The Largest Handwritten Family Tree in the World

The Ganges River is a highly revered site by Hindus and an iconic, historical epicenter in India. As hundreds of thousands of people visit the Ganges each year, there is a dedicated group of priests, better known as pandits, working quietly behind the scenes. In small offices that line the river, they keep handwritten records of everyone who has visited the holy site. These documents function as historical and genealogical archives that even record births and deaths in each visiting family. With archives dating back 20 generations, it is the largest handwritten family tree in the world.

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