The Ganga is the national river of India. Meandering and curving on her sides, the Ganga descends from the Himalayas on to the plains and cleanses and purifies souls of many devotees. For the Hindus, the Ganga is the ultimate symbol of purity and every year they rush to her banks to wash off their sins and beg pardon from the gods for all their misdoings. The Ganga is not just a spiritually important river. She is responsible for the lives of many thousands who depend upon her waters and her fertile region for their livelihood. As much as 10 percent of the world population resides along her course and are dependent on her for their living.
Origin
- The pristine icy glaciers of the Himalayas are the source of origin of the Holy Ganges. The river Ganga emerges out of an icy glacier called Gangotri, which is situated at an elevation of 13,800 feet above sea level.
- The river gets its waters from other glaciers too namely, Nanda Devi, Dhaulagiri, Kanchenjunga, Mount Everest, Gurla, Gesaisthan and Mandhata. Many small rivers and rivulets join the Ganga along its course.
- The Ganga travels along the northern plains of India and finally enters Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Historical significance
It is believed that the River Ganga flows out of the dreadlocks of Lord Shiva. According to folklore, Ganga descended from the heavens to the Earth on the request of King Bhagirath. The king’s relatives had been turned to ashes by a sage and they could only be revived with the waters of the River Ganga. It is said that pleased by King Bhagirath’s penance, the goddess Ganga agreed to descend to the Earth from the heavens and revive his relatives. She descended onto Lord Shiva’s matted hair from where seven streams sprang out in different directions. These seven streams are the rivers Bhagirathi, Jhanvi, Bhilangana, Mandakini, Rishiganga, Saraswati and Alakananda. All these rivers merge into the River Ganga at Devprayag.
Journey
- The Ganges is 2, 510 km long and emerges from the Gangotri glacier as the Bhagirathi River. Situated at distance of 214 km from the source of the river is Devprayag, where the River Alakananda joins the River Bhagirathi to form the River Ganga.
- After covering a distance of 229 kms, the river enters the plains of Rishikesh and flows westward to reach Haridwar. All these spots along the river course are important Hindu pilgrimage centres and attract hundreds and thousands of tourists every year.
- The river continues her journey to the south and then the south-east to reach Allahabad where it joins the river Yamuna. This confluence is considered to be very sacred by Hindus. From here, the river moves on ahead to finally drain into the Bay of Bengal.
Sunderbans
- One of the important landmarks formed by the River Ganga is the Sunderbans. It is the world’s largest delta formed by the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna. The Sunderbans are known for their rich flora and fauna and the Sundari trees which are found in abundance in this region.
- It is also home to the largest number of tigers in the world and has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
