Evening ceremonies on the Ganga (Ganges)

On the boat - These candles with flowers you can't see are set in the water of the Ganga to carry wishes and prayers

This ceremony on this ghat has about 20 thousand people attending!!  I couldn't get good pictures at night but wanted to show something.  There were 7 priests across chanting and waving candles and doing rituals.   To the left of this on another ghat was a smaller similar ritual with 5 priests in red.

Often called the 'ceremony of light', the arti involves waving lighted wicks before the sacred images to infuse the flames with the Deities' love, energy and blessings. It is performed by sadhus (Hindu monks) and pujaris (attendants to the Deities).

 Cremation ghat.  From the boat we could see the families and the funeral pyres,  I always thought the bodies were placed on top of the fire.  No so.  The body is placed on the ground and  the wood added on top and lit.  The burning takes about 5 hours and then some of the ashes are collected and taken by family and some placed in Mother Ganga.

Another light ceremony.  You can see some of the boats.  The huge crowd is on the shore