Thousands of devotees bathed in the waters of the sacred Ganges River ahead of solar eclipse of the year 2018. A solar eclipse happens when the moon casts a shadow on the earth as it passes between the earth and the sun. A partial eclipse, more frequent than total eclipses, is when the earth passes within the penumbra of the moon. Devotees thronged banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi city of Uttar Pradesh, for a bath. Men and women performed rituals while standing partially-dipped in the river. According to Hindu legends, whenever a solar eclipse occurs, it generates impurities in the environment and has an adverse effect on humans, and bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges helps in cleansing them of these impurities.
