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00:00The Ganges.
00:28These sacred waters and the plains through which they flow have always nourished an
00:33extraordinary wealth of life.
00:40And the lives of the people who inhabit her banks have long been inextricably linked with
00:46nature.
00:49But how did this intimate relationship evolve over the centuries as waves of people swept
00:55across northern India?
01:02Which creatures adapted to the tides of change?
01:06And which ones vanished forever to live on only in legend?
01:26The Ganges flows across the plains like a timeline through India's past.
01:32And even today, a journey along her course offers tantalizing glimpses into the rich
01:38natural history of this most bountiful river.
01:57Once every 12 years, 50 million people congregate on the banks of the Ganges for the Kumbh Mela.
02:07This Hindu festival is the greatest gathering on earth, yet it's only a fraction of the
02:12half a billion population that the river supports.
02:18One out of every 10 people on our planet lives within the Ganges basin, and the fertile waters
02:25bring sustenance to them all.
02:39But the human crowds on the plains are only a recent phenomenon.
02:45This was once India's great wilderness.
02:55The river Ganges ends in the world's largest delta and originates in the highest mountain
03:01range.
03:03But between these extremes, she cuts a 1,500-mile course through the heart of northern India.
03:11This vast expanse of lowland is known as the Gangetic Plains.
03:23The river first meets the plains as she leaves the foothills of the Himalaya.
03:41As the fast-flowing mountain torrents reach flatter land, they slow and spread out to
03:47create a band of marshy grassland.
03:53This lush wilderness is known as the Terai, and it's one of India's most productive landscapes.
04:06The grass here can grow 4 meters each year, tall enough to conceal some oversized wildlife.
04:27Today most of the Terai around the Ganges has succumbed to the plow, but isolated pockets
04:32still flourish in the far reaches of some of her tributaries.
04:42These grasslands are the last stronghold of the Indian rhino, which once roamed throughout
04:47the plains.
04:58With so much to graze upon, huge herds of deer also thrive here.
05:04And where there's this much prey, predators are never far away.
05:17Tigers are surprisingly at home in this watery world, and such prolific hunting grounds enable
05:22them to grow into some of the biggest tigers in India.
05:34The last fragments of this unique habitat are a rare reminder of just how rich the banks
05:39of the Ganges must once have been.
05:45And it was a wilderness like this into which people first arrived over 40,000 years ago.
05:54When nomadic hunter-gatherers discovered the Ganges, they encountered a river teeming with
06:00so much life that they decided to settle by her banks.
06:09Today, many people still make a living from the river, fishing in ways unchanged since
06:16the times of the first settlers.
06:33As more and more people arrived at the Ganges, they began exploring further along her course.
06:45Beyond the Terai, the river transforms into a wide waterway that meanders slowly eastwards
06:51through the Baking Plains.
06:56To consider the Ganges as a single river is misleading, because throughout her journey
07:02she's joined by thousands of tributaries, many of them large rivers in their own right.
07:14The southern tributaries are fed by rainfall on India's central plateau, and they tumble
07:19from this higher land to meet the Ganges on the plains.
07:28And there's another tributary that flows from a far more unlikely source.
07:40The deserts of western India may seem an unpromising start for a river, yet this is where the tumble
07:48is born.
07:51Fed by underground springs, the river flows through some of India's most arid lands before
07:57reaching the plains.
08:02Though some people do scratch a living here, the tumble remains a wildlife oasis for the
08:07natural treasures once found right along the Ganges.
08:21Some migrant birds, such as bar-headed geese and Brahminy ducks, fly all the way across
08:27the Himalaya to overwinter here in the desert sun.
08:38Others, like spoonbills, take up permanent residence.
08:53Indian skimmers are also seen here all year round, fishing the well-stocked river.
09:07This is one of only a few places where these graceful birds still patrol the waters, trawling
09:13for fish with their outsized lower bill.
09:38Human influence on the tumble is steadily increasing, but today the river still harks
09:44back to a time when just a few early settlers shared the Ganges with their natural neighbors.
