#ganges

[tumblbidi]

A christmas in banaras

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #FishFriday:

The Goddess Ganga

c. 1650-75

India (Mandi, Himachal Pradesh)

opaque watercolor, gold, & silver on paper

on display at Philadelphia Museum of Art

“The Hindu goddess Ganga personifies India's most important river, the holy Ganges, that begins high in the Himalayan mountains and flows south into the Bay of Bengal. Here she holds a vessel brimming with Ganges water while sitting atop an enormous fish — the humpback mahseer, a species of carp native to the Ganges.

Ganga also holds a lotus flower, a symbol of purity and abundance. Mythical creatures peek from the waves and waterbirds soar across dark monsoon clouds.”

[ritish16]

Gangadhara

[fiddlyfoxglove]

Varanasi, India

[meta-holott]

1978 Bangladesh, Dakha, sleeping by the Ganges

[teanicolae]

on the banks of Gaṅgā

you held me all night, my Lord unseen to the eye, your grace, a lover's touch, wrapped my skin unheard to the ears, your name, my japa, vibrated through my braincells

Monsoon One, do you long for me as fully as i long for you? do you call on me as ardently as i call on you? you do, don't you, my Lord? i am not alone in this quest

for every step i take towards you, you take two towards me for every tear i spill in yearning for you, you ignite vīrya in my skin tissue for every test of yours that i fail, you yank me freer of delusion

i see it now, Hari. you have been pulling me by my hair and hands to you. it was all you. it was always all you.

if i run to you as fast as my legs can take me, will you meet me halfway?

you will, won't you, my Lord?

🦚 Happy Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī! 🙏 poem from my upcoming collection "the Monsoon One and the pilgrim". 💛

photo: Rishikesh, October 2022.

[ancientorigins]

In diverse cultures from India to Tibet, living relatives perform intricate rituals to aid the dead in their spiritual journey, reflecting a shared belief in the importance of guiding souls into the afterlife.

[shloen]

Shiva on the bank of the Ganges in Rishikesh

[singeratlarge]

BY REQUEST--SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: “All I Ever Need Is Love”—Rishikesh is a small city in India, set in the Himalayan foothills and known for temples, schools, and scenic views of the Ganges River*. On the edge of town sits the former ashram where, in 1968, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi famously met with The Beatles, Donovan, Mike Love, and other notables to learn about meditation. Fast forward to 2016 for our month-long India tour. We had a few days in Rishikesh—a lovely city—walking around, getting my ears cleaned (a story unto itself), singing songs, and becoming the first Western musicians to perform live in one of the prestigious temples (an auspicious occasion). Later we found the Yogi’s former ashram (now a tiger reserve). Back in the USA a few years later, this song came to me—a George Harrison-inspired playback of our adventure in Rishikesh, with allusions to “white album” songs, the landscape, the tour bus, and the Fab 4. This was recorded by Uma Robin Mackey in our backyard in San Francisco. The silk shirt I’m wearing was custom made in Varanasi (a gift from Uma)…

*Which reminded me of creeks and rivers where I grew up in Pennsylvania.

#Rishikesh #India #Beatles #GeorgeHarrison #Liverpool #meditation #ashram #yoga #Donovan #temple #Ganges #MikeLove #tiger #whitealbum #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #Varanasi #silkshirt

[postcard-from-the-past]

View of Ganges, Languedoc region of France

French vintage postcard

[eopederson2]

Coast Guard Station, Ganges, Salt Spring Island, 2019

[tumblbidi]

Khudko 2024 mai photographer ghoshit krra hoon

[gringadano]

[harekrishna108]

SRI GANGA DEVI

[nickdewolfarchive]

Varanasi, India 1972

Bathers, Ganges River

Photograph by Nick DeWolf https://www.flickr.com/photos/dboo/14731760433

[meta-holott]

1978 Bangladesh, Dakha, sleeping by the Ganges