It is said the Hindu God Vishnu once appeared and extended his left foot to the end of the universe and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of his big toe. It was through the hole, pure and sacred water entered this universe as the GANGES RIVER. Before descending to planet Earth, the river was held safely by Lord Shiva on his head to prevent sudden destruction of Mother Earth. Then, slowly, the water was released from Lord Shiva's hair and soon after began meeting the needs of its country.

Today, they Hindu’s call the river Ganga Maa, Mother Ganges, as they believe she is the goddess and purifier of all sins…that through her waters one can achieve Moksha...enlightenment. And yet, by all science standards, Ganga Maa is THE most polluted river in the world and yet Hindus continue to use her waters to sustain life, and purify deaths.

(Click image to see inside the book)

GANGA MAA

FOLLOWING A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPEDITION DOWN THE GANGES RIVER, THE MOST POLLUTED RIVER IN THE WORLD

In 2013 I was offered a chance to join friend and National Geographic photographer, Pete McBride, and his expedition team to India to do a story on the Ganges River, the most reviled, yet revered water source in the world. It would take 6 weeks, starting high in the Himalayas and ending at the Bay of Bengal. By van, boat, train and foot we weaved our way through tiny towns and chaotic bustling cities to test the river of it’s pollutants and get a first hand account of it’s health. But along the way, the state of the river began to slip from my mind as i turned my camera to those who live along it. It became challenging to think of the river as a science experiment. To millions, it was their lifeforce. Their home, their church, their sacred happy hour, their kin. Yet the irony of it all was how oblivious, or at least indifferent, the people were to it’s toxicity. Towards the end of the journey the tests began revealing, astonishingly, that the river was regenerating itself. It became cleaner as it neared the delta and began flowing into the Bay.This book is my visual story about the powerful influence love and devotion can have on our existence.

73 pages, Full Color Glossy Print, Softcover
Printed by ArtBook Printing 2017
Limited Edition

$40.00

Holy, (Un)Holy River

A feature documentary made possible by
National Geographic, Microsoft Surface, and Eddie Bauer.

Holy (un)Holy River examines the paradox of the sacred Ganges River - the intricacies of a waterway that is divine and defiled, revered and reviled - and asks the essential question: Can the Ganges survive?

Directed by Pete McBride & Jake Norton. As second camera and behind the scenes DP, Ashley’s cinematography supports both the story structure and emotional essence of the film. 

These shorts were made with the requirements of no dialogue or mixed music for potential online video distribution.

All content shot and edited by Ashley Mosher.