Cultural Documentation of River Ganga from Gaumukh to Gangasagar – Varanasi District

This Namami Gange project is being undertaken for the Jal Shakti Ministry, Government of India, under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) scheme. INTACH is assisting the Ministry in the capacity of a knowledge partner. Three divisions of INTACH namely; Natural Heritage (NH), Architectural Heritage (AH) and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) divisions have been engaged in the cultural mapping project, of three aspects natural, tangible and intangible assets along Ganga.
The objective of the project is to conduct field investigation and document existing cultural assets on either side of the river Ganga (within a radius of 5Kms, starting from its source, i.e. Gangotri, down to its point of dispersal at Ganga Sagar) and to produce for the ministry a detailed, illustrated report based on the primary and secondary resources available.

Varanasi District

Kashi, Banaras or Varanasi reflects a unique identity that has resulted from the combined living memory of the communities settled here, and the multi-dimensional cultural influences accommodated by the city over the years. One of the most ancient cities of the world, it is a repository of heritage, with a series of invasions and inhabitations informing its secular and spiritual nature, each carrying with it a plethora of both intangible and tangible properties, social contracts and related norms of knowledge,traditions and customs.

The steadfast river Ganga, the famous galis, the magnificent ghats, the countless temples, the kunds and places of religious interest, the historic Banaras Hindu University, the sadhus and varied cults, the profound theories of life and death, the commerce, the craftsmanship and culinary flavours, and the vitality of the Banaras gharana and its exponents in the field of music and dance, make the intangible cultural heritage of Varanasi truly exceptional. These intangible inheritances have been listed and documented in this report. The report also highlights the connection of the river Ganga with the city and its people. From the daily Ganga aarti to the last rites and rituals, the river plays a very crucial part in the lives of its residents and the millions of tourists and pilgrims that arrive here for its darshan.

 

Check out more on the INTACH ICH Archive:
https://icharchive.intach.org/Detail/collections/81