Holy Ganges

After a 200 km train ride, our first day in India shall be spent exploring the pilgrimage city of Haridwar situated on the banks of the Ganges river at the foothills of the Himalayas. Considered to be one of the seven most holy places for Hindus in the country, we will get a strong taste of Hinduism before taking off on the Holy Ganges River by raft the following day. Pilgrims of Hindu faith come from all over India to the Holy Ganges as many Hindus believe life is incomplete without taking a bath in the Ganges at least once in their lives. We will catch a glimpse of a ceremonial puja in the evening by the river before falling asleep in our tents. Stay tuned for photographs of rafting!

Welcome!

We welcome you to be apart of the Spring 2011 VIS experience in the Himalayas of India. This blog will be used to share with you the experiences and academic work of the VISpas this Spring. The first ten days shall be dedicated to exploring Old and New Delhi, river rafting on the Holy Ganges River and a one-week course on Buddhism and Tibetan Script at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the foothill of the Himalayas. Please stay tuned for this blog will continue to updated with photographs, journal entries and descriptions of the VIS experience.