon enteres penumbra on July 17 around 00.13 am IST. The partial lunar eclipse began at 01:31 am IST and ended three hours later at 04:29 am IST.
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