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.