Where Did the Ganges Go?

We arrived at our hotel in Haridwar after a one-hour flight from Delhi to Dehradun, and walking from the plane I relished being back in the rarified air of the Himalayas. During the hour-long ride from the airport I noticed both the amazing changes that have taken place since my first trip in 1975, as well as the excitement of knowing that I would soon be bathing in the Ganges.

The Mother Ganges is one of the three holy rivers of India, which finds its source high in the Himalayas. Pilgrims travel not only from throughout India, but also from around the globe for the opportunity to wash away their sins in Haridwar (its name means 'the gate of Lord Vishnu').

pilgrims in the water of the Mother Ganga

Fifteen miles (and an hour drive) up river from Haridwar is Rishikesh:

'Home of the Rishis'

Rishikesh became a household name in 1968 when the Beatles visited the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This was the place where the Beatles composed the music and lyrics to The White Album, and John lived in this cottage:

Look closely, does the number of the cottage ring a bell?

Both cities are known for their pursuit of spiritual wisdom, offering only vegetarian cuisine and serving no alcohol. The fish grow as large as dolphins and come up to eat right out of your hand.

In Rishikesh it's against the law to kill anything.
They even have a natural, non-lethal cockroach spray!

My favorite story isn't about the Beatles, though, but rather the legend of how this sacred river came to be. Mother Ganga was concerned that if she came directly down from heaven, it would harm her children on the Earth below. Lord Shiva gave the perfect solution, allowing the water to fall onto the top of his head and then flow from the Himalayas into the plains of eastern India. Depictions of Lord Shiva therefore often show the Ganga flowing from his head:

Lord Shiva

Arriving at our hotel, I was shocked to discover that the Ganges was a mere trickle compared to how I remembered it:

in the distance the Ganga trickles along

'Where did the Ganges go?’ I wondered.

the photo behind Sandy, Erica, and Fern
shows the Ganges flowing at its best

It turns out that it was diverted so they could clean the riverbed in preparation for the Festival of Diwali, five days of celebration and gift giving observed by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jainists alike. It is often called the 'festival of lights, and ‘Happy Diwali’ was heard throughout our travels the last few days of the tour.

workers cleaning the riverbed in preparation for Diwali

Sadly, the sight of the dry riverbed also reminded us that the glaciers high in the Himalayas are rapidly decreasing because of global warming. Some estimate that during our lifetime the Ganges will be dry, and as we watched the people cleaning out the riverbed, I couldn't help but wonder what the future holds for the tens of millions of people dependent on Mother Ganga.

Every evening thousands of people come out to chant
and thank Mother Ganges for being in their life. It is AWESOME!

In Haridwar we took a cable car up to the Chandi Devi Temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Mansa Mata and sits atop a mountain overlooking the Ganges. The King of Kashmir, Suchat Singh, established the temple in 1929 and worshipers believe that the temple's main statue (murti) dates back to the 8th Century and was placed there by a great saint of India named Adi Shankracharya.

cable car to Chandi Devi Temple

That night the group enjoyed a rooftop satsang:

Gary with Michael and Liz
(It's cool at night!)

By far though, the entire group was most taken by Rishikesh, where for thousands of years yogis have gathered to practice meditation, prayer and chanting. It's also home to the Sivananda Ashram, where my Guruji Swami Satchidanada studied with Swami Sivananda:

the group at the Sivananda Ashram

And a close-up of the pillar behind us:

This was our theme song during my years with
Swami Satchidananda at the Integral Yoga Institute.

There are swamis, naga babas, yogis, Sikhs and every combination of spiritual seeker here, each of them with one goal in mind – to experience liberation (moksha). Our group chanted on a beach, meditated, and then dipped our mala beads into the river. Then Kalyani and I took five quick dips in the freezing cold glacial water.

Gary and Kalyani, moments before dunking themselves

The group spent two days soaking up the holy vibrations in this home of the Rishis (divinely-inspired poets and sages), and we left knowing that we will always carry the vibration of this special place in our hearts. Upon returning to Haridwar in the evening, we were all excited to hear Mother Ganga once again shouting to us. The riverbed had been cleaned and the mighty water that bathes, nourishes and purifies millions of Indians was flowing once more.

the Mother Ganga returned to her glory