LIKE NEW: 2008, First Printing (Full number line); Dust Jacket has Faint shelf wear. Book is Like New. Published by Island Press. 9.3 The Ganges has always been more than just an ordinary river. For millions of Indians, she is also a goddess. According to popular belief, bathing in "Mother Gangaa dissolves all sins, drinking her waters cures illness, and dying on her banks ensures freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth. Yet there remains a paradox.