Pilgrims to Gangotree

This chromolithograph is taken from plate 44 of William Simpson's 'India: Ancient and Modern'. The Gangotri is the source of the River Ganges, sacred to Hindus who make pilgrimages to the icy waters that spring from the mouth of the Gangotri glacier in the high passes of the Himalayas. The actual source is a few kilometres from the town of Gangotri. In the town, with priests officiating, pilgrims could make offerings and buy holy water. They would ring a great bell on a terrace in front of a temple on arrival. The foremost figure in the print is a holy man, begging for alms. Many ascetics and hermits took up residence along the pilgrimage route.