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The Ganges River is sacred to Indians. They are convinced that she is a continuation of the heavenly power of the goddess Ganges, who is considered the patroness of the sources of all rivers, seas and other bodies of water on Earth.
Foreigners call this river in the masculine form: "Ganges", and the Indians - in the feminine: "Ganga". This goddess cleanses all the dead from earthly filth. Therefore, in India, the dead are sent down the river towards the other world.
In the Himalayan mountains, where the source of the Ganges River is located, it is crystal clear. pure water. But as you move towards the Bay of Bengal of the Indian Ocean to its mouth, the river looks very polluted.
Characteristics of the Ganges River
The length of the Ganges is more than 2,700 km, and its basin is more than 1,000,000 square meters. km. The source of the river is located in the Western Himalayas at an altitude of about 500 m, and its mouth is at the Bay of Bengal.
The waters of the Ganges are widely used for irrigation of agricultural crops. Shipping on it is poorly developed. Main function Ganga - to be a symbol of Hinduism and the whole of Great India as a whole.
For almost its entire length, the Ganges is an ordinary flat river with slow flow. It feeds on the waters of countless tributaries, also flowing from the Himalayas, as well as mountain snows, waters monsoon rains and cyclones.
In the process of flowing, the Ganges river changes its direction many times: southwest, southeast, south. At the end, it merges with another famous Indian river, the Brahmaputra, and together they flow into the bay.
Flora and fauna of the river
A few hundred years ago, thick, untouched by man grew here. rainforests, there were elephants, rhinos and tigers. Lived on the banks of the Ganges numerous species waterfowl, animals, fish, reptiles.
Quite a lot of animals live here and now: bears, foxes, leopards, leopards, deer, etc. The Ganges floodplain is famous for its unique tropical butterflies and insects.
The river is known for crocodiles, turtles, Gangetic freshwater dolphins, of which there are two species, sharks, etc. In the lower reaches, you can find flora little studied by biologists. Bengal tigers also live here.
Both directions of human activity are widely developed in India and Bangladesh. Entire regions of these countries live off pilgrims and travelers on sacred river Ganges, arriving here from all over the world.
Tourists and pilgrims visit Haridwar, Allahabad and Varanasi. They like to visit the middle and lower parts of the Great River. And in its upper part there are rapids where it is convenient to go rafting.
The first mention of this river is in ancient Indian literature: the Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. Everywhere it is emphasized that the Ganges River has a heavenly, divine origin.
Legends tell about the birth of the goddess, sending her to Earth and life there. They emphasize that the Ganges is able to purify and remove sins from people. She also symbolizes motherhood and the inextricable link between the worlds of the living and the dead.
India is one of the oldest countries in the world and is inhabited by a great number of people professing different religions. To some extent, its culture could be influenced by closely lying Buddhist and Islamic countries, as well as the British Empire with its Western culture, including English language as one of the state
In our historical period - the period of world globalization, India nevertheless remains a fairly distinctive country with its own preserved unique culture.
There is still a caste society here, and religion, unlike Western countries occupies an important place in everyday life.
One of the most important shrines of India is the Ganges River. Hindus believe that the source of the Ganges is where the Earth meets the heavens. According to legend, the Ganges is a river originating from the Universal Sea of Cause, from where it rushes to the Earth through the entire cosmos.
Statistics
The territories lying near the river are home to half a billion people. Every 12 inhabitants of the Earth lives on the banks of the Ganges.
By the Ganges widest delta and the highest source on the planet. The length of the river is 2700 km.
Holy places
The main source of the Ganges is the Bhagirathi River, which originates from the Gangotri glacier.
Downstream, the Bhagirathi merges with the Alakanda river at the city of Devaprayag, and from this point the river is called Ganga.
Along the banks of the sacred river and the rivers from which the Ganges is formed, there are centers of pilgrimage - various cities and villages. Devaprayag is one of the many Hindu pilgrimage centers.
One of the sacred places of India. Every day people gather on the banks of the river to take part in the festival of light in honor of the Ganges.
In Hindi, the name of the city means "Gateway to God".
One of the oldest cities in the world, the main city in Hinduism. According to Indian legends, the city is 5000 years old, and scientists estimate its age at 3000 years. The city is considered the center of the Earth.
