Gaṅgā

Mother Gaṅgā · from Gangotrī to the Bay of Bengal

The Gaṅgā is the most sacred river of Hinduism. From the Himalaya she flows past Ṛṣikeś, Haridvār, Prayāgrāj, Kāśī and Patna to Gaṅgāsāgar, where she meets the sea. Families keep Gaṅgājal at home for rituals, and many wish for their ashes to be immersed in her waters.

The evening Gaṅgā Āratī at Haridvār, Ṛṣikeś and Kāśī is a moving experience. Gaṅgā Daśaharā in Jyeṣṭha celebrates her descent to earth, and the Gaṅgāsāgar Melā at Makara Saṅkrānti draws pilgrims to her mouth. Keeping the river clean is part of honouring her.

Tradition says Gaṅgā flowed from Viṣṇu’s foot in heaven and was brought to earth by the penance of King Bhagīratha. Śiva caught her in his hair to soften her fall. She then followed Bhagīratha’s chariot across the land to the sea, where she purified the ashes of his ancestors, the sixty thousand sons of Sagara.

Uttarakhand to West Bengal · Gaṅgā Daśaharā · Gaṅgāsāgar Melā · Gaṅgā Āratī

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