Ganges (Ganga)
The Ganges in Varanasi
Countries	Nepal, India, Bangladesh
Major cities	Haridwar, Moradabad, Rampur, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Rajshahi
Length	2,510 km (1,560 mi)
Watershed	907,000 km² (350,195 sq mi)
Discharge at	mouth
- average	12,015 m³/s (424,306 cu ft/s)
Source	Gangotri Glacier
- location	Uttarakhand, India
- coordinates	30°59′N 78°55′E / 30.983, 78.917
- elevation	7,756 m (25,446 ft)
Mouth	Ganges Delta
- location	Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh
- coordinates	22°05′N 90°50′E / 22.083, 90.833
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Major tributaries
- left	Mahakhali, Karnali, Kosi, Gandak, Ghaghra
- right	Yamuna, Son, Mahananda
Map showing the course of the Ganges and selected tributaries

The Ganges (IPA: /ˈgænʤiːz/, also Ganga pronunciation (help·info), Devanāgarī: गंगा, IAST: Gaṅgā in most Indian languages) is a major river in the Indian subcontinent flowing east through the eponymous plains of northern India into Bangladesh. Varanasi ( Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, pronunciation) also commonly known as Benares ( or Banaras (बनारस Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Haridwar (also spelled Hardwar Hindi: हरिद्वार भारत) is a holy city and WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Moradabad ( Urdu: مراداباد, Hindi: मुरादाबाद) is a city and a Kanpur ( Hindi: कानपुर Urdu: کان پور spelled as Cawnpore before 1948 is one of the most populous cities in the north India Allahabad ( Hindi: इलाहाबाद Urdu: الہ آباد Ilāhābād) is a city in the north Indian state of Uttar Varanasi ( Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, pronunciation) also commonly known as Benares ( or Banaras (बनारस Paṭnā ( Hindi: पटना is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited Rajshahi ( Bangla: রাজশাহী is a city in Rajshahi District in northwestern Bangladesh. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units Gangotri Glacier is located in Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand, India in a region bordering China. Uttarakhand ( Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड or उत्तराखंड Uttar + Akhand i India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The Ganges Delta (also Sunderban Delta or the Bengal Delta) is a River delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh The Bay of Bengal is a bay that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Mohakhali is a place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is an emerging business district KOSI is a commercial Radio station located in Denver Colorado, broadcasting on 101 The Gandaki River also known as the Kali Gandaki, Narayani (after confluence with Trisuli in Nepal and the Gandak in India is a tributary of the Ganga or Karnali or Ghaghara (also spelled the Gogra Ghaghra or Ghagra Nepali Kauriala or Manchu or the Karnali literally means ' holy water from the sacred mountain' (Karnali also means “Turquoise For the goddess of the river who is sometimes called Yamuna see Yami The Yamuna (Sanskrit यमुना SON DNA binding protein, also known as SON, is a human Gene. The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration ( IAST) is a popular Transliteration scheme that allows a lossless Romanization of Indic This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. The Indo-Gangetic Plain also known as the Northern plains and the North Indian River Plain is a large and fertile plain encompassing most of northern and eastern India, India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The 2,510 km (1,557 mi) river begins at the Gangotri Glacier in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, in the central Himalayas, and drains into the Bay of Bengal through its vast delta in the Sunderbans. Gangotri Glacier is located in Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand, India in a region bordering China. Uttarakhand ( Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड or उत्तराखंड Uttar + Akhand i The Bay of Bengal is a bay that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river The Sundarbans (সুন্দরবন Shundorbôn) is the largest single block of tidal halophytic Mangrove forest in the world It has enjoyed a position of reverence for millennia among India's Hindus, by whom it is worshipped in its personified form as the goddess Ganga. In Hinduism, the river Ganga ( Sanskrit and Hindi गंगा Gaṅgā) or Ganges River (as called by westerners is considered

The Ganges and its tributaries drain a large – about one million square kilometres – and fertile basin that supports one of the world's highest-density human populations. It should be noted that almost half of the population of India proper live on one-third of the landscape within 500 km of the Himalayan range along the Gangetic plains.