A special Hindu ritual is held in the city, which shocks many tourists.
One of the ghats on the river:
A ghat, according to Wikipedia, is a stone stepped structure that serves as a ritual bath for Hindus or as a place of cremation.
One of the most famous ghats - Manikarnika - it is here that believers are cremated, and then the remains are sent downstream, and those who do not have enough money for cremation, their bodies are dumped after death directly into the river. Also not amenable to cremation - unmarried girls, pregnant women, children. Their bodies are also simply thrown into the river.
It is believed that the river cleanses the soul from sins, and those who are buried in the waters of the river will definitely go to heaven.
Kumbh Mela festival
The Kumbh Mela festival is held every 12 years on the banks of the Ganges. Tens of millions of pilgrims participate in the largest religious festival in the world.
There is also the Great Kumbh Mela, which takes place every 144 years, after twelve regular holidays. The last time it happened was in 2013. This celebration is held in the city of Allahabad at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna.
Kumbh Mela in 2013 was attended by a record number of 80 million people, which is a record for the largest number of people gathered in one place in history.
The essence of the holiday is that believers believe that they wash away sins from themselves in this way. Legend has it that during the battle between the gods and the asuras for the jug of Amrita, a few drops fell to the ground in Allahabad, Haridwar. Ujjain and Nashik, and it is in these four cities that pilgrims gather. Amrita is the nectar of immortality and wisdom, who drinks it receives divinity.
- In terms of length, the Ganges ranks 39th in the world with a length of 2700 km;
- The Ganges has the largest delta in the world;
- Every 12th inhabitant of the Earth lives on the banks of the river;
- The Ganges is not the longest river in India;
- The highest source in the world;
- The Ganges is one of the dirtiest rivers in the world, in some places the content of fecal bacteria is 120 times higher than normal.
Each nation has its own, individual and sincerely revered symbol, religious amulet or even the very embodiment higher power. Among the Hindus, such a supreme and divine power that you can touch is the Ganges River. If a traveler who has fallen into the spicy lands of India calls the blessed reservoir by the name that we know from the lessons of geography and history - the Ganges, the Indians will correct him with irritation: "Not the Ganges, but the Ganges." Because they call the river in a feminine way, identifying it exclusively with the feminine principle of the divine essence of the god Vishnu.
Revered as the earthly embodiment of universal power, the Ganges River gathers millions of people on its banks. They aspire to the sacred waters with an irresistible desire to wash away all sins from themselves, to cleanse their mind and body. Hindus believe that the Ganges River has healing properties and is a kind of shepherd who forgives sins. When a Christian wants to repent, he goes to church. When a Hindu has a bad heart and wants to get rid of the oppression of sins, he plunges into the Ganges. It is thanks to India that the expression “wash away your sins” has become famous all over the world. The water of the river is considered sacred, the same can be said about the cities located on the banks of the Ganges. These include Allahabad, Rishikesh, Varanasi, Hardwar and many others.
The rivers of India are a huge number of reservoirs flowing both in the mountains of the Himalayas and winding through the expanses of valleys and lowlands. However, none of them is as revered and sacred to the Hindus as the Ganges. There are a huge number of legends associated with the appearance of this water sleeve. One of them reads as follows. A delightful river flowed in the heavenly paradise, the waters of which had healing and healing properties. Somehow, having learned about this, one Indian king Bagirat began to pray (one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu) that he would give a piece of a magnificent reservoir to his children - Hindus. The requests of the man were heard, and since then the inhabitants of the country have been enjoying the sacred waters that the Ganges River gave them.
The second legend sounds completely different. It is told to me by the brahmins at the Vaishno Devi temple in the Himalayas. Few people know that Shiva's wife - Sati (Devi) - had several hypostases, one of which was the feminine principle, the symbol of the mother - the goddess Mata Rani. It is with her name that the emergence of the river is associated.
Once upon a time in high mountains There lived a shepherd in the Himalayas who devoted his whole life to the service of Mata Rani. In the same village lived the evil Bhairon, who did not believe in any powerful force but his own. He dreamed of eradicating faith in the goddess and making all people believe only in themselves. Bhairon sought to find Mata Rani and kill her. In order to give the man a chance to change his mind, the goddess hid in a cave in the Himalayas, on the way to which she struck a mountain embankment with her staff. The earth split, and crystal-clear water poured from its depths, which laid the foundation for the emergence of the Ganges River.
