Thousands bathe in the Ganges river as partial solar eclipse gets underway over India

Record ID: 1371819

  • Title: Thousands bathe in the Ganges river as partial solar eclipse gets underway over India
  • Date: 9th March 2016
  • Summary: HARIDWAR, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA (MARCH 9, 2016) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI - Broadcasters: NO ACCESS BBC Digital: NO ACCESS BBC) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERED ON THE BANKS OF RIVER GANGES VARIOUS OF PEOPLE BATHING ON A RIVER BANK A MAN TAKING DIP WOMEN BATHING ON A BANK PEOPLE PRAYING AS THEY STAND IN WATER MORE OF WOMEN BATHING
  • Embargoed: 23rd March 2016 08:39
  • Keywords: bathing Ganges eclipse solar partial
  • Location: HARIDWAR, UTTARAKHAND/VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
  • City: HARIDWAR, UTTARAKHAND/VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA001487J0HZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
    Thousands of Hindus bathed in the waters of the sacred Ganges river in northern India on Wednesday (March 9) as a partial solar eclipse was observed over India.
    According to Hindu legends, whenever a solar eclipse occurs, it generates impurities in the environment and has an adverse effect on humans, and bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges helps in cleansing them of these impurities.
    "People bathe in the Ganges in order to wash away the impurities that are generated 12 hours prior to the eclipse," said a priest.
    Temples across the country remain shut and people avoid eating during the phenomenon.
    In the holy city of Varanasi in northern Uttar Pradesh state, devotees started crowding the banks of the Ganges from early morning to praying through the duration of the eclipse. Men and women performed rituals while standing in the river, soon after the eclipse subsided.
    The partial eclipse, which began around 6:00 a.m. (0030 GMT), was seen in only some parts of the country. The northeastern parts of India got the best view where it was visible for around an hour.
    The partial eclipse of the sun was visible to millions in Australia, parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, but only some people in a small band of Indonesia had the opportunity to see the moon perfectly silhouetted by the sun - a total solar eclipse.
    A solar eclipse happens when the moon casts a shadow on the earth as it passes between the earth and the sun. A partial eclipse, more frequent than total eclipses, is when the earth passes within the penumbra of the moon.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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