Mother Ganges

On my last weekend in India, I decided to go on a pilgrimage to Haridwar, where the Ganges flows from the Himalayas. I had been mulling where to go when someone told me about the Aarti, a ceremony held there everyday at dusk, when baskets made of leaves are floated down the Ganges bearing flower petals, lit candles and whispered prayers.

It was an uplifting, purifying experience sitting on the ghats with a thick crowd of pilgrims who had gone there to immerse themselves in the sacred waters of Mother Ganges. As the sun set, bells began to peal and music started playing, as more and more candles were released downstream. Torches were lit and swung over the currents every time one of the baskets bearing the candles floated by. Later, priests went around the ghats bearing burning lamps and I imitated the other pilgrims, passing my hands over the flames and drawing its smoke to myself.