Hindu elder bathing in the sacred Ganges River Hinduism Varanasi Uttar Pradesh India

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Hindu elder bathing in the sacred Ganges River Varanasi Uttar Pradesh India Indians believe that the Ganges the sacred river that runs through Varanasi has its source in the footprints of Shiva and that bathing in the Ganges from one of its ghats ritual stairways leading to the river cleanses all the sins Visiting Varanasi at least once in a lifetime is every Indian s goal and dying there insures the greatest chance of moksha release from the cycle of rebirth Of all the cities devoted to Shiva god of internal knowledge Varanasi is nothing else than Kashi the City of Divine Light Excerpt from J Philippe Soule s story The Way of the Sadhu Copyright Jean Philippe Soule

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Photo credit: © Jean-Philippe Soule / Alamy / Afripics
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