The Ganges River, which flows through India and Bangladesh, is often perceived by Western observers as one of the most polluted rivers on the planet. In fact, nearly five billion liters of sewage are discharged into the river daily, much of it untreated, along with industrial effluents and waste from body cremations.
However, for the Hindu religion, the Ganges transcends the definition of a mere waterway. According to Hinduism, one of the world's oldest beliefs, the Ganges is personified as the deity Ma Ganga, the 'Mother Ganges.' It is said that she descended to Earth using the hair of the god Shiva with the purpose of purifying the ancestral souls of Bhagiratha, a Hindu sage and king. Thus, Ma Ganga formed the Ganges River, which possesses unique characteristics of healing and purification.
Bathing in the waters of the Ganges symbolizes the abandonment of negative energies and impurities. Dying in this river is equally auspicious, as it represents achieving moksha, or spiritual liberation. For this reason, followers of Hinduism have performed such rituals for centuries, attracting devotees from all over the world to come into contact with the water, which some individuals even consume.
Although the entire stretch of the Ganges River is considered sacred, there is a place of particular prominence: the city of Varanasi, located in India, on the left bank of the river, recognized as the holiest within Hinduism. Also known as Benares or Kashi, this city has a rich religious history, based on the Hindu belief that it was created by the god Shiva. Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and has served as a commercial center and capital at various points in its history.
Residents and pilgrims use the river for a wide range of activities, including personal hygiene, laundry, religious practices, and economic purposes, utilizing boats for tours. However, these activities are organized and segregated through dozens of ghats, which are steps providing access to the river, and each of these locations has a specific function.
The Manikarnika ghat is notorious for being the site designated for cremations. This location continuously burns bodies, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for several decades, processing over a hundred bodies daily at that single point. The challenge arises with population growth in India, causing the practices carried out on the Ganges to exceed the river's physical capacity. Besides the more than one million residents of Varanasi, millions of visitors arrive at the site annually; in 2025, over 72 million tourists were recorded. Consequently, about 32 thousand bodies are deposited in the river annually, either as ashes or wrapped bodies.
Due to its extreme importance, the segment of the Ganges in Varanasi ranks among the most polluted, showing a bacterial concentration 150 times higher than what is considered safe for bathing. The environmental problem generates constant debate among the faithful and part of the Indian population. While some advocate for sanitation projects for the Ganges River, fulfilling long-standing political promises, other individuals have opted to suspend their religious practices in the river due to the water's health risks. Conversely, certain Hindus resist the idea of cleaning, maintaining their conviction in the inherent healing power of the water.
