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, IPA: [ˈgəŋgaː]) is a major river in the Indian subcontinent flowing east through the eponymous plains of northern India into Bangladesh. 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. It has enjoyed a position of reverence for millennia by India's Hindus, by whom it is worshipped in its personified form as the goddess Ganga. Ganga may refer to: Ganges River, a river in India Ganga, the Hindu goddess that personifies the Ganges River The Gangas, an ancient southern Indian dynasty Ganga (music), a type of rural folk singing from Croatia and Herzegovina Daren Ganga, a West Indian cricketer Ganga, an alternate spelling of ganja... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 540 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,067 × 720 pixels, file size: 63 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taken by Flick user: babasteve on May 31, 2005 Uploaded to Wiki by User:Nikkul http://flickr. ... , Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी VārāṇasÄ«, IPA:  ), also known as Benares (Hindi: , Urdu: , IPA: ), or Kashi (Hindi: ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... , Haridwar (also spelt as Hardwar, Hindi: हरिद्वार)   is a holy city and municipal board in the Haridwar District in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. ... Moradabad is a city in Uttar Pradesh state of India. ... Rampur is a city located in the Northern part of Uttar Pradesh between Moradabad and Bareilly, not far from Delhi. ... , Kanpur   (Hindi: कानपुर, Urdu: کان پور, spelled as Cawnpore before 1948) is one of the most populous cities in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... , Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी VārāṇasÄ«, IPA:  ), also known as Benares (Hindi: , Urdu: , IPA: ), or Kashi (Hindi: ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... For other uses, see Patna (disambiguation). ... Padma River flows besides Rajshahi City Rajshahi (Bangla: রাজশাহী) is a city in Rajshahi District in northwestern Bangladesh. ... “km” redirects here. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... The cubic meter (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ... This article is about the unit of time. ... It has been suggested that Thousand Cubic Feet be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the unit of time. ... Goumukh, terminus of the Gangotri glacier (lower right in image, behind prayer flag) Gangotri Glacier is located in Uttarakhand, India in a region bordering China. ... , Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh and India The Ganges Delta (or the Bengal Delta) is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. ... Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The Karnali River is the longest river in Nepal. ... KOSI (KOSY 101) is an Adult Contemporary station based in Denver, Colorado. ... The Gandak is a tributary of the Ganges river. ... Ghaghara also called the Gogra, is a river in Northern India, one of the largest affluents of the Ganges. ... Not to be confused with the nearby Jamuna River a tributary of the Meghna River, which is sometimes confused both in older historical literature, and by translations of the local dialects. ... For other uses, see Son (disambiguation). ... mahananda is a sandhi or word agglutinate in Sanskrit and several other Indo-Aryan languages meaning great happiness or someone who has achieved such a state. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (863x586, 178 KB) Description River Ganges and its tributaries Source Source of map: http://www2. ... Image File history File links Hi-Ganga. ... () is an abugida script used to write several Indo-Aryan languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati,Marathi, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Marwari, Konkani, Bhojpuri, Pahari (Garhwali and Kumaoni), Santhali, Nepali, Newari, Tharu and sometimes Kashmiri and Romani. ... IAST, or International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is the academic standard for writing the Sanskrit language with the Latin alphabet and very similar to National Library at Calcutta romanization standard being used with many Indic scripts. ... Indian languages redirects here. ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Goumukh, terminus of the Gangotri glacier (lower right in image, behind prayer flag) Gangotri Glacier is located in Uttarakhand, India in a region bordering China. ... , Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... For the movie Himalaya, see Himalaya (film). ... Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ... Where the land meets the sea at the southern tip of West Bengal lies the Indian Sunderbans, a stretch of impenetrable mangrove forest of great size and bio-diversity. ... In Hinduism, the river Ganga (Sanskrit and Hindi गंगा Gaá¹…gā) or Ganges River (as called by westerners) is considered sacred. ...

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.

