Sacred River: The Ganges of India

Lewin, Ted. Sacred River: The Ganges of India. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin, 2003.

Sacred River: The Ganges of India, is a depiction of the sacred river in India where every year, more than one million Hindu pilgrims journey to the city of Benares to renew themselves in its waters. This picture book explores the traditions and customs of the Hindu people by showing us the boatmen to the bathers seeking religious purification in the holy waters, the religious solitaires meditating on its banks, the cremation grounds and lastly, the final journey of the ashes of the departed.

Although the text is rather simple, it leaves the reader to focus on the richly detailed full-color illustrations to paint a vibrant picture of what actually takes place in India for the reader. The illustrations are breath taking and they accurately depict the different representations of the Hindu culture. While working on Sacred River, which he both wrote and illustrated, Ted traveled to India and observed the Hindus on their pilgrimage to the banks of the Ganges River in Benares. When creating his books, Ted does research in order to truly capture the culture that he is depicting and writing about.

Because my father is from India, I have had the privilege to travel there and experience the culture as well. This picture book has been one of the most accurate portrayals of the Indian culture that I have experienced so far. Lewin paints the traditional clothing right down to every intricate detail and this is a great text for students to learn about the Indian culture. This very fine artwork will give any reader a glimpse of life in India and the process in which the Hindus release the spirit and ashes of their loved one’s into the Ganges river.