India's River of Life

PLACES OF PILGRIMAGE

The Ganga is worshiped by Hindus with the greatest pomp and grandeur at Allahabad. It's many names show how important Allahabad is to the pilgrims. It is 'Tirtharaj' the king of pilgrimages - Prayag, Sangam and Triveni. Here the blue waters of the Jamuna meet the cofee brown Ganga and the invisible river Saraswati - a sangam or a meeting of three rivers that gives it a special sanctity. Allahabad comes alive every winter during the Magh Mela and every twelve years it is transformed into a fantastic congregation of the Kumbh Mela. After Allahabad the Ganges heads for Varanai or Benares. It is a city that has loved and worshipped the Ganga with the greatest style. It is one of the oldest living city in the world. In Varanasi all the tortuous lanes seem to lead to the Ganga. It is a city that sings the praises of Shiva and the goddess that he brought down to earth.

	Pilgrims congregate on stepped platforms called ghats on the banks of the sacred river Ganga. A dip in the waters of the Ganges is considered sacred. Offerings line the ghats in preparation for the Chhath harvest ritual. The fuits of the harvest are offered to the river at dawn in thanksgiving. Tourists on the river Ganga at Varanasi.

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