... the morning or mostly Hindu people perform puja to the family deities at the home shrine. Naimittika ceremony is important but they only occur at certain times during the year e.g. diwali, Saraswati puja, and karma. A special thanksgiving puja occurred for the good fortune smiles on the family. Kamya is the highly desirable rituals but optional and pilgrimage falls into this category. THE GANGES Consistent with Hindu's mythology, the river Ganges is a goddess, Ganga was the mistress of all the gods until a human king, Bhagiratha, was permitted to bring Ganga to earth as a river to free the souls of the sons of King Sagara from their ashes. This story lies behind the Hindu belief that the waters of the Ganges wash away the sins. If the ashes of the death person are thrown in the river it is believed that the soul of the person goes straight to ...

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