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BANARAS, INDIA, September 12, 2003: The rising waters of the Ganga has not only submerged the bathing ghats but also disrupted many of the ceremonies like “Ganga aarti” (worship of the river with lights) and even cremations at this pilgrim city. For the past few days, the river has been swirling over the time-worn steps of the numerous ghats, forcing the pandas (priests who assist the pilgrims in various rituals) and the pilgrims, who used to spend hours at the ghats, to shift elsewhere. The cremation spots at the various ghats have been under water for the past ten days. However, the rites were being performed on roof tops at the Manikarnika ghat and even on the street at the Harishchandra ghat. The crowds of tourists, who used to enjoy the sunrise and sunset when the rays would seemingly convert the waters of the holy river to gold, are also a disappointed lot having lost the vantage point of the ghats to view the event. However, many of them have taken to watching it from top of the buildings lining the river. Those living in the low-lying areas are having to cope with flood waters entering their houses. Ganga arati, to be peformed at dusk after sunset, when the multitudes of small clay lamps are set alight and afloat by the devotees from the ghats, has been disrupted and would not take place till the water level goes down, Shiv Kumar Mishra, coordinator of the Ganga Seva Nidhi, a cultural NGO which performs various cultural and religious activities throughout the year at the famous Dashashwamedh ghat, said.

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