In his book Discovery of India, Jawaharlal Nehru writes,

The Ganges, above all is the river of India, which has held India's heart captive and drawn uncounted millions to her banks since the dawn of history. The Discovery of India ( Hindi: भारत एक खोज was written by India 's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during Jawaharlal Nehru (जवाहरलाल नेहरू ʤəʋäɦəɾläl nɛɦɾu (14 November 1889 27 May 1964 was a major political leader of the Congress Party The story of the Ganges, from her source to the sea, from old times to new, is the story of India's civilization and culture, of the rise and fall of empires, of great and proud cities, of adventures of man…

Contents 1 Course 2 Religious significance 3 History 4 Economy 5 Ecology 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

Course

The Ganges originates in the Himalayas after the confluence of six rivers: the Alaknanda meets the Dhauliganga at Vishnuprayag, the Nandakini at Nandprayag, the Pindar at Karnaprayag, the Mandakini at Rudraprayag and finally the Bhagirathi at Devprayag (after which point the river is known as the Ganges) in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Alaknanda River is a Tributary of the Ganga River that begins at the confluence of the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak Glaciers in Uttarakhand The Dhauliganga is one of the five source rivers that make up the Ganges. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Nandaprayag (also spelt Nandprayag and Nand Prayag) is a town and a Nagar panchayat The Pindar River emerges from the Pindari Glacier. The river in its initial course flows through sedimentary rocks WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Karnaprayag or Karnprayag or Karanprayag is a city and municipal board in Chamoli District Mandakini is a tributary of the Alaknanda River. Mandakini originates from the Charabari Glacier near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, India WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Rudraprayag is a town and a Nagar panchayat in Rudraprayag District in the Indian This article is about the tributary of the GangesFor the distributary in West Bengal see Bhāgirathi-Hooghly. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Devprayag (Devaprayāg is a town and a Nagar panchayat in Tehri Garhwal District in the Uttarakhand ( Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड or उत्तराखंड Uttar + Akhand i The Bhagirathi is considered the source stream; it originates at the Gangotri Glacier, at an elevation of 7,756 m (25,446 ft). Gangotri Glacier is located in Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand, India in a region bordering China. The streams are fed by melting snow and ice from glaciers including glaciers from peaks such as Nanda Devi and Kamet. Nanda Devi is the second highest Mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country ( Kangchenjunga being on the border of India and Kamet is the second highest Mountain in the Garhwal region of India, after Nanda Devi,.

After travelling 200 km through the Himalayas, the Ganges emerges at the pilgrimage town of Haridwar in the Sivalik Hills. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Haridwar (also spelled Hardwar Hindi: हरिद्वार भारत) is a holy city and The Sivalik Hills also known as the Sivalik mountains (also spelled Shiwalik, Shivalik, or Siwalik) and sometimes called Churia or At Haridwar, a dam diverts some of its waters into the Ganges Canal, which links the Ganges with its main tributary, the Yamuna. The Ganga Canal is a Canal system that irrigates the Doab region between the Ganges River and the Yamuna River in India. For the goddess of the river who is sometimes called Yamuna see Yami The Yamuna (Sanskrit यमुना The Ganges, whose course has been roughly southwestern until this point, now begins to flow southeast through the plains of northern India.

Further, the river follows an 800 km curving course passing through the city of Kanpur before being joined from the southwest by the Yamuna at Allahabad. Kanpur ( Hindi: कानपुर Urdu: کان پور spelled as Cawnpore before 1948 is one of the most populous cities in the north India Allahabad ( Hindi: इलाहाबाद Urdu: الہ آباد Ilāhābād) is a city in the north Indian state of Uttar This point is known as the Sangam at Allahabad. Triveni Sangam is the confluence of three rivers ( Ganga, Yamuna and the legendary Saraswati River) near Allahabad, India Sangam, is a sacred place in Hinduism. According to ancient Hindu texts, at one time a third river, the Sarasvati, met the other two rivers at this point

