The Ganges river is one of the most sacred places in India. We got there right as the sun rose to beat the crowds which flow in each day. Speaking of flowing, you might notice that many areas of the Ganges here have steps leading down to it and this was the dry season and thus you see more steps than you would in other seasons. Due to the annual Monsoon, there is a huge variability in the size and force of the river seasonally.
There are shrines and religious ceremony literally all along the river, going on around the clock. Here you see a little prayer area where people can light incense and give thanks to a large variety of different gods.
When the river is high this land is usually covered up and it can shift a great deal depending on where the river currents go.
I know that I mentioned this is one of the more sacred places in India, but it does not mean that it doesn't also function as a place for waste disposal and industrial runoff just like just about any other major river in any developing nation. Hindus believe that bathing in this water purifies you and makes you at least spiritually clean. That is why you will see so many bathers in more pictures further down.
You will note many camps here and there, they are often temporary pilgrimages but some are home to permanent residents. Often monks or other devout religious believers.
This is a good example of some of the land subsidence that happens through time, although the river is at this point at it's lowest level there are still some buildings that are lower still because the underlying earth has washed away over many years.
A number of people put flowers, money and other things into the water with their prayers and our boat captain had no problem plucking these out of the water if any came close enough.
If you see anybody whose body is ash covered, that is because they are indeed covered in ashes. Many people bring their bodies of deceased people they care about to be burned on a funeral pyre on the Ganges. Some of these pictures might have a smokey thing in the background and if you zoom in you will see that these are all burning bodies and they are a constant presence as we move down the river. These holy men rub those ashes on their bodies and usually walk around nude, though I happened to catch one with a little clothing so I thought I should take a picture.
The building with the smokestack here is for people who can't afford to bring firewood themselves for the funeral pyre. These establishments use coal or other sources of fuel to create the bodies and the ashes are all put into the river.
Many places have large sand deposits which are washed ashore during the annual flooding.
