Grand Vestibule: The British Monarchy and the World
The Grand Vestibule at Windsor Castle reflects interaction between the monarchy and the wider world
Urn containing water from the River Ganges
2013RCIN 188626
On the first day of the Prince of Wales’s 9-day tour of India in 2013, he witnessed a sacred Hindu ceremony on the banks of the River Ganges.
Offerings were made asking for world peace and environmental preservation. Then the prince offered water from the River Ganges before a large globe, requesting all creatures to have access to safe water. Hindu Guru Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji guided the royal couple through the ceremony. He is the founder of an organisation working with scientists and environmentalist to clean the water and banks of the Ganges. At sunset, the ancient practices drew to a close with the daily Ceremony of Light, aarti, a moment of gratitude marked by fire lamps and incense on the riverbank. The prince later travelled to Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
This sealed white metal urn contains water from the River Ganges. It was presented to the King Charles III when Prince of Wales by Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji during the ceremony in 2013.
