Moving water, as in a river, is considered purifying in Hindu culture because it is thought to both absorb impurities and take them away. What the rivers remove, however, is not necessarily physical dirt, but symbolic dirt; it wipes away the sins of the bather, not just of the present, but of a lifetime.

The rivers of India are also the source of life for the millions of Indian people whose livelihood depend on them. Glaciers in the Himalayan mountain range melt forming rivers that swoop down onto the plains below bringing with them the sacred water necessary to support life.

Although sacred and the source of life, the rivers in India have become increasingly polluted.

This project explores the Indian people's complex relationship with the sacred rivers of north India.