ORIGINALLY, GANGA WAS A WATER GODDESS WHO FLOWED ONLY IN THE HEAVENS, BUT THEN ONE DAY, SHE WAS ORDERED TO GO DOWN TO EARTH TO WASH AWAY THE SINS OF MANKIND. BUT, GANGA DID NOT WANT TO GO AND THREATENED TO FLOOD THE WHOLE WORLD BY DESCENDING TO THE EARTH AS A TUMULTUOUS WATERFALL. THE GODS WERE SO AFRAID OF HER THAT THEY SOUGHT THE HELP OF SHIVA. AND WHEN GANGA UNDERTOOK HER THREAT, SHIVA CLEVERLY INTERCEPTED HER BY CATCHING HER UP IN HIS MIGHTY LOCKS OF HAIR AND BROUGHT HER GENTLY DOWN TO THE EARTH, WHERE, KNOWN AS THE GANGES, SHE PROVIDES LIFE-GIVING WATER TO THE PEOPLE.
GANGA ENRICHES THE SPIRITUAL LIVES OF MILLIONS OF INDIANS TO WHOM THE RIVER GANGES IS DIVINE, AND PILGRIMS COME FROM ALL OVER TO THE CITIES IN WHICH THE HOLY RIVER FLOWS. HINDUS BELIEVE THAT BATHING IN THE RITUAL WATERS WILL HELP TO WASH AWAY THEIR SINS, AND, HENCE, THEY CONDUCT REPEATED RITUALISTIC WASHINGS IN THE RIVER TO SECURE A PLACE IN HEAVEN. I FOUND THE FOLLOWING AWESOME PICTURE WHICH SHOWS JUST HOW STRONG THE HINDUS BELIEF IN GANGA IS.
HER POWER TO WASH AWAY SINS IS SO STRONGLY BELIEVED THAT THE ASHES OF THE DEAD ARE SPREAD OVER HER.
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