Patna: For a journey of only one to one and a half kilometers in the Buxar district of Bihar, seven thousand rupees have to be paid for traveling by ordinary boat. It may sound strange to hear, but it is the truth. Actually, the river Ganga separates Buxar district and Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh.
The Ganga river flows just adjacent to the city of Buxar. In such a situation, people have to take the help of a boat to go there. The most interesting thing is that despite having such an expensive fare, there is a rush of passengers. Sailors do not have the time to rest a bit after reaching the shore. The boatmen charge about 7 thousand rupees for returning after crossing the Ganga.
It is said that Buxar is a religious city. Local people also call it mini Kashi. At the same time, a huge crowd gathers at the Ramrekha Ghat of Buxar for the 'Mundan' of children. According to reports, the city has a vast crowd, and the roads of the city get completely jammed due to devotees. That's the reason sailors take advantage of this even for small boats crossing for the Ganga they charge a fare of about seven thousand rupees. According to experts, Hindu devotees come not only from Bihar but also from Uttar Pradesh and Nepal to bathe at Ramrekha Ghat on the banks of the Ganges. Mundan is the eighth among the 16 rites of Sanatan Dharma.
Most of the people reach the Ganga Ghats with their families and get their children shaved. In the Mundan ceremony itself, the hair of a child is cut for the first time. On this occasion, a special type of rope, which is called a dam in the local language, is used to measure both the banks of the river.
By tying one end of the rope to a peg made of mango wood, people cross the Ganga with the help of a boat and tie the other end of the rope to the other end of the river with a peg. During this, worship is done at the ghats on both the banks of the river. It takes around 30 to 40 minutes for the boat to return to the other shore.