« | »

SOURCE OF THE GANGES

The Gangotri glacier, high up in the Indian Himalayas and close to the China border, is the glacier that feeds the Ganges river. It is however experiencing a worrying trend that is affecting glaciers all over the world; it is getting smaller and has, according to NASA satellite imagery, retreated 850 meters in the last 25 years alone. More than 350 million Indians are dependent on this river and its decline could impact Indian daily life in unimaginable ways.

But its worrying retreat does not stop thousands of Hindu pilgrims making the exhausting trip to the small town of Gangotri, the spiritual source of the Ganges, each year to pay homage to the river and to take a bath in its icy cold water that will, according to Hindu religion, wash away all sins.