It is believed that the sacred waters not only wash away all sins, but also serve as a path to a new world for the dead - they are a guide to paradise. Therefore, it is not surprising that a huge number of dead Hindus seeking to get there are sheltered by the Ganges River. The corpses of the dead are burned on special funeral pyres. After burning, the ashes are collected in an urn, and relatives, sitting in a boat, scatter it over the sacred waters of the river.
They say whoever has not been to Agra and not seen the Taj Mahal has not been to India, my opinion differs from this. I would say whoever has not been to Varanasi has not seen the real India. It is difficult to see Varanasi from the pictures, you need to feel this dirt and chaos, sniff out this stench of ammonia, which eats away at the eyes mixed with incense, and is hot, very wet air, to see the rituals, colors and colors, crowds of pilgrims of that real India.
Ganaga is a Hindu goddess, the embodiment of the sacred river Ganges, in Hindu mythology, a heavenly river that descended to earth and became the Ganges River.
Pilgrims flock here not only from all over India, they travel from all over the world, especially to its sources and the cities of Haridwar, Allahabad and Varanasi (the most colorful place, for us curious).
Along the city embankment, rows of stone steps (Ghats) open up to the eye. Ghats are stone steps that serve for the ritual bathing of Hindus and as places of cremation, stretching along the coast for several kilometers. On them, pilgrims descend to the water. This is where they rest.
Holy Varanasi attracts Hindus like a magnet.
Going down to the river, the eyes and nose were eaten away by the pungent smell of ammonia, the humidity was so high that after 30 minutes it was possible to wring out clothes.
The shore is full of barbers doing their job, but oh model haircut you don’t even have to think, they shave off with a dangerous razor to zero, leaving only a small forelock on the back of the head.
Life and death in Varansi are inseparable from each other. The place where the dead are burned is located downstream from the sacred embankments.
many small children
I was amazed how small children sit with their bare bottoms in this mud.
This baby is sleeping, right on the stone embankment, covered in flies.
The people are teeming, you need to walk along the embankment along the river very carefully, looking carefully at your feet so as not to step into
something.
At the end of the day, a special person starts the pump and with a large pressure of water washes away the dirt collected during the day from the steps of the embankment into the river.
Wild monkeys run along the ledges of buildings (top of the photo)
Local market, which is located along the street.
The toilet, it is not clear why the different heights of the cabins, fits perfectly and harmoniously into general form trading stalls.
Baking looks beautiful and appetizing, but street fast food did not dare to eat.
Street Cafe.
Shoe repair
Counter with bracelets
Against the background of other shops and counters, this one is striking.
A plate made from the leaves of a plant.
The policeman asked me to wait, not to take pictures, took a vertical position and allowed me to take a picture.
At dawn, hundreds, there are not thousands of Hindus gather on the banks of the river to take a ritual bath in the sacred cleansing waters.
There are many temples along the waterfront.
People in clothes and without enter the river and perform ablution. Some mutter mantras, scoop up water in their palms and water their heads. Others hold their noses and plunge into the water. Still others, squatting down, drink the sacred water from the river. Everyone thinks only about his ritual, not noticing anyone around.
They replace the toothbrush with special sticks for brushing teeth.
Here on the shore you can buy a tooth stick.
An Indian woman sells ritual candles, which are lit and floated along the sacred river, while reading prayers.
Some come in completely, some are waist-deep, and some are ankle-deep.
They pray, bathe, wash, cut their hair, burn the dead, brush their teeth, wash dishes, and who just after the next procedure - the "back toilet" is washed away - what they do on the banks and in the Ganges River! And this is all in one place and at the same time, and everyone is sure that they will not pick up any infection, but on the contrary, the sacred Ganges will heal from all sores.
Some pilgrims hope for alms from tourists, those who are the most colorful, in most cases, if they see them, turn away from the cameras, showing what needs to be given to start the money. Some, when they see the camera, on the contrary, stop, pose, asking with their eyes for at least something, they are glad even for a penny.
Going down along the river, I came across a laundry.
Washing takes place as follows: linen soaked and rubbed with soap, swinging with all its might, hits a stone slab several times. After that, already clean, washed linen is rinsed in the sacred waters of the Ganges River and hung out to dry.
