Prince Charles and the Duchess of
Cornwall tonight took part in a solemn ceremony of thanks with Hindus on
the banks of the River Ganges.
In
the holy Hindu city of Rishikesh, the prince led his wife by the hand
to the banks of the sacred river where they joined Hindu worshippers
conducting the Aarti ceremony.
It is performed by devotees every sunset who wave oil lamps burning ghee - a symbolic thank you to God for lighting the world.
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Giving thanks: Britain's Prince Charles and his
wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall take part in a Hindu ritual at
Parmarth Niketan Ashram on the banks of the River Ganges in Rishikesh
In the holy city of Rishikesh, the prince led
his wife by the hand to the banks of the sacred river where they joined
Hindu worshippers conducting the Aarti ceremony
The couple were welcomed by the Hindu
guru Swami Chidanand and his leading disciple Sadhvi Bhagawati
Saraswati, both dressed in orange robes, who draped a garland of
marigold blooms around their necks and strings of beads.
With
the foothills of the Himalayans looming in the distance, Charles told
gathered trainee priests and their leaders: 'It's a particular joy to
join you here on the banks of the Ganges this evening because it is,
above all else, my first visit to the Ganges and so from that point of
view it is a very special occasion for both myself and my wife.
'But we also wanted just to
stress how deeply we felt for all those people who suffered so
dreadfully as a result of the awful floods in June - our thoughts and
prayers were so much with those families who have had to suffer the
appalling catastrophe.'
The
devastating floods are estimated to have killed 5,500 people with many
deaths in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, the first stop on
Charles and Camilla's tour, and forced tens of thousands to be evacuated
during the summer.
Charles asks about the ritual that he has just
performed: The water blessing ceremony involved pouring water taken from
the Ganges back to its source
Isn't this lovely, dear? Devotees draped a
garland of marigold blooms around the4 royal couple's necks and adorned
them with strings of beads
The guru has been involved in a
project to help eradicate pollution in the Ganges, gathering together
scientists, engineers and activists to help clean the waters and
riverbanks.
Charles went on to praise the Swami for his 'deep understanding of working in harmony with nature'.
The
heir to the throne added: 'It seems to me the key to our future is to
rediscover our connections with nature, for too long we seem to have
ignored the services that nature provides us.'
The
prince told how the birth of his grandson Prince George, in July, had
given him a reason to redouble his efforts on working to help preserve
the planet.
'And now
that I've just recently become a grandfather, I think it means even more
when you have a grandchild to think of their future and all the futures
of other grandchildren around the world, we owe them I think something a
great deal better for their futures as well.'
The royal couple was given small Aarti lamps and
joined other participants in circling them clockwise in a ritual
designed to give thanks for the light of the day
Solemn: During the Aarti ritual the royal couple
held a four tiered brass lamp and waved it in circles to thank God for
the light which he has provided throughout the day
Warm welcome: Surrounded by students from the
local ashram, the Prince and Duchess took part in the traditional
ceremony on the bank of the Ganges
Charles and Camilla arrived in India
today at the start of a nine-day tour designed to strengthen ties
between the Commonwealth nation and the UK.
The
royal couple were met at Jolly Grand airport in Derhadun by the British
High Commissioner to India, Sir James David Bevan, before heading to
the banks of the River Ganges where they took off their shoes for the
traditional Aarti sunset ceremony.
The
Duchess of Cornwall wore a turquoise tunic and she and her husband each
wore poppies for the Hindu ceremony in the holy city of Rishikesh,
which marked the start of their third, and most extensive, tour of India
as a married couple.
The
couple travelled by boat across the fast flowing pale green waters of
the Ganges to the Gita Bhavan landing stage near the Parmarth Ganga
Ghat, where they were greeted by officials from the nearby Parmarth
Niketan ashram.
They were
then led by a number of Rishikumars - young boys in colourful yellow
robes who live and study at the ashram - to where they could remove
their shoes in private before the daily ritual, in which lamps are lit
and devotional songs sung, began.
It is the couple's third official tour to India
since they married in 2005, and will also be their most extensive,
seeing them travel the length and breadth of the country
The prince takes the mic: He told how the birth
of his grandson Prince George had given him a reason to redouble his
efforts on working to help preserve the planet
The
Prince and Duchess were then escorted by Pujya Swami Chidanand
Saraswatiji Maharaj down to the river bank to observe the havan ceremony
in which prayers were offered to a sacred fire.
An
offering of herbs, seeds and petals was made to the fire by the royal
couple for world peace and environmental preservation as ancient Verdic
prayers were said.
A water
blessing ceremony followed with water from the Ganges poured back to its
source by Charles and Camilla who then observed two minutes silence for
the victims of the flood.
During
the Aarti ritual the royal couple held a four tiered brass lamp and
waved it in circles as the duchess smiled then shared a joke with her
husband.
