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For the Hindu faithful, the Ganges, mother of India's rivers, washes away sins and grants immortality. Here, women worship the sun god Surya before immersing themselves in the river's holy waters near Sagar Island off northeastern India. Other Hindus try to have the ashes of their cremated bodies scattered over its surface or immersed in its waters to guarantee eternal salvation. But even this legendary river, 1,560 miles long, cannot withstand the environmental impact of India's population of more than a billion. Industrial pollution, untreated raw sewage and decaying human bodies make the Ganges's waters unsafe for drinking . . . or bathing. But still, the pilgrims come.
Photo: Jayanta Shaw/Reuters
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