KEY CHARACTERS
The main characters in the story of the
origin of the Ganges, besides Sagara, are
Kapila and Bhagiratha; both were wise
and devoted to dharma (moral duty).
Kapila’s power came from his reverence
for Vishnu and his knowledge
of yogic philosophy.
Bhagiratha’s kingdom was beset by
natural disasters, so he went to the
Himalayas and did penance to absolve
the sins of his predecessors.
THE SACRED RIVER
All rivers are sacred in Hinduism, and
ritual purification by river water has
a long history in southern Asia. But
the waters of the Ganges are especially
sacred and are believed to be a powerful
curative. Bathing in the Ganges washes
away all the past sins of a person. And if
a dead person’s ashes are immersed in the
Ganges, their soul is freed from the
unending cycle of death and rebirth. Many
Hindus aim to bathe in the Ganges at least
once in their lifetime and hope that after
they die and are cremated, their relatives
will be able to scatter their ashes in the
holy river. Charity is considered another
sacred duty of Hindus, so pilgrims give
alms to the sages and poor people living
on the banks of the river.THE GODDESS GANGA
The River Ganges is worshipped as the goddess Ganga, a daughter of
Himavat (meaning “snow-clad”), the personification of the Himalayas.
According to a myth, the goddess agreed to marry King Shantanu
provided he did not question any of her actions.
They had seven children, but she drowned
each of them in her waters as soon as they
were born. When the distraught king asked
her the reason, she said she was destined
to give birth to divine beings called vasus,
who were doomed to be born as humans.
By casting them into her waters, she had
released them from this curse.WORSHIPPING THE GODDESS
Pilgrims visit the Ganges in thousands, especially in the holy
cities such as Rishikesh, Haridwar, Allahabad, and Varanasi,
which stand on its banks. Devotees throng these places during
major festivals such as the Kumbh Mela, when some of the
world’s largest gatherings of people are seen. Ritual sacrifices
are made to the Ganges and oferings to the river goddess
include flowers, fruits, and money.Devotees on the banks of the GangesThe Himalayas
The Ganges originates from the Gangotri glacier
in the Himalayas. These mountains are also the
source of the rivers Brahmaputra and Yamuna.Kapila’s fury
After the sage
burned Sagara’s
sons to ashes, he
told the king that their
souls would be denied
salvation until the River
Ganges cleansed them.Bhagiratha
Since Bhagiratha was responsible
for bringing the River Ganges to
Earth by his austere penance, the
sacred river was also popularly
known as the Bhagirathi.Prayer ceremony
Every day at sundown, devotees pay homage
to the River Ganges with flowers, lighted
lamps, and the chanting of mantras.THE ORIGIN OF THE GANGESGanga, the river goddess107