The essence of the
Aarti ceremony is to thank God for the light which he has provided
throughout the day. In thanking God for the light of the sun and the
light of life, the idea is to offer back the light of thanks, the light
of love and the light of devotion.
Their
Royal Highnesses were then presented with shawls, a sacred rudraksh
sapling, and a small container of holy water from the Ganges, before
they sat on the steps and listened to traditional songs.
The Duchess of Cornwall wore a turquoise tunic
and white flowing trousers while her husband wore a grey suit for the
first day of their Indian tour
When
the Beatles stayed at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, on the
outskirts of Rishikesh, they wrote many of the songs for their famous
white album.
They are likely to have seen a similar event to the Aarti ceremony according to the Swami's chief disciple.
'They
almost definitely would have witnessed the fire ceremony, it's one of
the most traditional ceremonies in the Hindu tradition,' she said.
Hinduism
is the majority religion in India, with some six hundred million Hindus
currently living in the country. There is also a Hindu majority within
the British Indian population.
The
Prince, who has a strong interest in religious understanding between
faiths, makes regular visits to major faith communities both in the UK
and overseas.
Charles and
Camilla will travel the length and breadth of India to experience its
diverse people and cultures, celebrate the achievements of leading
individuals and highlight the work of some of the heir to the throne's
own organisations.
The
duchess will also be carrying out a number of solo engagements focusing
on her interests of literacy, osteoporosis and equestrianism.
Sacred sapling: The British visitors appeared to
enjoy their sunset trip to the banks of the River Ganges - their third
official trip to India as a couple
Enjoying themselves: The Prince of Wales, who
was covered in garlands at the ritual, has a particular interest in
inter-faith understanding and religious tolerance
The Aarti ceremony is performed every day,
regardless of weather conditions, and participants hold small lamps and
sing religious songs
The
prince turns 65 during his autumn tour and will celebrate the milestone
the day before he hosts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
(Chogm) on behalf of the Queen in Sri Lanka.
The
heir to the throne will be convening his first Chogm which faces a
number of challenging issues, from those concerned about Sri Lanka's
alleged human rights abuses to the recent withdrawal of the Gambia from
the 'family of nations' who denounced it as a 'neo-colonial
institution'.
In a speech
made at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad in 2000, titled
The Commonwealth In The New Millennium, the prince described the
uniqueness and relevance of the Commonwealth.
He
said: 'I have long had an instinctive sense of the value of the
Commonwealth. It encourages and celebrates cultural diversity and makes
no attempt to homogenise.'
The prince added: 'For me, the Commonwealth is something rather special and worth cherishing.
'It
is as old as I am, and so has been present throughout my life, as
something to which the Queen and other members of my family attach great
value.'
How do you do? Charles chats with Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj after the ritual
Prince William speaks of 'terrible' problems ex-offenders have trying to find housing after being freed
The
Duke of Cambridge today voiced concerns about the 'terrible' problems
ex-offenders have trying to find housing following their release from
prison.
William visited
staff and volunteers from the St Giles Trust in Camberwell, south east
London, which works with former criminals to help them break the cycle
of crime.
The trust works
to train serving prisoners and ex-offenders as advice workers, using the
benefit of their own first-hand experiences, and around 40 per cent of
staff there have a criminal conviction.
The Duke of Cambridge chatted to former offender
Junior Smart today as he toured the St Giles Trust headquarters in
London - the charity helps criminals break out of a life of crime
The Prince, whose son Prince George was
christened last month, asked how many private landlords were happy to
accept former criminals as tenants
The Duke, who was patron of
the charity's 50th anniversary year in 2012, received a tour of its head
office before having lunch with business chiefs who support the trust.
He
asked about the percentage of landlords who were willing to accept ex-
prisoners as tenants after their release, suggesting it was 60 per cent.
The
trust's Hughie Solomon, told him fewer than 30 per cent of private
landlords accepted former criminals as tenants, to which William replied
'Which is terrible really.'
The
Duke met prisoners out on licence and was shown the practical support
offered by the trust in areas such as housing, improving skills, job
opportunities and resettling into the community after prison.
Prince William met staff at the Trust and also
leaders of businesses who work with it to help former offenders break
the cycle of crime
Junior Smart, who founded the
trust's SOS team, which tackles gang and youth crime, praised William
for his 'genuine interest' in their work with ex-offenders.
The
37-year-old from Southwark in London was jailed in 2001 for a
drug-related offence but began work to tackle reoffending in 2006
following his release.
'I kept seeing the same young people again and again,' he said. 'It motivated me to do something.'
During
the tour, William also revealed he had his 'fingers crossed' for Wales'
rugby union team as he plans to attend their match with South Africa at
the Millennium Stadium on Saturday
astity belt-type technology to ward off
potential sexual predators. 