10:01As night falls over the desert, the tumble's most unusual inhabitants begin to surface.
10:23On warm May nights, bizarre-looking crocodiles haul themselves far up the sandy banks, beckoned
10:31by strange sounds.
10:36This female ghariyal is responding to calls from her young, telling her they're ready
10:41to enter their new world.
10:45Yet they're still within eggs, buried in the sand, and they need their mother to dig them
10:50out.
11:02As few as 200 of these extraordinary reptiles survive in the wild, so this precious brood
11:09represents a new generation of hope for the endangered ghariyal.
11:19Now exposed, they're vulnerable to predators, and instinct drives them towards the sanctuary
11:25of the river.
11:40But even here, monsters lurk.
11:44Female ghariyal that grow up to six meters long also inhabit these waters, and at night
11:50they're on the hunt.
11:59The ghariyal's formidable-looking jaws are actually specialized for catching fish.
12:05A thin profile allows them to snap shut with minimal water resistance.
12:12Yet in the shadowy light, a small hatchling can easily be mistaken for prey.
12:20During the early days of life, it pays to stick close to mum.
12:29Ghariyals may be cold-blooded, but they make devoted mothers.
12:36For six months, they attentively guard their young, and even share babysitting duties with
12:41other mothers to allow each other a little time off to hunt.
12:58Rain-fed tributaries such as the Jambal play a small part in replenishing the flow of the
13:02Ganges, but the majority of her water comes from a different source.
13:11Throughout her journey across the plains, the Ganges remains in the shadow of the Himalaya,
13:17and she's continually fed by rivers that flow from this colossal chain of mountains.
13:38Water from many of the world's tallest peaks, including Mount Everest, feeds into the Ganges.
13:51Up here, the most important source of water is not rain, but ice.
14:03This glacial meltwater ensures a constant supply to the arid plains, even during the
14:09driest months.
14:16Almost half of the water in the Ganges originates from glaciers, and these northern tributaries
14:22also bestow on the Ganges an even more precious gift.
14:30By May, temperatures on the plains can soar to 50 degrees Celsius.
14:38Despite her meltwater supply, even the Ganges begins to recede.
14:46And the searing sun bakes the earth dry.
14:55Just as the stifling heat is becoming unbearable, change is in the air.
15:05As ocean winds carry moist air towards the plains, clouds begin to fill the summer sky.
15:13Laden with moisture, they grow dark and heavy until finally, around mid-June, the monsoon
15:19arrives.
15:38These are anything but grey days.
15:41The monsoon rejuvenates life on the plains, and it's welcomed by all.
15:53The torrential downpours continue for three months, and most of this water ends up in
15:58the Ganges.
16:07Fall on the Himalaya transforms mountain streams into raging torrents, which carve their way
16:14down the rocky slopes.
16:18These sediment-laden waters feed into the Ganges until she can hold no more.
16:26The river bursts her banks, flooding many thousands of square miles.
16:35As the monsoon fades, the receding floodwaters reveal their parting gift.
16:44Mud.
16:48Each monsoon, the Ganges collects half a billion tons of mineral-rich sediment from the Himalaya
16:54and dumps it on the plains.
17:02For millions of years, this has created some of the world's richest soils, which in some
17:07places are three miles deep.
17:23For millennia, the fertile land and year-round water supply provided by the river have enabled
17:29the people of the plains to cultivate an endless variety of crops.
17:41As farming flourished, the people began to worship the miraculous life-giving powers
17:47of the Ganges.
17:55The seeds of a new religion were sown.
17:59People revered the natural forces and crops upon which they depended.
18:05And one plant was considered more important than all the others.
18:13Rice.
18:15Perfectly adapted to grow in the Ganges' flood cycle, it's been the staple food for 7,000
18:22years.
18:24Today, paddy fields dominate the landscape, and so much rice is grown here that the area
18:30has become known as the Rice Bowl of India.
18:40The rise of farming didn't only change the landscape, it also offered a home to new creatures.
18:51The people of the Ganges have long kept all sorts of domestic animals and put them to
18:56use in ingenious ways.
