First of all, let me say that I believe the Ganges River is polluted. Not only have I read a most informative article on the subject in Smithsonian magazine, but also I have pictures. 

The stone configuration is a kind of washboard for those who wish to wash their clothing in the Ganges River. The other stuff is…er, other stuff.

I mention this because one very popular activity on the ghats (steps) of the Ganges is bathing. In the river.

And not just bathing. I saw people pouring the water over their heads. I saw people drinking from it. Dan saw a man brushing his teeth in the Ganges.

Nearby, a man worships in a temple to Ganga, the Ganges, the divine river. Westerners practice yoga on its banks.

It isn’t just the pollution. Dead bodies are washed in the Ganges. People are cremated nearby and their ashes…are taken home again? Mostly? But more about this in the next post.

Maybe this is just my Western squeamishness, but as beautiful a river as the Ganges is, I would not bathe in it.