There, a little higher, they bathed cows.
Here the people became less, but the probability of joining the kaku increased.
Prepared for a meal.
Boatmen offer a boat tour of the river for a small fee of 100 rupees (approximately US$2).
People in India are friendly and affable, but this does not prevent them from being very, very lazy.
I have been to India twice with an interval of two months and would be happy to travel once more - another. Only positive emotions remained.
The Holy Ganges begins as a crystal clear river from the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas. It ranks 3rd in the world in terms of water content after the Amazon and the Congo. But the further it flows sacred ganges the dirtier it gets. It is "killed" along the way by human waste, as well as industrial effluents that turn the river into a toxic reservoir. Let's follow great river from a mountain spring to the metropolis of Calcutta, where it flows into the Bay of Bengal. Almost a billion Hindus worship this river. It is the main source of water for 400 million people - more than any other river in the world. 1. This is the confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi tributaries, from here the Ganges begins. The tributaries of the Ganges differ in their type and origin into several species. First, these are rivers and streams that form in the Western Himalayas in the area of the Gangotri glacier. Here, in Devprayag, it is very clean. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
It's a sin not to bathe. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Here - complete harmony with nature. Here are Hindu priests sitting in a cave and praying on the banks of the Ganges River in Devprayag. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
The Ganges in Hindu mythology is a heavenly river that descended to earth and became the Ganges River. Since ancient times, it has been considered a sacred river for Hindus. But we move on. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Evening prayers on the banks of the Ganges River in Haridwar. Haridwar's city Indian state Uttarakhand is one of the seven major holy cities of Hinduism. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Here the river is still clean, but signs of trouble are already visible. Thousands of Hindus plunge into the waters of the Ganges every day, believing that this frees life from sins. The figures of the gods are also dipped here. Some of the gods are here and stay forever. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Young people bathe in the Ganges River in Kanpur. It is one of the most populated cities in India in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Located on the Ganges south of Lucknow. And something is already wrong - it is clear that the water is completely dirty and opaque. In India, people drink water from the river, use it to irrigate crops, wash themselves and immediately wash themselves. Children bathing in the Ganges are regularly treated for water-borne diseases - dysentery, cholera and severe diarrhea, which is one of the leading causes of infant mortality here. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
In the industrial city of Kanpur, the water turns dark grey. Industrial waste and sewage is poured into the river without hesitation. Take, for example, the leather industry. Where to put black technical drains? Of course in the Ganges. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Raw materials for leather production. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
In these places, clouds of foam are already floating on its surface of the Ganges. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
In one section, the river turns completely red. This is the city of Kanpur. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Ganges river in Kanpur city. Yes, it doesn’t look like a clean river at all from the first photos. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Another industrial dirty drain flowing into the Ganges. It is better for goats to step over it. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Another waste dump. Wastewater flows into the Ganges River at Kanpur. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
And we are already in Mirzapur - a city in northern India, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Sewerage from the residential quarter flows directly into the sacred river. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Some industrial muck with foam flows into the river nearby. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Where are they dumped household waste in Mirzapur? Of course, on the banks of the Ganges. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Varanasi (lit. "between two rivers") is considered a holy city for Buddhists and generally the holiest place in the world in Hinduism (as the center of the Earth in Hindu cosmology). One of the oldest cities in the world and possibly the oldest in India. People plunge headlong into the muddy water, gargle, drink. Wash clothes nearby. Women do not have bathing suits, it is customary to swim here in their clothes. And a hundred meters above the current, ritual cremation is carried out and ashes from funeral pyres are thrown into the waters of the Ganges. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Nearby, relatives of the deceased are dipping his body into the river. At this point, the Ganges is no longer like what once descended from the Himalayas. It's already a dump. Although sacred. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
Immersion in the sacred Ganges goes to cremation. After cremation, the ashes end up here. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
A boy is bathing nearby. It's all Varanasi. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
This is Calcutta. This is what the banks of the Ganges look like. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
In Kolkata, next to the river, there is a large brick factory, all the waste water from which also enters the river. More than two thirds Wastewater, formed in 118 cities along the Ganges basin, enter the river without treatment. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui | Reuters): 
And here is some water from the Ganges River in Calcutta. You do not want? 
