The deepest river in the Ganga. Ganges - sacred river
Ganges River plays a special role in the history and modern life of India. These fertile plains have been inhabited and farmed for thousands of years. Today, millions of people live here and use the resources of the Ganges. The Ganges Delta is home to the famous mangrove forests, where the Sundarbans National Park is the habitat of the Bengal tiger.
The photo shows the city of Varanasi (otherwise known as Benares) on the Ganges River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh - one of the most important centers of pilgrimage for both followers of Hinduism and Buddhists and Jains.
On the banks of the Ganges there are several especially revered pilgrimage sites that attract believers from all over India. One of them is the city of Haridwar.
River length: 2700 km.
Drainage basin area: 1,060,000 km. sq.; together with the Brahmaputra basin (with which the Ganges forms a common delta) 1,643,000 km. sq.
Delta area: 105,640 km. sq.
Average drain: 12,000 m3/s
The Ganges River has been the center of Indian civilization since ancient times. Today, more than half a billion people live in its basin. Here are such monuments of human culture as the Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra. It is the Ganges that is the cradle of Buddhism, since Buddha, born around 563 BC, wandered in its valley in a state of complete renunciation, surrounded by a few friends, until he achieved enlightenment.
Around 2 thousand years BC, active political and religious life began to move from the Indus Valley to the more fertile Ganges Valley. This was caused by tectonic changes on the Hindustan Peninsula, as a result of which the Indus changed its course and became shallow.
Where does it occur: The Ganges originates at the confluence of the Bhagiratha River with the Alaknanda River near the village of Devprayag. The height of the source above sea level is 636 meters. The Bhagiartha River, in turn, originates from the Gangotri Glacier at an altitude of 7,756 meters above sea level. There is also a village with the same name as the glacier, which is a center of pilgrimage for Hindus. They believe that the goddess Ganga, the embodiment of the sacred Ganges River, lives here. The goddess is a symbol of motherhood, a connection between the worlds and a means of purification.
Gangotri Glacier is the home of Goddess Ganga.
In its middle course, the Ganges slows down and flows slowly through the flat terrain in a southeast direction. There are such large cities as Kanpur, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur (India), Rajshahi (Bangladesh).
In the lower reaches the river begins to divide into many branches. The main branch of the Ganges, the Padma, near the town of Rajbari, receives the Jamuna. The Jamuna, in turn, is also a branch of another large river, the Brahmaputra.
Having united, the waters of both rivers pour out into the Bay of Bengal in a powerful stream. The Ganges and Brahmaputra form the largest and most intricate delta on the globe. On its territory is located the largest mangrove forest in the world - the Sundarbans. This is an incredibly intricate labyrinth of swamps, branches and bays, 265 km long and 350 km wide. This area is constantly changing. Islands covered with mangrove forests can appear and disappear under the influence of floods and sea tides.
Environmental problems.
As paradoxical as it may sound, today the goddess’s home is in danger. According to some forecasts, if the current rate of retreat of the glacier continues, it will disappear by 2030. This will have more than just a religious effect. The amount of water in the river will also inevitably decrease.
The goddess Ganga also struggles with her cleansing function. Every day, 365 million liters of untreated industrial and sewage waste enters the river. This is despite the fact that the government is allocating billions of dollars for its cleanup. With such a level of pollution, the river simply does not physically have time to clean itself. Therefore, the Ganges is considered the dirtiest river in the world.
The problem is aggravated by the Hindu tradition of burning the dead on the banks of the Ganges. Poor families often simply throw the dead into the river; they do not have enough money to buy firewood. See more photos in the article: “Horrors of the Ganges River,” but I warn you right away that it is better not for the faint of heart and children to watch.
Despite the pollution of the river, every year about 700 million people take a religious bath in it in order to cleanse themselves. Of these, approximately 0.5 to 3.6 million die from infectious diseases. These are mainly children. But as they say, everything is God’s will.
A monkey was killed on the way to the airport. The plane was delayed for 4 hours due to fog. A cyclist was hit on the way from the Airport. In the evening I watched the dead being burned at the stake. But for the rest, beautiful marquise, everything is fine, everything is fine...
This article is about the Holy River Ganges and what happens on its banks.
