The mighty river Ganga which is also known as the River Ganges is greatly revered in all of India. I recently had a chance to witness this reverence first hand as I visited two holy towns Haridwar and Rishikesh both of which are located in the foothills of the Himalayas through which this mighty river flows on its way towards the plains. Much of India’s rich civilization and culture has in fact developed along the banks of this great river as a result of which the river is worshiped and held in high esteem by the Hindu population of India.

The Ganga which is responsible for the fertility of nearly forty percent of India’s agricultural land begins its journey in the higher Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh at the Gangotri glacier which is a vast expanse of ice situated 14000 feet above sea level. This glacier is the source of the River Bhagirathi which continues to join the River Alaknanda whose waters are formed from the melting ice of several Himalayan peaks like the Nanda Devi, the Kamet and the  Trishul to form the River Ganga at the town of Devprayag.

After flowing for about 200 km through the Himalayas, the waters of the Ganga enter into the pilgrimage town of Haridwar where a dam has been built over these waters so that they can be used to irrigate the lands of the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Ganga  then begins to flow through the plains of North India. It was at this pilgrimage town of Haridwar that I had my first glimpse of this mighty river which until then had only existed in geography text books for me.

From  Hardiwar, the Ganga continues its journey passing through the cities of Kanpur and Allahabad where it is joined by another great river the Yamuna at a spot called Sangam Allahabad . This spot that is  also considered to be  immensely sacred by Hindus.  From there onwards it is joined by many other rivers as it passes several towns and cities like Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur on its way into Bangladesh where it is called the Padma river and it joins a tributary of another great river, the Brahmaputra until it finally empties into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganga traverses more than 2540 kilometers on its long journey from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.

The River Ganga and Hinduism.

The Ganga is held in high esteem by most Hindus. The River has been mentioned in many of the holy books of the Hindus including the Vedas, the Puranas and the two great Indian Epics the Ramayana and the Mahabaratha.  According to Hindu mythology  Ganga was the daughter of the Himavan the King of the Mountains and she had the power to cure anything that touched her. It was believed that she flowed down from the heavens and purified the people of India.

It is for this reason that many Hindus believe that they must bathe at least once in their life in the sacred waters of the Ganga as  they believe that  a bath in these  sacred waters will cleanse them of all their sins of their past lives. This ritual is known as ‘Ganga snaan’ and is performed in the many holy towns like Varanasi, Hardiwar, Allahabad and Rishikiesh all of which are located on the banks of this great river. Many people choose auspicious days in the Hindu calendar to perform this bathing ritual. I in fact visited Hardiwar on one such auspicious day called ‘Kartik Purnima’ to witness hordes of people bathing in the murky green waters of the river but I didn’t have the guts to immerse myself in its icy depths.

Hindus also choose to immerse the ashes of their deceased in the Ganga as they believe the departed soul receives salvation this way.  In the holy town of Varanasi , there is  in fact a cremation ground where Hindus can perform the last rites of their dead so that they can  immerse the ashes in the holy waters of the Ganga immediately.

However it is not all somber and serious as many  Hindu festivals and congregations are also held  at the banks of the Ganga including the Khumb Mela and the Chhath Chhat Puja.  This holy river is also celebrated daily in  the towns of Hardiwar, Rishikesh and Varanasi where every evening elaborate  aartis (religious ceremonies and prayers) are carried out at the banks of the river. I had the chance to witness these ‘aartis’ at both Hardiwar and Rishikesh and was totally blown away by the experience as were most of the other visitors who were gathered there.

Many Indians also like to keep a vial of the sacred waters of the Ganga in their homes and often carry home gallons of Ganga water (called Ganga Jal) in plastic cans when they visit these pilgrimage towns. Now this desire has given rise to a lucrative business as intrepid entrepreneurs in these towns have begun to export these waters via the Internet to Indians who live overseas and cannot go back to make the pilgrimage.

If you wish to travel to India to see this great river of the Indian subcontinent which is associated in myth and reality with the people of India you can fly into New Delhi and take an express train called the Shatabdi Express to the town of Haridwar located just four hours away. Another option you have  is to fly into Delhi and then take a domestic flight or train Delhi to the holy town of Varanasi.  As for hotels for your stay you can try the Metropolitan Hotel Nikko or the Hans Plaza Hotel both of which are located in the city center and well connected to the various air and rail networks. For Varanasi hotels, do try the Clarks hotel or  the  Palace on the Ganges Hotel both of which are located near the many famous temples and Ghats of this holy city.

Posted in India, Things to do

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