19:01Duck herding is an ancient and lucrative occupation.
19:07So many ducks lay a lot of eggs, and the herders are also paid to grace their flocks on the
19:13paddy fields.
19:17As the ducks feed, they clear the weeds from the inundated fields, and their droppings
19:22add extra dollops of organic fertilizer.
19:30Yet it isn't just domestic animals that are welcome on the cultivated land.
19:34The wetlands around the paddy fields make an ideal home for all sorts of wild birds.
19:43One visitor to these fields is honored as a bearer of good fortune.
19:54Standing as high as a man, the saurus crane is the tallest flying bird in the world.
20:04These magnificent birds pair for life, and their faithful nature has led them to be venerated
20:10as symbols of marital bliss.
20:17To help strengthen their partnerships, the cranes perform elegant courtship dances.
21:10Although some animals thrived in the changing landscape, many were not so well adapted to
21:38survive the rise of agriculture, and not all made such amenable neighbors.
21:45But at this time, the farmed areas were mere islands within an endless sea of dense forest
21:56and grassland.
22:00This untamed jungle teemed with animals, some of which might seem more at home on the African
22:06savannah than in India.
22:13It's often forgotten that both lions and cheetahs once prowled these plains.
22:20But how long could the growing human population share the land with such powerful predators?
22:36Settlements were springing up all along the Ganges, and the river provided an open route
22:49of communication through the otherwise impenetrable wilderness.
22:58As traffic on the river increased, small trading posts developed into large ports.
23:06In these towns, the civilization matured, and religion grew more elaborate.
23:22Hinduism evolved along the banks of the Ganges, absorbing the local reverence for nature into
23:30a more complex faith.
23:36But the river always remained at the very heart of the religion.
23:45And soon she came to be worshipped as a powerful deity in her own right, Ganga, the goddess
23:54of creation and abundance.
24:01And there's one point along her waters that's considered sacred above all others.
24:12Varanasi lies about halfway along the Ganges, on the only stretch that turns to flow back
24:19towards the mountains in which she was born.
24:32Varanasi is the most ancient city on the river, and it has long been deeply intertwined with
24:39the Hindu faith.
24:43The orientation of the river allows a long series of bathing huts to face the rising
24:49sun, illuminating the thousands of pilgrims that visit Varanasi to pray in the hallowed
24:56waters.
25:17The animist origins of the religion ensured animals a powerful role in Hindu belief.
25:26Ganesh, the elephant god, and Hanuman, the monkey warrior, are the most celebrated deities
25:33that take animal form.
25:38But Hindus also associate many other creatures with their gods.
25:46So many animals have been incorporated into the religion in one way or another that exactly
25:52which creatures should be revered and by whom is open to interpretation.
26:01One man's deity may be another man's demon.
26:12Considering 20,000 Indians die each year as a result of snakebite, it's no surprise that
26:18the people of the Ganges fear snakes.
26:31But not everywhere.
26:36In a few places within the floodplain, the religious significance of cobras is central
26:41to village life.
26:52Though deadly, unusually high numbers of cobras can be found slithering freely through the
26:58streets and houses.
27:27Being they've been blessed with the power to overcome the effects of the venom, the
27:31villagers pay the snakes little attention.
27:44Bites do inevitably and regularly occur in these villages, but the victims always refuse
27:50medical help.
27:57Instead they rely on faith healing.
28:08It's claimed that no one in the village has ever died from a cobra's bite.
28:16And children appear to make a miraculous recovery.
28:23Though the real truth behind this alleged immunity remains shrouded in mystery, it's
28:29a powerful testament to the reverence animals can command amongst Hindu devotees.
28:46Hinduism rapidly spread along the Ganges, and it has proved to be a valuable ally for
28:52the wildlife of the plains.
29:08As well as honoring animal deities, the faith also teaches a more general respect for nature.
29:20In floodplain towns, such as here in Bateshwar, it's remarkable how much tolerance the local
29:26people afford their many natural neighbors.
29:35Rhesus macaques are far from the most holy of animals.
29:39In fact, their mischievous nature can be a persistent nuisance.
