Kolkata - Durga Puja - Riverside rituals
The Ganges is the holy river in Sanskrit mythology represented by the goddess Ganga. A dip in the Ganga purifies from past sins and grants absolution. Many desire to die at the Ganga - the town of Varanasi (Benares) is the preferred place - or at least have their ash dispersed in the river. Personal religious cleansing rituals at the riverside, sacrificing flowers or bits of food and large ceremonies during festivals are all happening there. As a stunning contrast to the spritual procedures the very mundane activities of basic body care like brushing teeth are carried out at the waterfront for practical reasons by those who do not enjoy the luxury of a water tap.
The Ganges is quite often not a clear cut stream but splits in various sidearms and canals. In Kolkata the river is called Hugli (or হুগলী, anglicized Hooghly / Hooghli) spanned by the Hoara (or Howrah) bridge. With a total length of about 750m and a 450m span without support pylons it's one of the busiest bridges of the world.
Read MoreThe Ganges is quite often not a clear cut stream but splits in various sidearms and canals. In Kolkata the river is called Hugli (or হুগলী, anglicized Hooghly / Hooghli) spanned by the Hoara (or Howrah) bridge. With a total length of about 750m and a 450m span without support pylons it's one of the busiest bridges of the world.
The "baron" ritual (red powder ceremony)
Before immersing into the Ganga the idol is worshipped by the Bengali women with sindoor (or sindur).
Sindoor is a traditional red or orange-red colored cosmetic powder from the Indian subcontinent, usually worn by married
women along the parting of their hair. Usage of sindoor denotes that a woman is married in many Hindu communities, and
ceasing to wear it usually implies widowhood. The main component of traditional sindoor is usually vermilion.
