The Ganges is the most sacred river for Hindus. All devout Hindus are advised to take a dip in it during their lifetime and perform religious rituals. The name "Ganges", which ends in "-es", came to English via Latin from ancient Greek sources, especially during the wars of Alexander the Great, who entered India around 326 BC.
It is the third largest river in the world and is vital to millions of Indians who live along the river. The river is about 2,500 km long and flows through India and Bangladesh. In India, it flows from the west in the Himalayas and east to Bangladesh and south from the mountains of Rishikesh to the pilgrimage city of Haridwar and Varanasi. In India, they say Ganga ma, it is praised as mother Ganges and has a central role in several rituals, especially after death. As you may know, Hindus are not buried. We are cremated and the best place is by the Ganges. A separate area is dedicated to the purpose and unauthorized persons are not allowed. Up to 8-10 such ceremonies can take place at once and the process takes several hours. Finally, the ashes can be scattered over the Ganges to achieve moksha ; liberation from the circle of rebirth and death.
Both pilgrimage towns have ghats , stone steps leading down into the holy ground for performing rituals and cremation (separate ghats ). In the evening there is a separate ceremony called aarti (closing ceremony).
I have visited Mother Ganges on several occasions, both on my culinary trips to India with Norwegian guests to Varanasi and private visits to Haridwar. It is a spiritual experience that is a bit difficult to put into words, it probably differs from person to person depending on personal development. I have seen Norwegian men and women put candles and flowers on the water, in memory of their deceased relatives just like I did. When I see this, I get a good feeling and see a meaning in my job :)
