Royal couple attend 'Ganga Arti' on first day of India visit

DEHRADUN: Amid chants of Vedic hymns and blowing of conch shells, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles took part in an elaborate " Ganga Arti" (worship of river Ganga) for the peace of those who died in mid-June calamity in Uttarakhand.

The Prince of Wales said he would cherish all his life the colourful ceremony and the moments spent on the banks of the Ganga at Parmartha Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh.

The royal couple arrived at the ashram after a boat ride from Muni-ki-Reti to Geeta Bhawan in Laxman Jhoola area and walked about 50-60 metres to participate in the function.

Earlier, they reached the Jolly Grant airport here in a special plane at the beginning of their extensive nine-day tour of India and immediately left for Rishikesh by road.

After spending a night at a hotel near Rishikesh, they are scheduled to attend programmes at Indian Military Academy, Forest Research Institute and Doon School here tomorrow.

In the evening, they will attend a dinner hosted in their honour by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.