Due to a delayed flight to Varanasi, I arrived four hours late. I checked into a hotel and in the evening went to the Ganges River to watch the evening prayer of the Brahmins. I rode a rickshaw across the city:
More than 2 million people live in Varanasi. Even on a pedicab it is very difficult to squeeze through the narrow streets:
There is a cacophony of horns, bicycle bells and shouts all around. My cab driver was constantly bumping into someone, cutting someone off and talking to someone. It was here that the realization hit me: “There are so many people here!” I had absolutely no space of my own - I was hopelessly floundering in a huge human ocean. At the same time, everyone smiled at me and waved their hands welcomingly:
Varansi is located on the banks of the Ganges River and stretches for about 8 kilometers. Along the entire embankment there are steps going down to the water - Ghats:
We arrived at the place where they were preparing for the most famous evening prayer of the Brahmins in India:
Before it started, we rented a boat and sailed to the place where the dead are burned on bonfires and their ashes are scattered over the Ganges. The guide said that the Ganges River used to flow in Paradise, but the great King Bagirat asked God Shiva to let it flow in our world. Shiva went to the meeting and now we have the Ganges River. If a deceased person is burned on the banks of the Ganges River and his ashes are thrown into the water, he will go straight to heaven. It must be burned with real wood from trees. Rich people use sandalwood. The human body burns out in about 2 hours. After this, a new one immediately appears in place of this fire. People are burned around the clock due to the large number of people willing and lack of space:
The next morning I saw the sunrise on the Ganges. Read these photos and the story below:
Filming is not allowed near this place. We swam close to the fires and moored to the boats with other tourists. Everyone watched as the dead were burned at the stake. There were several corpses lying on the stairs, ready for cremation and waiting their turn.
I expected the smell of burning human flesh to be stronger, but near this place it was not much different from the smells in the rest of the city.
About 200 meters upstream, evening prayer has already begun:
The spectators sat on the steps behind the Brahmins and in boats on the water:
The ritual lasted about 40 minutes:
At this time, nimble boys jumped from boat to boat and sold floating wreaths with candles to tourists. We need to let them sail along the Ganges and make a wish:
Life is in full swing on the stairs:
Pilgrims in yellow robes enjoying dinner:
At 6 am the next day we again arrived at the ghats to watch the sunrise on the water. Despite such an early hour the place was crowded:
We bought wreaths that had to be launched into the Ganges at dawn:
Boats with tourists and onlookers floated along the shore:
And on the shore people swam, laughed, prayed, washed, brushed their teeth and burned the dead:
Group of pilgrims from the south:
Religious ritual. Brahmin smeared with human ashes:
People enjoy life. The guide said that laughter cures many diseases, such as stomach illness:
Some just sit and pray or talk:
Many people do their laundry on the Ganges. For this purpose, special bridges have been built along the entire river, along which the Indians hit the laundry:
Pay attention to this photo. On the right is a man washing clothes. To the left is a funeral pyre. A person is burned on it:
I did not post the next photo here. This is the close-up of the funeral pyre from the previous photo. I I STRICTLY DO NOT RECOMMEND Children, pregnant women and impressionable people should watch this photo. If you still want to see it, then click here.
After that, we swam to the stairs where people are being burned. This is the main place in the city intended for this:
India is a country that not only protects the resources that nature has endowed it with, but also reveres them because they bring prosperity to it. Such a gift of nature are the rivers, which are considered sacred in the country. After all, from time immemorial they have fed millions of people, providing them with food. It is not surprising, therefore, that people consider rivers to be a manifestation of the divine feminine force (Shakti).
The two most sacred rivers of northern India - the Ganga and the Yamuna - are revered as goddesses. In fact, the Ganga is considered the most sacred of all the great Indian rivers. It originates high in the Himalayas and flows across the entire country. Its waters are always cold because it is fed by glaciers. Believers come to its shores from afar to collect its waters. (gangajal), which is considered almost divine. Gangajal, taken in Hardwar in the town Har ki Pauri, stays fresh forever. In mythology, Ganga appears as a beautiful woman with a lotus in her hand, descending in a stream from the hair of the god Shiva. They say that bathing in its waters frees a person from all sins. Another sacred river Yamuna flows into the Ganga at Prayag (Allahabad), where the mythical river Saraswati joins it, forming sangam, or the confluence of three great rivers.
The mighty Brahmaputra flows in northeast India. It originates from the Mansarovar region of the Himalayas and then winds its way through the dense forests of the northeastern states of India, especially Assam. The Brahmaputra may not be considered as sacred as the Ganges, but it is more beautiful. Despite his masculine-sounding name, Brahmaputra has a feminine origin. It is 450 kilometers longer than the Ganga. The most unique characteristic of this great river is that even at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level, it is navigable. Like the Ganges, it is also fed by glaciers and rainwater, and remains full of water throughout the year.
Mahanadi in the eastern state of Orissa represents a lifeline for its people. It flows through the most mineral-rich areas of India and through the Eastern Ghats. At many points its flow is blocked by dams. During the monsoons, this river reaches enormous sizes and carries huge amounts of water.
The most majestic and beautiful river in India is, without a doubt, the Narmada. She also has the most enchanting feminine characteristics. Its length is 1247 kilometers. Its deep blue waters flow from Madhya Pradesh to Gujerat. Narmada is worshiped in the same way as Ganga. It is said that Saraswati makes Kurukshetra sacred, Ganga makes Hardwar and Kashi (Varanasi) sacred, and Narmada makes everything she touches sacred.
