Ganga and the river Ganges falling from heaven, while Shiva waits below to stem the fall, with Nandi (bull), Parvati and the sage Jahnu. Chromolithograph by Ravi Varma. In Hinduism, the river Ganges is considered sacred and is personified as a goddess known as Ganga. It is worshipped by Hindus who believe that bathing in the river causes the remission of sins and facilitates Moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death). Pilgrims travel long distances to immerse the ashes of their kin in the precious water of the Ganges, bringing their spirits closer to moksha.