Joined by numerous rivers such as the Kosi, Son, Gandaki and Ghaghra, the Ganges forms a formidable current in the stretch between Allahabad and Malda in West Bengal. The Sarasvati River ( Sanskrit: sa सरस्वती नदी sárasvatī nadī) is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu This is about the river in India, for a river in Vietnam, see Son River (Vietnam The Son River or Sone of central The Gandaki River also known as the Kali Gandaki, Narayani (after confluence with Trisuli in Nepal and the Gandak in India is a tributary of the Ganga or Karnali or Ghaghara (also spelled the Gogra Ghaghra or Ghagra Nepali Kauriala or Manchu or the Karnali literally means ' holy water from the sacred mountain' (Karnali also means “Turquoise WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> English Bazar, better known as Malda, is a city and a Municipality in Malda district West Bengal ( Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo poʃtʃim bɔŋgo is a state in eastern India. On its way it passes the towns of Mirzapur, Varanasi, Patna and Bhagalpur. For the settlement in Bangladesh see Mirzapur Bangladesh. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Mirzapur Varanasi ( Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, pronunciation) also commonly known as Benares ( or Banaras (बनारस Paṭnā ( Hindi: पटना is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Bhagalpur is a city and Municipal corporation in the Bihar state of Eastern At Bhagalpur, the river meanders past the Rajmahal Hills, and begins to run south. Rajmahal Hills are Jurassic Period hills named after the town of Rajmahal which lies to the east in the state of Jharkhand in India. At Pakur, the river begins its attrition with the branching away of its first distributary, the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, which goes on to form the Hooghly River. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Pakur is the district headquarters of Pakur District, Jharkhand state, India The Hooghly River ( Bengali হুগলী Hugli; Anglicized alternatively spelled Hoogli or Hugli) or the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, is The Hooghly River ( Bengali হুগলী Hugli; Anglicized alternatively spelled Hoogli or Hugli) or the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, is Near the border with Bangladesh the Farakka Barrage, built in 1974, controls the flow of the Ganges, diverting some of the water into a feeder canal linking the Hooghly to keep it relatively silt-free. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Completed in 1974-75, the Farakkah Barrage is a dam on the Ganges River located in the Indian state of West Bengal, roughly 10 Kilometers (km from the Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar.

After entering Bangladesh, the main branch of the Ganges is known as the Padma River until it is joined by the Jamuna River the largest distributary of the Brahmaputra. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The Padma ( Bangla: পদ্মা Pôdda) is a major Trans-boundary river in Bangladesh. Not to be confused with the Yamuna River The Jamuna River ( Bangla: যমুনা Jomuna) is one of the three main rivers The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is a Trans-boundary river and one of the major Rivers of Asia. Further downstream, the Ganges is fed by the Meghna River, the second largest distributary of the Brahmaputra, and takes on the Meghna's name as it enters the Meghna Estuary. The Meghna River (মেঘনা নদী is an important river in Bangladesh, one of the three that forms the Ganges Delta, the largest on earth fanning out Fanning out into the 350 km wide Ganges Delta, it finally empties into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges Delta (also Sunderban Delta or the Bengal Delta) is a River delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh The Bay of Bengal is a bay that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Only two rivers, the Amazon and the Congo, have greater discharge than the combined flow of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Surma-Meghna river system. The Amazon River (Rio Amazonas Río Amazonas of South America is the largest river in the world by volume with a total river flow greater than the next top ten largest rivers The Congo River (for a time known as the Zaire River) is the largest River in Western Central Africa. The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is a Trans-boundary river and one of the major Rivers of Asia. The Surma-Meghna River System is a river complex in South Asia, one of the three that form the Ganges Delta and the largest on earth

Religious significance

Situated on the banks of River Ganges, Varanasi is considered by some to be the most holy city in Hinduism. Varanasi ( Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, pronunciation) also commonly known as Benares ( or Banaras (बनारस The Ganga is mentioned in the Rig-Veda, the earliest of the Hindu scriptures. It appears in the nadistuti (Rig Veda 10. 75), which lists the rivers from east to west. In RV 6. 45. 31, the word Ganga is also mentioned, but it is not clear whether this reference is to the river.

According to Hindus the river Ganga (feminine) is sacred. It is worshiped by Hindus and personified as a Devi goddess, who holds an important place in the Hindu religion. Hindu belief holds that bathing in the river (especially on certain occasions) causes the forgiveness of sins and helps attain salvation. Many people believe that this will come from bathing in the Ganga at any time. People travel from distant places to immerse the Cremation and ashes collection ashes of their family / kin in the waters of the Ganga; this immersion also is believed to send the departed soul to heaven. Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the river Ganga, including Haridwar and Varanasi. People carry sacred water from the Ganges that is sealed in copper pots after making the pilgrimage to Varanasi. It is believed that drinking water from the Ganga with one's last breath will take the soul to heaven.

Hindus also believe life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganga at least once in one's lifetime. Most Hindu families keep a vial of water from the Ganga in their house. This is done because it is prestigious to have water of the Holy Ganga in the house, and also so that if someone is dying, that person will be able to drink its water. Many Hindus believe that the water from the Ganga can cleanse a person's soul of all past sins, and that it can also cure the ill. The ancient scriptures mention that the water of Ganges carries the blessings of Lord Vishnu's feet; hence Mother Ganges is also known as Vishnupadi, which means "Emanating from the Lotus feet of Supreme Lord Sri Vishnu. "

Some of the most important Hindu festivals and religious Congregation (worship)happen here. Congregations are celebrated on the banks of the river Ganga, such as the Kumbh Mela every twelve years at Media:Allahabad and the Chhath Chhat Puja.

