The River Ganges has a thousand names. Hindu priests regard it as a sin to call her a river at all. She is a goddess, the source of the world, her waters holy & healing & still sold to Hindus all over the world. Ilija Trojanow travelled along the Ganges, from the source, where it breaks free from the eternal ice in the Himalayas, to the great cities, by boat, by bus, on overcrowded trains. He visited the great Hindu festivals & talked to those who warn of ecological disasters. His colourful report describes a country between ancient traditions & astonishing modernity & the holy river that crosses it for hundreds of miles.