Starter quiz
- Which country has the largest number of Hindus in the world?
- 'India' ✓
- Match the keywords to their definitions.
- Brahman⇔the ultimate truth or God in Hindu Dharma ✓
- dharma⇔acting out of compassion and following a path of duty ✓
- Shiva⇔a Hindu deity - a form of God ✓
- A pilgrimage is a __________ journey.
- sacred ✓
- fun
- long
-
- Iona is often described as ...
- a 'thick place'.
- a 'thin place'. ✓
- a 'light place'.
- an 'ancient place'.
-
- The Iona community aims for peace and ...
- friendship.
- reconciliation.
- social justice. ✓
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Exit quiz
- Put these parts of the story of Mother Ganga into the correct order.
- 1⇔Brahma saw that there was a fire on earth.
- 2⇔Ganga volunteered to descend to earth to help extinguish the flames.
- 3⇔Shiva saw that her form of water might be too strong.
- 4⇔Shiva sat in meditation and grew his hair.
- 5⇔The water fell safely into his hair and spread slowly onto the earth.
- 6⇔The streams formed the River Ganges.
- The River Ganges is regarded by many Hindus as ...
- a sacred mother. ✓
- a good friend.
- a form of Shiva.
-
- Many pilgrims come to Varanasi to ...
- scatter the ashes of a loved one who has died into the Ganges. ✓
- bathe in the sacred waters. ✓
- light a diwa lamp.
-
- The main threat to the Ganges today is ...
- pollution. ✓
- over-fishing.
- the dredging of the river bed.
-
- Some Hindus are cleaning up the river. Acting this way out of compassion is known as ...
- samsara.
- moksha.
- dharma. ✓
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The Ganges is a major river in Northern India.
- The story of Mother Ganga illustrates how the Ganges is regarded as sacred by most Hindus.
- Hindus may make pilgrimage to the holy city of Varanasi by the River Ganges.
- The River Ganges is an important site for death rituals in Hindu Dharma.
- The River Ganges is currently very polluted and some Hindus are working to clean it up.
Common misconception
The River Ganges is sacred because the water heals people.
The river is sacred to most Hindus because of its earthly manifestation of the goddess Ganga.
Keywords
Pilgrim - a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons
Dharma - acting with compassion for the good of humans and all living things
Sacred - something that is considered holy, divine or deserving of great respect
Moksha - freedom from samsara - the cycle of life
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