29:46The urban troops get up to all sorts of monkey business, but it's their smash-and-grab approach
29:52to finding food that's the most trying.
30:16Once again, the light-fingered macaques get up to all sorts of monkey business.
30:45Once again, the light-fingered macaques get up to all sorts of monkey business.
30:53Yet for the local people, these animal encounters are just another part of daily life.
31:02Over millennia, the Hindu reverence for nature offered the river and her wild inhabitants
31:07considerable sanctuary.
31:11But around a thousand years ago, things began to change.
31:20Waves of Muslim invaders arrived from the west, and their influence spread right across
31:25the plains.
31:29As well as introducing Islam to India, they brought new ideas about technology, culture,
31:35and art.
31:41The Mughals were the last and most influential of these invaders, and their legacy lives
31:47on in the most spectacular architecture of the Ganges plain.
31:56The intricate detailing within their buildings displays the Mughals' fascination with the
32:01natural world.
32:05But their attitude to nature was very different from the Hindus'.
32:10Their scientific heritage compelled them to understand and master it.
32:17Around their palaces and tombs, they created formal paradise gardens, which they stocked
32:23with game captured from the plains.
32:30Coming from the barren deserts of Central Asia, the Mughals were enchanted by the rich
32:35wildlife of the Ganges.
32:41They were keen observers of animal behavior, and are considered to have been India's first
32:46great naturalists.
32:54But they were even more passionate about another outdoor pursuit.
33:02The Mughals were obsessive hunters, and the more formidable the quarry, the greater the
33:08respect a hunter commanded.
33:13Mughal nobility competed to bag the largest number of big cats, and many notched up prodigious
33:19totals.
33:23But the impact their hunting had on the wildlife of the Ganges would pale in comparison to
33:28that of the next wave of invaders.
33:37The British came to India in search of commercial opportunity, and they were quick to realize
33:42the potential of the plains.
33:46Agriculture grew to be big business, and wild animals were seen as vermin.
33:56Rich carnivores became public enemy number one, and bounties were put on their heads.
34:03Today, only 350 lions still survive in India, but they've been wiped out entirely from the
34:11plains.
34:19The Indian cheetah fared even worse, and by the middle of the 20th century, it was declared
34:26extinct.
34:35Although hunting dealt a serious blow to the wildlife of the Ganges, the habitat destruction
34:41under British rule took a far heavier toll.
34:46Forests were put to work, plundering the very forests from which they'd been captured.
34:53But while the wilderness was disappearing, India was hurtling towards the Industrial
34:58Age.
35:04Timber was in huge demand, especially for the expanding railway network.
35:11During the 1870s, one million sleepers were required every year for the new lines springing
35:17up across northern India.
35:20By the time the British left, halfway through the 20th century, almost all the forests of
35:29the plains had disappeared, and the elephants living within them were left homeless.
35:38Today, as machinery is increasingly used for heavy labour, even working elephants are being
35:45made redundant.
35:49But there's still one place along the Ganges where these powerful beasts of burden are
35:55traded in large numbers.
36:05The Sonpur Mela is the largest cattle fair in Asia.
36:09It started over a thousand years ago, and it has been growing ever since.
36:18On the first full moon in November, people arrive from all over northern India to haggle
36:24over livestock.
36:33The sheer quantity of domestic animals affirms their status as the dominant creatures of
36:38the plains.
36:50Sonpur's lively horse market provides endless entertainment for the festival crowds.
37:06But it's the elephants that are by far the biggest attraction.
37:12Each morning, the mahouts lead their elephants down to the river to be washed alongside thousands
37:18of worshippers, creating one of the most timeless scenes of India.
37:31The intimate relationship between elephant and man has endured for millennia, and these
37:37animals are still highly prized.
37:42In good condition, elephants are sold for as much as 10,000 pounds, so it pays to look
37:48after them well.
37:51Life for captive elephants can be far easier than it is for the remaining wild herds of
37:57the plains.
38:03The Ganges continues her eastward journey through the endless farmland and enters Bengal.
