Morning Puja on Ganga Ma (Mother Ganges River) : Varanasi (6), India

Hands with an offering of flowers and water, Varanasi, India.

Hands on the Offering
Everyday, faithful Hindus – priests and laypeople – say prayers and make offerings of flame, food, and flowers to Ganga Ma, the holy Ganges River at Varanasi, India.

The Ganges River is India’s lifeblood, flowing 2525 kilometres (1570 m) from her source in a glacier in the Himalaya, across India and Bangladesh, and into the Bay of Bengal. The river is sacred: personified as Ganga Ma, mother to humanity.

Hindus worship Ganga Ma as the goddess of purification and forgiveness. Some places along the river banks have taken on additional spiritual significance, with the ghats (steps) at Varanasi being particularly special. Bathing here can purify the soul, and if you die here, you are freed from the endless cycle of rebirth.

Every morning (see: Light in the Darkness) and every evening (see: Life and Death on the Varanasi Ghats) Hindu priests perform the ritual aarati (arti, aarti, arati, arathi, aarthi, aarthy, or arthy) to Mother Ganga. The cacophony of chanting and clanging of bells means the break of day is far from quiet… but there is a kind of a calm in spite of the noise, as the prayers which are offered to the sacred river are performed in their slow, measured paces.

But it is not just the priests: everyone who visits Varanasi bathes in the river as a symbolic purifying ritual. Women who have come to the river as pilgrims go to the muddy edge of the water with their baskets of bits to perform a pūjā, an the act of worship. They make round piles from the river mud and carefully decorate these with flowers, herbs, and spices that they have brought with them. A small butter lamp is lit, prayers are said and water from the river is splashed and drunk. When all is finished, the lumps of clay are returned to the river, and we can all hope for an easier time in the next life.

Perhaps now that time has passed, I can tell the story of how I drank water from the Ganges – and survived.

I had spend a lot of time at the river bank at Assi Ghat photographing the women as they made their offerings. As I was about to leave, three of them consulted each other in Hindi, then turned to me: “Stay, Sister!” One of them made a new set of offerings – clearly on my behalf. I felt honoured, as I was tikka’d and blessed by them, but I admit to being a little nervous while they watched me like hawks to make sure I ate their sweet raisins and ‘drank’ the sacred river. I tried not to swallow too much!

Fortunately, I was fine, and didn’t have to confess to my guides. Not everyone fares so well (eg: SBS Topics: Beliefs and Bacteria).

Person silhouetted by the light of a shrine, Varanasi street, India

Offerings to the Shrine
Except for the bare bulbs in the garish shrines, the pre-dawn streets are completely dark.

Orange figure in a shrine, Varanasi street, India

The Shrine
I think this might be Hanuman, the monkey God, but I’m not sure.

Morning Meditation
The waterfront is dark, with the city lights along the river stretching out to the north. Boys wander the waterfront with baskets of diyas, the small candles surrounded by flowers that are lit for floating on the river.

Morning Aarati
The metal aarati plate of scented ghee smokes in the the pre-dawn light.

Ring the Bell
The lengthy ceremony uses lamps, incense, bells, conch shells, and sometimes feathers, at specific parts.

Call the Gods
Bells focus the mind and alert the Gods to our prayers.

Circling the Flame
The flame in the metal aarati plate or lamp represents the power of the deity.

Candelabra
The chanting sequences are repeated with a giant flaming candelabra …

The Long Pause
… until finally, the ceremony is finished …

The Apparatus
… and quiet falls. The dawn light slowly emerges.

A Tender Dawn
As the sun approaches the horizon, boats are already out on the river.

Pūjā at Sunrise
Paying honour to Ma Ganga takes a number of forms, including taking a ritual bath in the river and offering sacred water to the sun.

Pūjā Offerings
The loving offering of light, flowers, and water or food to the divine, is an essential practice in Hinduism.

Offering Light
Light, in the form of a flame, is the final element in the offering.

Making Offerings
All along the riverbank, women with their baskets of brass jugs, utensils, flowers, and spices, construct their offerings.

Woman on the Ganges
It was a meditative process watching the women construct their gifts for the Mother.

Incense
Smoke from burning incense is cupped in the hands and waved into ones face.

Decorating the Offering
The balls of mud, made from the riverbed, are carefully decorate with spices …

Flowers
… and flowers. Every element has a purpose and meaning …

The Offering
… and the finished product is quite beautiful.

Women and their Paraphernalia
All along the river’s edge, the process is repeated.

Woman on the Riverbank

Woman in Red

Sail Away
The offerings, like life, are ephemeral. Once given to the Mother, they are absorbed back into the river.

This visit to the mighty Mother was a long time ago, and I have shared some of these pictures in different formats before. But, I always feel rejuvenated when I revisit these images: there really is something magic in those polluted waters.

Until next time,