Young vendors at Har-ki-pauri. Haridwar.

As i was walking towards the Har-ki-Pauri ghats these kids came up to me sell these odd looking garlands. I didn't buy any, but still they were happy to pose for a few pictures.

The Ganga Aarti ceremony at the Hai-ki-Pauri ghats.

As i reached the Har-ki-Pauri ghats the aarti had already begun. All along the ghats, priests like this can be seen performing the aarti with many devotees around them. The aarti is accompanied by the melodious chanting of the "Om Jai Gange Mata" hymn by everyone gathered there. The whole place swayed to the rhythm and the tempo of the bhajans. The atmosphere was quite incredible. It took me back to my days in the Sivanada ashram where we used to do the Ganga Aarti every day and i found myself singing along to the bhajans.

A priest walking around with the aarti after the ceremony at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar.

Once the Ganga aarti was complete, you'll see priests like this walking around offering the flames of the aarti to the devotees.

Devotees pay their respect to the aarti flames and receive blessings from the priests.

A priest offering the aarti flames to the devotees and getting donations in return.

A priest offering the holy flames to the pilgrims during the Ganga Aarti evening ceremony at Har-Ki-Pauri in Haridwar. The devotees give some offering in the form of money back to the priests. Things did feel a bit commercialized to me, but maybe thats just the cynic in me talking.

Ganga Aarti ceremony at Har-Ki-Pauri, Haridwar.

Seeking blessings from the scared flames. A typical scene during the Ganga Aarti ritual which takes place every evening at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar. I love this picture. Watch the girl in the background taking in the blessings.

People gathered at the Har-ki-Pauri ghats.

People gathered on the Har-ki-Pauri ghats to witness the Ganga aarti ceremony. Once the ceremony is over, some of them take a ritual bath in the waters of the Ganges. Many people pay their respects to the river by placing floating diyas (wick lamps) on the waters of the ganges. The floating diya is basically a plantain leaf folded in the shape of a boat, containing a few flowers and a tiny wick lamp which would be lighted and set off on the waters.

A pilgrim taking a ritual bath in the Ganges at Har-Ki-Pauri, Haridwar.