The Environmental Impacts of the Hindu Rituals on the Ganges: A Historical and Critical Analysis

Abstract

The Ganges, revered by the Hindus as a deity, is considered to be the most sacred river in the world. Several Hindu rituals are observed centering on this holiest river. These rituals' Growing popularity causes huge gatherings on the river's bank. Devotees from around the world throng in famous river ghats to observe rituals such as holy baths, flower offerings, Ganga aarti, etc. Unfortunately, the Ganges is polluted by its devotees when they excessively observe rituals in an unplanned way. Thus, this research investigates historically and critically how the Hindu religious rituals have impacted the Ganges. The existence of the river is crucial for continuing colorful and diverse Hindu rituals. A clean and pure Ganges is the hope of the devotees for getting blessings from Mother Ganga. A qualitative content analysis approach is applied in this research considering the nature of the study. In addition, data has been collected from existing literature. In data analysis, a structured framework (thematic analysis and comparative analysis) is followed in the entire research. However, through this intensive analysis, it is found that the popularity of rituals centering the river is increasing day by day. There is a correlation between the increase in Hindu religious rituals and the rise in Ganges pollution. Different stakeholders of the Ganges i. e., government, researchers, religious leaders, lay people and political leaders should address these impacts and take steps to reduce pollution caused by these activities.