A million Hindus take a dip in Ganges

[struggle4progress]

February 16, 2007

LUCKNOW, India --Over a million devout Hindus plunged into the chilly waters of the revered Ganges River on Friday, as part of a pilgrimage to cleanse believers of their sins.

Since the festival started Jan. 3, nearly 70 million pilgrims from all over the world have immersed themselves in at the confluence of three of Hinduism's holiest rivers _ the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mystical Sarasvati ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/16/AR2007021601851.html


Feb. 12, 2007, 2:15AM
India's Tainted Treasure
Polluting of 'Mother Ganges' spurs holy men into action
Government's promises to clean the filthy river always fall short

By TIM SULLIVAN
Associated Press

... They filed lawsuits, called news conferences and organized protests.

"The government has promised us they would stop dirty water from flowing into Mother Ganges, but it's still being done," Narendranand Saraswati, a monastery leader, told thousands of followers gathered by the Ganges. "We want the entire country to know we will not stop until the river is clean!" ...

Every six years, millions of pilgrims gather for the Ardh Kumbh Mela, or Half Grand Pitcher Festival, held where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, along with the mythical Saraswati River, come together ...

But it's more than just dirty. Scientists say sewage has devastated the 1,550-mile river, which spills from a Himalayan glacier and cuts through India's plains before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Scientists have found places near here with a fecal bacteria count nearly 4,000 times the World Health Organization standard for bathing ...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4544756.html