Dawn on the Ganges in India is a beautiful thing

Golden hues, pastel buildings and the sweet lapping of India’s most holy of rivers. Taking a boat trip up the Ganges is a must if you visit north India. It’s certainly one of my “India Highlights”.

The story behind this photograph

I’d spent the previous evening on a boat watching the nightly celebrations over the Ganges. From a day of watch, smelling and sensing the cremations it’s quite relaxing to expereince an evening of quiet musics and dance.

At a ghat during pre-dawn I clambored into a small paddle boat wondering if the morning would be back to the cremations and not such a pleasent start to the day.

Instead as darkness gave way to the gold tinted light the Ganges revealed anohter side. The start of life for that day. Men, women and children all came down to the river.

Some bathed, others prayed while more begane washing clothes. It’s a jostle of emotions to see such diversity as wood is prepared over pires. Later the ashes of the dceases would be pushed into the waters.

These two men were brushing their teeth and washing themselves in the same waters. To them it’s holy water capable of curing them of aliments. To me it was an idelyic scene.

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