Hindu women performing religious rituals using clay pots, on the bank of the Ganges river in Varanasi, India.

Hindu women bow in prayer and perform religious rituals in gratitude to river Ganga held sacred by followers of Hinduism. Millions of Hindus bathe in the river daily if living close, or annually at special holy places (tirthas). Many cast the ashes of their dead into its waters, and cremation temples are found along its banks in many (pilgrimage) places.