Varanasi has hundreds of temples along the bank of the Ganges which often become flooded during the rains. This city, especially along the bank of the Ganges, is an important place of worship for the Hindus as well as a cremation ground.

Indian Mythology states that Ganga, daughter of Himavan, King of the Mountains, had the power to purify anything that touched her. Ganga flowed from the heavens and purified the people of India, according to myths. After the funeral, Indians often immerse the bodies of their dead in the Ganga, which is believed to purify them of their sins.

History

During the early Vedic Ages, the Indus and the Sarasvati River Sarasvati were the major rivers, not the Ganges. But the later three Vedas seem to give much more importance to the Ganges, as shown by its numerous references.

Possibly the first Westerner to mention the Ganges was Megasthenes. Megasthenes (Μεγασθένης ca 350 BC - 290 BC was a Greek traveller and Geographer. He did so several times in his work Indika:India, again, possesses many rivers both large and navigable, which, having their sources in the mountains which stretch along the northern frontier, traverse the level country, and not a few of these, after uniting with each other, fall into the river called the Ganges. Now this river, which at its source is 30 stadia broad, flows from north to south, and empties its waters into the ocean forming the eastern boundary of the Gangaridai, a nation which possesses a vast force of the largest-sized elephants. " (Diodorus II. 37. )

In Rome's Piazza Navona, a famous sculpture, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers) designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini was built in 1651. It symbolizes four of the world's great rivers (the Ganges, the Nile, the Danube, and the Río de la Plata), representing the four continents known at the time.

Economy

The Ganges Basin with its fertile soil is instrumental to the agricultural economies of India and Bangladesh. The Ganga basin is a part of the composite Ganga - Brahmaputra - Meghna basin which drains an area of 1086000 square kilometres The Ganges and its tributaries provide a perennial source of irrigation to a large area. Chief crops cultivated in the area include rice, sugarcane, lentils, oil seeds, potatoes, and wheat. Along the banks of the river, the presence of swamps and lakes provide a rich growing area for crops such as legumes, chillies, mustard, sesame, sugarcane, and jute. There are also many fishing opportunities to many along the river, though it remains highly polluted.

Tourism is another related activity. Three towns holy to Hinduism – Haridwar, Allahabad, and Varanasi – attract thousands of pilgrims to its waters. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims arrive at these three towns to take a dip in the Ganges, which is believed to cleanse oneself of sins and help attain salvation. The rapids of the Ganges also are popular for river rafting, attracting hundreds of adventure seekers in the summer months. Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity utilizing a Raft to navigate a River or other bodies of water

Ecology

Main article: Pollution of Ganga

The river waters start getting polluted right at the source. More than 400 million people live along the Ganges River An estimated 60000 persons ritually bathe daily in the river which is considered holy by Indians The commercial exploitation of the river has risen in proportion to the rise of population. Gangotri^[1] and Uttarkashi are good examples. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Gangotri is a town and a Nagar panchayat in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Uttarkashi is a town in Uttarakhand, India. Gangotri had only a few huts of Sadu's until the 1970's^[2] and the population of Uttrakashi has swelled in recent years. As it flows through highly populous areas the Ganges collects large amounts of human pollutants, e. g. , Schistosoma mansoni and faecal coliforms, and drinking and bathing in its waters therefore carries a high risk of infection. Schistosoma mansoni is a significant parasite of humans one of the major agents of Schistosomiasis. Fecal coliforms (sometimes faecal coliforms) are facultatively-anaerobic, rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-sporulating Bacteria. While proposals have been made for re mediating this condition, little progress has been achieved.

The Ganges river's long held reputation as a purifying river appears to have a basis in science. The river water as a unique and extraordinary ability to retain oxygen. As reported in a National Public Radio program,Dysentery and cholera are killed off, preventing large-scale epidemics. Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is an infection of the digestive system that results in severe Diarrhea containing mucus and blood Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium The river's unusual ability to retain dissolved oxygen, but the reason for this ability is not known. ^[3]

A UN Climate Report issued in 2007 indicates that the Himalayan glaciers that feed the Ganges may disappear by 2030, after which the river's flow would be a seasonal occurrence resulting from monsoons. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months ^[4]

See also

• Ganges Basin
• Ganges Delta
• Ganges Fan
• Swach Ganga (Clean Ganga) Campaign

Notes

References

External links

• Ganga in the Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909
• Ganges (Ganga)
• Melting Glaciers Threaten Ganges
• The River Ganges

Coordinates: 30°54′N 79°07′E / 30.9, 79.117

A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system.

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