38:20It's autumn time, and the rice is maturing in the ubiquitous paddy fields.
38:28But in certain areas of Bengal, the villagers hurry to clear their fields before the rice
38:33has fully ripened.
38:38Night is falling, and their settlements are under siege.
38:45They must prepare to do battle with an army of raiders that strike under the cover of
38:50darkness.
38:53It is a war that will be waged every night for the next six months.
39:00Lookouts scan for any signs of hostile activity, while the rest of the men prepare their weapons.
39:13The enemy is marching onto the battlefields, but they're too distant to be picked out by
39:18the sentry.
39:21Early image-intensifying cameras reveal the true nature of the advancing army.
39:35Led by the normally solitary males, smaller groups join forces to create a hundred-strong
39:40herd with enough might to take on the villagers.
39:48Their joy at finding food belies the severity of their situation.
39:55Farming has claimed so much wilderness from the plains that the few remaining wild herds
40:00are forced to raid crops.
40:22The villagers must chase the elephants away before they lose too much of their crop.
40:27But it's a dangerous mission.
40:32These hungry and desperate elephants can become extremely aggressive.
40:47The same people that revere Ganesh, the elephant god, have little choice but to do battle with
40:53his earthly incarnation.
41:05Every year in Bengal alone, the conflict can claim up to 100 lives from each side.
41:23To date, most of the crop has been saved without bloodshed, but the elephants are still hungry
41:28and long-term peace will be far harder to secure.
41:44As the Ganges continues through Bengal, a major channel known as the Hooghly River splits
41:50from the main waterway and heads south towards the sea.
41:55Before the Hooghly empties into the Bay of Bengal, it passes through Calcutta, the largest
42:01city in eastern India.
42:08Once the capital of the British Raj, today this seething metropolis is home to nearly
42:1315 million people.
42:19Technology and industry rule here, and are helping shape the country into one of the
42:24fastest-growing economies on earth.
42:31Calcutta is a far cry from wilderness, yet life still thrives here.
42:39And all these people still depend on the Ganges for almost all the produce they consume.
43:07For many animals, the pace of life on the plains has become too fast, but some are more
43:13than able to keep up.
43:20Even in the most man-made environments, India's wildlife manages to surprise and inspire.
43:46This may seem an unlikely setting for such a profusion of life, but these mountains of
43:51waste are home for those who must survive on what others discard.
44:00It's an uncomfortable reality of modern India that some have so little, they're forced to
44:05scratch a living here.
44:11Yet for others, this is heaven on earth.
44:19Black kites are expert scavengers, and they swarm in their thousands, scanning for rich
44:25pickings amongst the decay.
44:37For opportunists who can compete in these brave new worlds, this is a way of life worth
44:43fighting for.
45:08Since people first arrived here, life on the Ganges plains has transformed beyond recognition.
45:17Yet it's always remained abundant, and the river's gift of life has never run dry.
45:24For how long will her benevolence continue to flow?
45:42When a Hindu leaves this world, the most auspicious place to be cremated is on the banks of the
45:48Ganges.
45:55Here the body returns to the same waters that brought it life.
46:08The soul is absolved of sin and blessed by the goddess Ganga to ensure a safe passage
46:15into the next existence.
46:31Through the eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth, the Ganges remains at the very heart
46:38of the Hindu faith.
46:40And it's this sacred connection the people share with their river that can still save
46:45her from the pressures she faces.
46:52As a new dawn rises over the river, she flows towards an uncertain future.
46:59The demands of a growing population are poisoning her waters and running the river dry.
47:08But all is not lost.
47:20The Ganges River Dolphin is one of the most majestic creatures found in these waters.
47:27And it has survived the many changes through which the river has flowed.
47:35Today, like so many animals of the Ganges, these ancient mammals are vanishing from her
47:41waters.
47:47But that any dolphins survive at all brings hope that people can still make space for
47:52their unique wildlife.
47:59As the river approaches the great wilderness of her delta, she enters her final incarnation.
48:09The Ganges becomes a vast waterway and unleashes her awesome power to both create life and
48:19take it away.