(December 27)  went to Hadiwar and Rishiskesh today. Both are cities on the Ganges. Hadiwar is one of the seven holy cities in India. People come to Hadiwar to connect with their ancestors through the river. It is considered a blessing to touch the water of the Ganges. Better yet, immersing yourself in the river can demonstrate your faith. People were dunking themselves in the river despite it being winter here and the water very cold

. There are priests nearby to offer consultations and blessings. People also make offerings to their loved but departed ancestors. They float flower-filled leaf bowls with burning incense down the river. Hindus consider it very sacred to have your ashes thrown into the Ganges as this sends you into a better afterlife. People have funerals by the river and if you die in another part of India, people often bring your ashes to the Ganges. We saw a funeral being prepared as we waited for our ferry yesterday. The body was laid out on the riverbank and people were gathering rocks and wood for the fire. The ashes would then be scattered into the river.

We went into the bazaar at Hadiwar and took the “ropeway to the gods” up the mountain to a shrine dedicated to a goddess of fertility. We made no offerings! The whole way was very crowded and we accepted that coming in the winter season made it possible to see this temple. The crowds in the summer are way, way worse and we couldn’t imagine being in that crowd. Without meaning to we found ourselves in a line to be blessed by one or more of the three priests sitting near the temple. We got out of there with one blessing and a dot of orange paint on our foreheads.

Our final stop of the day was the Aarti ritual at an ashram in Rishikesh. An ashram is a place for meditation and spiritual study. The monks and students have a sunset ceremony to honour Shiva and Ganga, the river goddess. It was interesting but somewhat confusing. Our guide was helpful but the Hindu stories are complex and his English was halting. It was definitely an experience worth having.