In his book Discovery of India, Jawaharlal Nehru writes, Cover of an edition of the Discovery of India The Discovery of India was written by Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during his imprisonment in 1942-1946 at Ahmednagar. ... Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi: , IPA: , from Persian Javâher-e Laal, meaning Red Jewel) (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964) was a political leader of the Indian National Congress, a pivotal figure in the Indian independence movement and the first Prime Minister of Independent India. ...

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 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…

Course

The Ganges originates in the Himalayas after the confluence of six rivers: the Alaknanda meets the Dhauliganga at Vishnuprayag, the Mandakini at Nandprayag, the Pindar at Karnaprayag, the Mandakini at Rudraprayag and finally the Bhagirathi at Devaprayag (after which point the river is known as the Ganges) in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Bhagirathi is considered the source stream; it originates at the Gangotri Glacier, at an elevation of 7,756 m (25,446 ft). The streams are fed by melting snow and ice from glaciers including glaciers from peaks such as Nanda Devi and Kamet. The Alaknanda is a tributary of the Ganges. ... The Dhauliganga is one of the five source rivers that make up the Ganges. ... Mandakini is a tributary of river Alaknanda. ... , Nandaprayag (also spelt Nandprayag and Nand Prayag) is a town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... For the PINDAR military bunker in London, please see the PINDAR section of Military citadels under London Pindar (or Pindarus, Greek: ) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae, a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos), was a Greek lyric poet. ... Karnprayag is a city and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... Mandakini is a tributary of river Alaknanda. ... , Rudraprayag is a town and a nagar panchayat in Rudraprayag District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... The Bhagirathi is one of the two major tributaries of the Ganga. ... Devprayag is a city in the state of Uttaranchal in northern India. ... India is subdivided into 28 states, 6 union territories and a National Capital Territory. ... , Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... Goumukh, terminus of the Gangotri glacier (lower right in image, behind prayer flag) Gangotri Glacier is located in Uttarakhand, India in a region bordering China. ... Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India, and the highest entirely within the country. ... Kamet is the second highest mountain in the Garhwal region of India; Nanda Devi (7,816m) is the highest. ...

After travelling 200 km through the Himalayas, the Ganges emerges at the pilgrimage town of Haridwar in the Shiwalik Hills. At Haridwar, a dam diverts some of its waters into the Ganges Canal, which links the Ganges with its main tributary, the Jamuna. The Ganges, whose course has been roughly southwestern until this point, now begins to flow southeast through the plains of northern India. , Haridwar (also spelt as Hardwar, Hindi: हरिद्वार)   is a holy city and municipal board in the Haridwar District in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. ... The Siwalik Hills (sometimes spelled Shiwalik, Shivalik, or Sivalik) are a sub-Himalayan mountain range running 1,600 km long from the Tista River, Sikkim, through Nepal and India, into northern Pakistan. ... The Ganges Canal is a canal that connects the Ganges River and the Jumna River in India. ... Jamuna may refer to: Jamuna River in Bangladesh. ...

Further, the river follows an 800 km (500 mi) curving course passing through the city of Kanpur before being joined from the southwest by the Yamuna at Allahabad. This point, known as the 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.^[1] , Kanpur   (Hindi: कानपुर, Urdu: کان پور, spelled as Cawnpore before 1948) is one of the most populous cities in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Sangam in Hindi means the confluence. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Sarasvati River is an ancient river that is mentioned in Hindu texts. ...

A NASA satellite picture of The combined delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers showing both the delta and sediment flowing into the Bay of Bengal

