The sacred Ganges, he would say, in the presence of his immediate family, as he led them in secret prayers.

They would do so now, after bathing in the sacred Ganges.

Our sightseeing today will also include the old city which stands on the west bank of the sacred Ganges and extends back from the ghats in a winding maze of narrow streets.

This reduction has been central to local protest against the dam, since the Bhagirathi is considered part of the sacred Ganges whose waters are crucial to Hindu beliefs.

Maneka Gandhi, Minister of State for the Environment and Forests in the last two Governments, says some of India's greatest rivers, among them the sacred Ganges and the Jamuna, are biologically dead and chemically lethal.

But we reckon the ideal spot is Rishikesh, on the banks of the sacred Ganges in the foothills of the Himalaya.

Millennia flowed by like the waters of the sacred Ganges.

The rest of the day will be full of sightseeing activities including the old city which stands on the west bank of the sacred Ganges and extends back from the ghats in a winding maze of narrow streets.