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Ganges
Rising from the pure glacial meltwaters of the Himalayas, the Ganges (Gang Ma or Great Mother) flows down onto India’s northern plain and heads eastward into the swamplands of Bangladesh, finally discharging a vast, 310 mile tongue of silt into the Bay of Bengal. As well as filling wells and irrigating crops to sustain the cities and villages along its banks, it is the spiritual lifeblood of India’s primary religion, Hinduism. Bathing in the Ganges remains the lifelong ambition of many of India’s believing masses, who consider the river to be a living goddess. Ganges reveals the source of the river high in the Himalayas—the youngest mountain range in the world—and follows its route as it sharply incises the mountains on its journey southeast. Along the way, we discover the Hindu story of the river's creation and how it supports the myriad forms of life that thrive on its banks, and learn about the early exploration attempts by British explorers. With stunning images by photographer Jon Nicholson and accompanying text, Ganges is a true visual feast—as teeming with life and color as the mighty river itself.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2007
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June 5, 2015
The River Ganges (Ganga being it's Hindu name) flows for 1550 miles and to the Hindus it is the most sacred river in the world. Ganga is a Goddess descended from the heavens who symbolizes purity, transformation and the essence of life. The river cleanses sins and in death allows the soul to pass on to Nirvana.
This coffee table book with photos from Jon Nicholson and text by a few BBC producers that made the TV documentary is light on information (you can read it in a couple of sittings) and the photos are good but, in my opinion, not stunning. The book is split into three sections: Daughter of the Mountains', 'The Great Gangetic Plain' and 'The Great Delta'.
The tour starts at the source in the Himalayas. Hindus see the Himalayas as manifestations of all powerful Gods so anything fed by the Himalayas are seen as Goddesses. Water is viewed as the most divine symbol in Hinduism.
As the book meanders down the Ganges taking in holy cities like Varanasi the information starts to look more at the wildlife in the area and then onto the worlds largest delta and it's issue with flooding and rising sea levels.
I personally prefer real travelogues which this is not but was interesting for a few hours of reading.
This coffee table book with photos from Jon Nicholson and text by a few BBC producers that made the TV documentary is light on information (you can read it in a couple of sittings) and the photos are good but, in my opinion, not stunning. The book is split into three sections: Daughter of the Mountains', 'The Great Gangetic Plain' and 'The Great Delta'.
The tour starts at the source in the Himalayas. Hindus see the Himalayas as manifestations of all powerful Gods so anything fed by the Himalayas are seen as Goddesses. Water is viewed as the most divine symbol in Hinduism.
As the book meanders down the Ganges taking in holy cities like Varanasi the information starts to look more at the wildlife in the area and then onto the worlds largest delta and it's issue with flooding and rising sea levels.
I personally prefer real travelogues which this is not but was interesting for a few hours of reading.
Displaying 1 of 1 review