Another important river is the Godavari, which flows from the Maharashtra plateau into Andhra Pradesh. It originates in the Sahyadri mountain ranges and truly divides the country into south and north. This river provides water to thousands of villages and irrigates acres of paddy fields in Andhra Pradesh. However, the Godavari does not have the status it deserves in the pantheon of Indian rivers. This ancient river covers a distance of 1,450 kilometers, crossing the Eastern Ghats to reach the Bay of Bengal. Its swimming pool is one of the largest in India.
The Cauvery is the last of the great Indian rivers. She is often called the Ganga of the south. In south India she is worshiped as a living goddess. Children are named after her. Her name is given to entire neighborhoods, streets and even business establishments. The Cauvery stands at the head of all other Indian rivers, including the Ganges, in the sense that it represents a living culture. This river flows through the most fertile lands of the south, it irrigates the fields and blesses the people living on its banks. The origins of the Kaveri are at Talakaveri in the southern Kanara district of Karnataka. Part of it also passes through the state of Tamil Nadu, bringing prosperity everywhere.
Reprinted from India Perspectives, April 2001
India is one of the oldest countries in the world and is inhabited by a great many people professing different religions. Its culture could, to some extent, be influenced by nearby Buddhist and Islamic countries, as well as by the British Empire with its Western culture, including the legacy of the English language as one of the state languages.
In our historical period - the period of world globalization, India nevertheless remains a fairly distinctive country with its preserved unique culture.
There is still a caste society here, and religion, unlike Western countries, occupies an important place in everyday life.
The Ganges River is considered one of the most important shrines in India. Hindus believe that the source of the Ganges is where the Earth touches the heavens. According to legends, the Ganges is a river originating from the Universal Sea of Reason, from where it flows through the entire cosmos to the Earth.
Statistics
The areas adjacent to 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 in the city of Devaprayag, and from this place 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 pilgrimage centers for Hindus.
One of the sacred places in India. Every day people gather on the banks of the river to take part in the festival of lights in honor of the Ganga.
Translated from 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.
The city hosts a special Hindu ritual that will shock many tourists.
One of the ghats on the river:
A ghat, according to Wikipedia, is a stepped stone structure used for ritual bathing of Hindus or as a cremation site.
One of the most famous ghats is Manikarnika - this is where believers are cremated, and then the remains are sent adrift, and those who did not have enough money for cremation, their bodies are dumped after death directly into the river. Also, unmarried girls, pregnant women, children cannot be cremated. 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 once every 12 years on the banks of the Ganges. Tens of millions of pilgrims participate in the world's largest religious festival.
There is also the Great Kumbh Mela, which is held once every 144 years, after twelve regular holidays. The last time this happened was in 2013. This celebration is held in the city of Allahabad at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
A record 80 million people took part in the Kumbh Mela in 2013, the largest number of people gathered in one place in history.
The essence of the holiday is that believers believe that they wash away their sins in this way. Legend has it that during the battle of the gods with the asuras for the jug of Amrita, a few drops fell on 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; whoever 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 12 inhabitants of the Earth live on the banks of the river;
- The Ganges is not India's longest river;
- The highest source in the world;
- The Ganges is one of the dirtiest rivers in the world, with fecal bacteria levels in some places up to 120 times higher than normal.
Each nation has its own, individual and sincerely revered symbol, religious amulet, or even the very embodiment of a higher power. For Hindus, the Ganges River is such a supreme and divine power that can be touched. If a traveler who finds himself in the spicy lands of India calls the blessed body of water by the name that we know from geography and history lessons - the Ganges, the Hindus 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 attracts millions of people to its banks. They strive for the sacred waters with an irresistible desire to wash away all their sins and cleanse themselves of 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 feels bad at heart and wants to get rid of the oppression of sins, he plunges into the Ganges. It was thanks to India that the expression “wash away your sins” became famous throughout 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 for Hindus as the Ganga. There are a huge number of legends associated with the appearance of this water arm. One of them reads as follows. In the heavenly paradise flowed a delightful river, 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 grant a piece of a magnificent reservoir to his children - the Hindus. The man’s requests were heard, and since then the inhabitants of the country have rejoiced in the sacred waters that the Ganges River gave them.
The second legend sounds completely different. The brahmins at the Vaishno Devi temple in the Himalayas tell it to me. Few people know that Shiva’s wife, Sati (Devi), had several hypostases, one of which was the feminine principle, the symbol of the mother is the goddess Mata Rani. It is with her name that the origin of the river is connected.
Once upon a time, in the high mountains of the Himalayas, there lived a shepherd who devoted his entire life to serving Mata Rani. In the same village lived the evil Bheiron, who did not believe in any powerful force except 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 open and crystal clear water flowed from its depths, which marked the beginning of the emergence of the Ganges River.
It is believed that sacred waters not only wash away all sins, but also serve as a path to a new world for the deceased - they are a guide to heaven. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Ganges River gives shelter to a huge number of deceased Hindus trying to get there. The corpses of the deceased are burned on special funeral pyres. After burning, the ashes are collected in an urn, and relatives, sitting in a boat, scatter them over the sacred waters of the river.
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