Joined by numerous rivers such as the Kosi, Son, Gandak and Ghaghra, the Ganges forms a formidable current in the stretch between Allahabad and Malda in West Bengal. On its way it passes the towns of Mirzapur, Varanasi, Patna and Bhagalpur. At Bhagalpur, the river meanders past the Rajmahal Hills, and begins to run south. At Pakaur, the river begins its attrition with the branching away of its first distributary, the Bhagirathi River, which goes on to form the River Hooghly. 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. For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Asia. ... Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... KOSI (KOSY 101) is an Adult Contemporary station based in Denver, Colorado. ... The Ganga receives numerous tributaries from the Southern Uplands among which the Son is the largest and it joins ganga from the south along with Gandak, Gumti, Ghaghara, and sarda rivers. ... The Gandak is a tributary of the Ganges river. ... Ghaghara also called the Gogra, is a river in Northern India, one of the largest affluents of the Ganges. ... Malda is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... , West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... , Mirzapur   is a city in the heart of North India, nearly 650 km between Delhi and Kolkata and also equidistant from Allahabad and Varanasi. ... , Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी VārāṇasÄ«, IPA:  ), also known as Benares (Hindi: , Urdu: , IPA: ), or Kashi (Hindi: ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... For other uses, see Patna (disambiguation). ... , Bhagalpur is a city and municipal corporation in Bihar state in eastern India. ... The Rajmahal Hills are Jurassic Period hills named after the town of Rajmahal which lies to the west in the state of West Bengal in India. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Pakur. ... distributary in Else and Hase at Melle A seasonal Distributary of the Kaveri river on the Kaveri delta, near Nannilam, India. ... The Bhagirathi is one of the two major tributaries of the Ganga. ... The Hooghly River (alternatively spelled Hoogli or Hugli) is a distributary of the Ganges River in India. ... The Farakka Barrage is located 10 km from the Indian side of the border between India and Bangladesh. ... For other uses, see Silt (disambiguation). ...

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. 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. Fanning out into the 350 km (220 mi) wide Ganges Delta, it finally empties into the Bay of Bengal. 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 Padma River is a distributary of the Ganges River in Bangladesh. ... A Map showing major rivers in Bangladesh including Jamuna. ... The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Asia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh and India The Ganges Delta (or the Bengal Delta) is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. ... Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the river. ...

Historically

Until the start of the 18th century, the Ganges River discharged separately into the arabian sea a few kilometers west of the Meghna Estuary. The yamuna River flowed to the east of the Madhupur Tract (upland) and after joining with the Meghna River their combined flow fed into the estuary following approximately the same alignment as the present Lower Meghna River. Between the end of the 18th century and the early 19th century, the Brahmaputra River increased its diversion via the Jamuna River and joined with the Ganges at Aricha.^[2] This change was hastened by the 1897 earthquake. A Map showing major rivers in Bangladesh including Jamuna. ...

Religious significance

This section does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Main article: Ganga in Hinduism

A sketch of the goddess Ganga on her Vahana (mount) Makara

Situated on the banks of River Ganges, Varanasi is considered by some to be the most holy city in Hinduism.

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. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... In Hinduism, the river Ganga (Sanskrit and Hindi गंगा Gaá¹…gā) or Ganges River (as called by westerners) is considered sacred. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 471 KB)Satellite image of the Ganges plain, showing haze and pollution over Bangladesh and north-eastern India. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 471 KB)Satellite image of the Ganges plain, showing haze and pollution over Bangladesh and north-eastern India. ... In Indian mythology, the vahana is the object or vehicle that serves a divinity. ... According to Hindu mythology, Makara, a mythical creature, is the vahana of Ganga and Varuna. ... Download high resolution version (890x868, 24 KB)I, John Hill, took this photo myself in 1973. ... Download high resolution version (890x868, 24 KB)I, John Hill, took this photo myself in 1973. ... , Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी VārāṇasÄ«, IPA:  ), also known as Benares (Hindi: , Urdu: , IPA: ), or Kashi (Hindi: ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... Holy city is a synonym applied to many cities, all of them central to the history or faith of specific religions. ... The Rig Veda ऋग्वेद (Sanskrit á¹›gveda from á¹›c praise + veda knowledge) is a collection of hymns(each hymn is called a Rucha.) counted among the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas, and contains the oldest texts preserved in any Indo-Iranian language. ...

