Life, Colour, and Chaos along the Ganges, Haridwar, India

A woman in yellow in the Ganges, Haridwar India

Washing amid the Marigolds
On the Haridwar Ghats on the River Ganges, a young woman dressed in the same colours as the flower-offerings around her, rinses out some cloths.

India is a collection of colourful paradoxes.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the Holy Cities along the Ganges: that river that is the embodiment of all the sacred waters in Hindu mythology and at the same time, one of the most contaminated rivers in the world.

So, while it is said that you wash away your sins by bathing in the Ganges, the toxic waters could also kill you.

I love wandering through Indian streets with a camera: so much life goes on in public, and most people are willing to invite strangers into their world. This is especially true in places like Haridwar, an ancient and very holy city in North India’s Uttarakhand state. In this pilgrimage city, many of the people one meets in the streets are travelers, carrying their belongings with them, and pleased to have arrived at this holy place. They will happily share a cup of masala chai with the foreigner in their midst and smile for the camera.

Various legendary stories are told about how the Goddess Ganga came from heaven to earth and created the river Ganges (Ganga) near Haridwar; in geographic terms, the river has flowed for 253 kilometres (157 mi) from its source high (4,023 m / 13,200 ft) at Gaumukh (Gomukh) at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier before flattening out into the Gangetic Plain. The city is located on the banks of the river, close enough to the source that the waters running through it are clear, cool, and fast-flowing.

Haridwar has been called the ‘Gateway to Gods’. It is said to have been sanctified by the presence of three Hindu Gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. It is also one of the saptapurī, or “seven cities” where Hindu pilgrims can be blessed with moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death. In addition, it is one of only four cities where drops from the “pot of amrita – the nectar of immortality” fell to earth: cities that as a consequence host the huge Kumbh Mela religious gathering once every 12 years (see: Kumbh Mela).

On this particular trip to Haridwar, I had arrived in the morning, via an overnight train from Delhi (see: The Rails and Roads of India). My accommodation was centrally located a short distance from the sacred Ganga Ma, so I took myself out into the streets for a photo-walk before meeting up with my group for the evening Ganga Aarti (Watch this space!).

Join me in the streets and waters of Haridwar.

Embroidered felt vests in a shopfront, Haridwar India

Felted Vests
One of the many things I love about India is the beautiful handicrafts available everywhere, …

Men in a shop selling felt vests and embroidered fabrics, Haridwar India

Textile Sellers
… and the fact that the shopkeepers are smiling and friendly, even when they know I’m not going to buy anything.

Buying Textiles
Even if I’m not shopping, someone else might be!

Building Front
The buildings are finely decorated and colourfully painted.

Leaping Macaque
Monkeys are at home everywhere …

Sow in the Street
… and while wandering cows are a common sight, I was rather surprised by this well-fed pig. I’m not sure if the man was with her, or just posing opportunistically.

Just Stopping – Not Parking

Sree Sree Bholanand Sannyas Ashram
This close to the holy river, there are countless Ashrams, each with its own spiritual leader.

A Splash of Colour

Tikka Seller

Religious Paraphernalia
Spiritual practices along the Ganges include: the tying of strings around the wrist or other parts of the body before performing a religious ceremony like a pooja; making offerings of puffed rice and spices; collecting the holy waters in a kumbh or a plastic jug; …

Tikka Powder
… and placing a tilaka (mark) on the Ajna chakra (third eye) with tikka powder made of sindoor (vermillion), ash, sandalwood paste, turmeric, or other products.

Woman Selling Shirts
Some of the products on offer in the street are more prosaic.

Street Seller
I don’t know how much the shirts were selling for – but the ten rupee in this woman’s hand is worth about USD $0.12.

Flower Offerings for Sale
Flowers are among the things offered to Mother Ganga; these days they are usually in a biodegradable cardboard, or in a banana leaf, rather than in the foil trays that were once common. I love the care with which products are laid out.

Shiva Shrine on the Ganges
Haridwar sits at the boundary between the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the south and the foothills of the Himalaya to the north. Here, the waters of the Ganges River are still running clear and cold from their mountain origins.

Young Women
The ghats along the river see a mixture of all aspects of daily life – including groups of young women in pristine school uniforms.

Ganges Water
The River Ganges is believed to be the embodiment of the Goddess of salvation, Ganga Ma, or Mother Ganges. The holy river is thought to cleanse believers both spiritually and physically – and so devotees often carry water home with them.

Ganges Ghats
The river is India’s lifeblood, flowing 2704 km (1680 mi) from its source in the Gangotri glacier in the Himalaya, through the heartland of North India, and into Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal.