Ganga

Ganga

Pratihara Dynasty, 8th Century CE.,Bhopal Museum

         The holiest of the rivers in India, River Ganga (Ganges) adorns the door bracket of the inner sanctum of a temple.  Seen as a  beautiful damsel on a multi - bodied animal ( a Makar), She carries a pot of the holy water of the river. 

        Hindus believe that a dip in the holy river cleans them of their sins; immersion of the ashes of the dead,  leads to liberation from the cycle of life and death or to Moksha. 

        According to Hindu mythology Ganga descended from the heavens at the request of Sage Bhagirath.  In order to break it's velocity of descent lest it should shatter earth, Lord Shiva received her in his hair. Since the river begins it's journey in the Himalaya, she is said to be lost in the locks of Lord Shiva. 

       Ganga  has always symbolised purity, knowledge, truthfulness, and spirituality. In 19th century India, a Hindu witness in a court would swear the oath over a Gangajali  ( a pot containing   the water of the Holy River). 

        But the modern Hindu is least bothered about the purity of the river. Presently it is one of the most polluted rivers of India.