
In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 photo, Hindu mourners sit on a boat at the Manikarnika Ghat, on the banks of the Ganges river in Varanasi, India. As the mighty Ganges River overflowed its banks this past week following heavy monsoon rains, large parts of the Hindu holy town of Varanasi were submerged by floodwaters, keeping away thousands of Hindu devotees. Devout Hindus believe that if they are cremated on Varanasi’s ghats, or steps leading to the river, they earn immediate salvation and are freed from the cycle of birth and death. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)