First Day on the Ganges

Monday, 16 February 2015

This part of the river was not what I expected: it's wide (very wide!), smooth, and remote. Except for the occasional ferry, there are virtually no water craft on the river.

Bridges across the Ganges are few and far between. This is the railroad and highway bridge at Munger. Cremation grounds are in the foreground.

Most of the ferries transporting people across the river were fairly simple boats.

Of course, these are general purpose boats and can carry cargo as well as passengers.

The river is shallow with many sand bars.

The river bank is many feet of sand, silt, and clay.

We saw an occasional sailboat. The foreground structure is there to stabilize a sandbar and keep the river navigable.

Birds (herons? storks?) on a sand bar. All the sand made it feel like a desert at times.

Buffalo coming down to the river.

Temples and mosques on hilltops.

At Sultanganj, the shore becomes more substantial.

Sultanganj

Temple at Sultanganj.

Mosque at Sultanganj. Note the high-water marks on the rocks at the base.