Reflecting on the Ganges

Wanted to show you more of what goes on at the Ganges River at Varanasai. This is a sacred site, and a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage for some.

We arrived before dawn, and people were streaming in through the narrow, littered, congested streets of the old city. Perhaps, as anywhere, the ones who arrive at the break of day are the most devoted.

Flowers and flower petals are thrown in, probably in the same manner that the priest did with us (photos in previous blog post), tearing the flowers apart and saying something before we threw in each handful.

The endless vendors, often young children, offer little candle boats, made of pressed leaves and containing flowers, petals, and a tiny candle. My candle was a daub of wax or fat with a piece of string stuck in it, about the size of a dime.



Rituals include a full bath, often including repeated dunking, facing the sunrise on the opposite bank. Pouring of water from a container back into the river is another.

The women do all this dressed in saris. The men strip down to shorts. Only the smallest of children are completely naked.



The banks are full of many "holy men" and other characters. Like this guy: