page_title: Ganga in Hinduism
hierarchical_section_title: Ganga in Hinduism
caption_attribution_description: English: Ganga: "Digitized Kalighat paintings from 19th century Calcutta, created as inexpensive souvenirs for Hindu pilgrims visiting the famous temple of Kali"
context_page_description: In Hinduism, the river Ganga is considered sacred and is personified as the goddess Gaṅgā. She is worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists who believe that bathing in the river causes the remission of sins and facilitates Moksha, and that the water of the Ganges is considered very pure. Pilgrims immerse the ashes of their kin in the river Ganga, which is considered by them to bring the spirits closer to moksha.
  Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the Ganges, including Gangotri, Haridwar, Allahabad, Varanasi and Kali Ghat in Kolkata. During the Loy Krathong festival in Thailand, candlelit floats are released into waterways to honour Gautama Buddha and goddess Ganga for good fortune and washing away sins.
context_section_description: In Hinduism, the river Ganga is considered sacred and is personified as the goddess Gaṅgā. She is worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists who believe that bathing in the river causes the remission of sins and facilitates Moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death), and that the water of the Ganges is considered very pure. Pilgrims immerse the ashes of their kin in the river Ganga, which is considered by them to bring the spirits closer to moksha.
  Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the Ganges, including Gangotri, Haridwar, Allahabad, Varanasi and Kali Ghat in Kolkata. During the Loy Krathong festival in Thailand, candlelit floats are released into waterways to honour Gautama Buddha and goddess Ganga for good fortune and washing away sins (pāpa in Sanskrit, used to describe actions that create negative karma by violating moral and ethical codes, which brings negative consequences).
caption: Goddess Ganga riding her mount Makara
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