RIVER FROM THE HEAVENS
Revered by followers of Hinduism, the Ganges is regarded not as a river but as a goddess. Mother Ganga, as it is sometimes called, finds its source from several headwaters fed by melting glaciers up on the Himalayan mountains. Over 2,500km in length, some Hindus believe that Ganga was sent down from the heavens to cleanse the Earth. Bottles of water from the sacred river are kept in Hindu homes to be used as a cure for ailments. Thousands also come to bath in the river every year as a soul-cleansing ritual. Though it is not among the longest rivers in the world, the Ganges supports one of the greatest numbers of people - an estimated one in every 12 people on Earth live within the Ganges basin.
LIFE ON THE GHAT: THE EXPERIENCE
The Ganges @ River Safari is inspired by life along and within the Ganges River. One of the outstanding sights to behold when you visit is the temple-fronting ghat – a series of steps fashioned after the many you would see in India. This leads into the animal enclosures where you can spot Indian Gharial basking on the banks and come eye-to-eye with the myriad of fishes and aquatic life from the Ganges River.
|
|
Featured Residents
INDIAN GHARIAL
With origins traced as far back as the days of the dinosaurs, the Indian Gharial is a creature that is has been snatched from the jaws of extinction several times through intensive conservation efforts. Still critically endangered today, there are less than 200 estimated in the wild. Distinguished by their elongated snouts, believed to be evolved for their diet of small fish, adult Indian Gharial prefer to spend most of their time in the river, coming up on land only to bask or lay eggs.
STRIPED NARROW-HEADED SOFTSHELL TURTLE
The Chitra chitra or Striped Narrow-headed Giant Softshell Turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtle species. Classified as critically endangered, adult turtles can have shells that measure more than a meter long. They are distinguished by their unique swirl and wavy striped pattern on their shells and all along the neck area. If you ever want to know which is male and which is female, simple, an adult male has a thicker tail.
|
