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 sk anyone in India about Ganga river and none would say it is a river. For Indians, Ganga remains the eternal mother or the
Ganga Maiya. This mother is the giver of everything, India’s prosperity and India’s spiritual essence. As per the
legend Ganga was brought on earth by King Bhagirath
to wash away with his sons’ ashes all their sins as well. So ferocious was Ganga that fearing the whole earth may get washed away, Lord Shiva himself controlled
he r by tying her in his hair. Another story relates
Ganga as mother of Bhishma (The great grandfather in epic
Mahabharata). Hundreds of such legends and myths are wrapped around Ganga that give Ganga the status of Goddess.
A dip in Ganga is enough to purify the soul, it is believed.
Pilgrims chase its course at every turn. For them the arduous trek to Gangotri
(second longest glacier in the world) is a great event of life. And further down
through its course from Himalayan heights to great Indian Gangetic plains, Ganga has no dearth of holy places on its banks.
For Indians every city on its banks is
a pilgrim site. From Deoprayag where Ganga meets the roaring
Alaknanda to Rishikesh the great abode of saints and Yoga ashrams. Hardwar introduces Ganga with the plains and from here on meandering Ganga sweeps through North India to Bay of Bengal.
Allahabad is
the famed Prayag, site of the largest fai r in world (Kumbh fair held every 12 years is attended by more than 35 million people). Further down Varanasi is the eternal city, the sacred city
of Lord Shiva. Patna known as Pataliputra in ancient times is a city witness to the times of Budhha and great
Mauryas. 
Ganga is part of life in India. Those who live by her consider themselves fortunate. Those who live nowhere
near her course make it a point to keep an urn full of Ganga water in the most sacred place of their homes. Drops of Ganga water are sprinkled to purify anything and dying persons are given a few drops of Ganga water to drink. It’s an ultimate wish of every Hindu that his ashes should be drowned in Ganga after his death and this is a social responsibility which is always
observed by all. Even uttering the name of Ganga is believed to purify speech, people swear by name of Ganga.
For Indians, Ganga is the living Goddess.
From its source at Gaumukh to its mouth at Gangasagar, Ganga covers the story on Indian civilization. It is the river of faith.
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