STORY: During the festival, devotees worshipped the holy river venerated by Hindus as a mother as well as a goddess, as the Ganges holds a uniquely significant place in Indian life and consciousness.

An Indian Hindu family walks on the shallow banks of the Yamuna river, covered with chemical foam caused by industrial and domestic pollution, during Chhath Puja festival in New Delhi, India, Saturday ...

Every year, tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims wade into the Ganges River, seeking salvation from the eternal cycle of life and death. Holy men lead prayers and offer blessings, and devotees wash ...

VARANASI, India — Hindu priests stand on the banks of the Ganges, performing an evening prayer to the river. They wave fire as the sun sets, ring bells and tap on drums. Thousands watch, clap and ...

ALLAHABAD, India (Reuters) - Nearly half a million Hindus braved near-freezing temperatures to wash away their sins in the icy waters of the Ganges river in northern India on Wednesday, the first day ...

Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees plunged into India's Ganges river on Thursday as the country kicked off one of the world's largest religious festivals, even as officials reported the biggest spike ...

VARANASI, India — On a recent Friday afternoon in this holy city in northern India, scooters, pedestrians and cycle rickshaws jostled for space on a street leading to the city's most famous Hindu ...

More than 2,000 years ago, a powerful king built a fort on the banks of India's holiest river, on the fringes of what is now a vast industrial city. Today, little of the ancient construction remains, ...

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks to win a third term, NPR visited some of his voter base in the north. Up and down the Ganges, India's Modi enjoys support after 10 years of rule VARANASI, ...