Our river boat, RM Bengal Ganga at Munger, where we boarded
We travelled for 4 days on a Ganges riverboat from Munger to the Farakka Barrages, calling at villages along the way; then we caught the train to Kolkata. The River Ganga (Ganges) originates at the Gangotri Glacier in the western Uttaranchal Himalayas at an altitude of 5 miles; it flows south then generally eastward through the plains of North India to Farakka and into Bangladesh (now called the Padma) where it branches into a web of distributaries before exiting into the Bay of Bengal. The Farraka Barrages divert water through a feeder canal into the Hooghly River which flows through Kolkata. |
Sand collected from the river bottom at Munger, for road works
The second longest bridge across the Ganges
Ajgabhinath Hindu temple at Sultanganj - our first port of call
5th century carvings of Hindu deities at Ajgabhinath
At Sultanganj
Yokes for carrying Ganges water on the upcoming 3 day 110 km pilgrimage walk
The Saturn god which is worshipped on Saturdays
People at Sultanganj
Cremations on the river bank at Sultanganj
