Orgin of Holy River Ganga

For thousands of years, the Ganga river has been pivotal in the social, religious and economic life of the people. It is also considered as a mother and Goddess in Hindu tradition. A few people believe that the Ganges' water can cure ailments. But, are you aware of that, from where river Ganga originates? Where does Ganga originate? Where does the Ganga river start from?

Let us find out such details thoroughly from this article.

About the Ganges River

The Ganges is said to be one of the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent that flows from the east direction through the Gangetic Plain of the northern India region into Bangladesh. The River rises up to 2,510 km in the western Himalayas, which is located in the Uttarakhand state of India and also drains into the Sunderbans delta in the Bay of Bengal. Also, do you know that it is considered to be the longest holy River by the Hindus and worshipped as the goddess - named Ganga in Hinduism? So, we can say from where the river Ganga originates as in the Western Himalayas.

Also, historically it is important as several former imperial or provincial capitals like Allahabad, Patliputra, Murshidabad, Kannauj, Calcutta, and so on have been located on its banks. The Ganga river basins drain up to 1,000,000 square kilometres and maintain one of the world's greatest human concentrations. Let us learn more about the Ganga River and the Ganga river origin (or the origin of Ganga).

What is the History of the Holy Ganga?

The Ganga is an Asian river that originates in the western Himalayas (which is called the origin of Ganga) and flows through India and Bangladesh. When it enters West Bengal, it splits into the Hooghly and the Padma. The Padma River passes via Bangladesh and ultimately into the Bay of Bengal. The Hooghly River goes through multiple districts of West Bengal and finally, it flows into the Bay of Bengal.

Undoubtedly, the Ganga originates from Gaumukh and the Ganga river is considered a central part of Indian tradition, culture and life. It is also included in the four largest rivers of India. These four rivers are given as Brahmaputra, Indus, Godavari and Ganga. River Ganga is also the third-largest River in the world, on the basis of the water discharge and considered to be most sacred.

The Bhagirathi River is the Himalayan River that flows in the Uttarakhand state. It is also one of the two headwaters of the holy Ganga River. Its length is given as 205 km and has a basin of about 6,921 sq km and it is believed that the Bhagirathi River is said to be the source Stream of the River - Ganga. Ganga originates from Gaumukh that is located at the base of Khatilang and Gangotri glaciers in the Uttarakhand state.

Gaumukh is up to 18 km from the Gangotri town and is regarded as the Ganga's birthplace on earth. At the River Gangotri, there is a Ganga temple, which is most famous as Chota Char Dham temple, located in Garhwal. Also, Gomukh is the Ganga birthplace and to name the source of the river Ganga is Gomukh.

Bhagirathi is named after Bhagirath, an ancient ruler who completed the penance necessary to bring her down from the skies. Bathing in this water is also thought to provide salvation from sins committed in previous and current lives. Do you know that when the Temple is closed due to severe snowfall in the winter, the Goddess idol is kept at Mukhab hamlet near Harsil?

Water-Sharing Agreement of Indus Water Treaty (IWT)

Chaukhamba is the highest point of the Bhagirathi. The famous Tehri Dam lies at the confluence of Bhilangna and Bhagirathi River, which is near Tehri Garhwal. Joshiyara (Bhali) Dam, Maneri Dam, Tehri Dam, and Koteshwar Dam are the operating hydroelectric dams on the Bhagirathi River. The Bhagirathi River starts its journey at Gaumukh and after that, it is joined by tributaries such as – Jadh Ganga, Kedar Ganga, Jalandari Gad, Kakora Gad, Asi Ganganear, Siyan Gad and Bhilangana.

Bhagirathi completes its trip when it joins the Alaknanda river to form Ganga at Devprayag. Thus, we can say that the sacred River - Ganga is a confluence of both the rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi.

Ghaghra, Yamuna, Kosi, and Gandak are Himalayan rivers that enter the Ganges. The Yamuna River, which originated from the Yamunotri glacier, merged with the River Ganga in the Allahabad region. The primary tributaries of the peninsular suburbs are Betwa, Chambal and Son.

According to Hindu mythology, if a person leaves their last breath in Varanasi and is cremated at the banks of the Ganges, they will attain salvation. Also, it is believed that if a person dies somewhere else and their respective ashes can be brought and immersed in the Ganges, the departed soul will also attain salvation.

Where is the Gangotri Glacier Located?

The Gangotri Glacier (River) is located in Uttarakhand, in the Uttarkashi district, where the Bhagirathi River feeds into the Alaknanda in the Devprayag region. After this confluence, the river Ganga is formed. The River Ganga also originates here and runs into the Bay of Bengal. Gangotri is said to be the pilgrim place for Hindus. Also, there is a temple which is dedicated to Ganga.

Let us describe that, Devprayag is situated at an altitude of about 830m above sea level. Its nearest city is Rishikesh, which is located 70 km away. This particular place is considered to be one of the Panch Prayag of the Uttarakhand state.

And, do you know how the name - Devprayag is formed? As we all know, Devprayag is a pilgrimage related to Lord Shri Ram, and there is an ancient narrative behind it. According to mythology, during the Sat Yuga, a Brahmin by the name of Dev Sharma performed a difficult penance, and Lord Vishnu granted him a boon, ensuring that this location would become famous with his name in the future. Since then, it has started to be referred to as 'Dev Prayag.'

The Ganges Tributaries from the north: Ramganga, Karnali (Ghaghra), Yamuna, Gandak, Tapt and Kosi. The tributaries of the Ganges from the South are given as Son, Chambal, Ken, Betwa, Southern Tons.

Some Facts about River Ganga

• Do you know - river Ganges is said to be the 5th most polluted River across the world?

• It is said that the Ganga water has a special power to fight against bacteria.

• Compared to the other rivers, the river Ganga contains above 25% of oxygen level.

• Mosquitoes cannot be born in the Ganga water, according to a study conducted by the Delhi Research Centre.

• The Ganges water never deteriorates.

• A British laboratory came to find that if the bacteria were mixed in the Ganges water, then all the bacteria contained in it would die within 3 hours.

• The rivers Brahmaputra and Ganga are the largest river delta worldwide, spread up to an area of 59,000 sq. Km.

• D.S. Bhargava of the University of Environment Engineers in Roorkee conducted research and discovered that the Ganga is the only river in the world that can degrade organic garbage 15 to 25 times faster than other rivers.

• In the past decades, the Ganga has moved around 500 M from its original course in the Hardwar. Since the 1990s, in Bihar, some parts of the River have moved back from their original course by around 2.5 km.

Thus, we can say that the most important tributaries of the river Ganges are given as Alaknanda and Bhagirathi. The sacred River Ganga is formed when these two rivers meet in Devprayag. And, this place is much famous as Devprayag Sangam. Undoubtedly, this pilgrimage site has its own importance.