According to Hindus the river Ganga (feminine) is sacred. It is worshipped by Hindus and personified as a goddess, who holds an important place in the Hindu religion. ^{[3] [4]} 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 ashes of their 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. Taken during a Hindu prayer ceremony on the eve of Diwali. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Shri Vidya be merged into this article or section. ... Children bathing in a small metal bathtub Bathing is the immersion of the body in fluid, usually water, or an aqueous solution. ... For other uses, see Sin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Salvation (disambiguation). ... The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ... Look up Family in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... , Haridwar (also spelt as Hardwar, Hindi: हरिद्वार)   is a holy city and municipal board in the Haridwar District in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. ... , Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी VārāṇasÄ«, IPA:  ), also known as Benares (Hindi: , Urdu: , IPA: ), or Kashi (Hindi: ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... This article is about the religious or spiritual journey. ...

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." Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being (i. ...

Some of the most important Hindu festivals and religious congregations are celebrated on the banks of the river Ganga, such as the Kumbh Mela and the Chhat Puja. For other uses, see Festival (disambiguation). ... A congregation is the group of members who make up a local Christian church, Jewish synagogue, Mosque or other religious assembly. ... The 2001 Kumbh Mela. ... Chhath or Dala Chhath is a Hindu festival, which is unique to Bihar state, India and Terai of Nepal. ...

Varanasi has hundreds of temples along the banks of the Ganges which often become flooded during the rains. This city, especially along the banks of the Ganges, is an important place of worship for the Hindus as well as a cremation ground. Temple of Hephaestus, an Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ...

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. Indians often leave their dead bodies after their funeral in the Ganga, which is believed to purify the sins of the people.

History

The river-god Ganges as visualised by Bernini

During the early Indo-Aryan Ages, the Indus and the Sarasvati were the major rivers, not the Ganges.^{[citation needed]} But the later three Vedas seem to give much more importance to the Ganges, as shown by its numerous references. Image File history File linksMetadata Rome_Ganges. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Rome_Ganges. ... A self portrait: Bernini is said to have used his own features in the David (below, left) Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini) (December 7, 1598 - November 28, 1680), who worked chiefly in Rome, was the pre-eminent baroque artist. ... The Indus is a river; the Indus River. ... The Sarasvati River is an ancient river that is mentioned in Hindu texts. ... Veda redirects here. ...

Possibly the first Westerner to mentions the Ganges was Megasthenes. He did so several times in his work Indika: Megasthenes (c. ... Indika was a book written by Megasthenes (c. ...

"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.) Introduction Many systems of weights and measures have existed throughout history in different civilisations. ...

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 symbolises 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. Fountain of the four Rivers with Egyptian obelisk, in the middle of Piazza Navona Piazza Navona is a square in Rome. ... Detail of the Fountain of the Four Rivers The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or The Fountain of the Four Rivers, erected in 1651 in the central Roman Piazza Navona, is considered a masterpiece of public sculpture by Gianlorenzo Bernini. ... Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini; December 7, 1598 – November 28, 1680) was a pre-eminent Baroque sculptor and architect of 17th century Rome. ... For other uses, see Nile (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Danube River. ... This page is about the South American estuary. ...

Economy

Ramjhula

The Ganges Basin with its fertile soil is instrumental to the agricultural economies of India and Bangladesh. 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. The Ganga basin is a part of the composite Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin, which drains an area of 1,086,000 square kilometres. ...

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 in Brazil. ...

Ecology

Main article: Pollution of Ganga

People bathing in Ganges in Kolkata

A Hindu ceremony in Varanasi

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. While proposals have been made for remediating this condition, little progress has been achieved. Ceremony on the Ganges, showing polluted waters. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 111 KB)People drinking water from the river Ganges during a ceremony. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 111 KB)People drinking water from the river Ganges during a ceremony. ... Binomial name Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907 Schistosoma mansoni is an important human parasite. ... It has been suggested that Coliform Index be merged into this article or section. ...

The combination of bacteriophages and large populations of people bathing in the river have apparently produced a self-purification effect, in which water-bourne bacteria such as dysentery and cholera are killed off, preventing large-scale epidemics. The river also has an unusual ability to retain dissolved oxygen, but the reason for this ability is not known.^[5] An artists rendering of an Enterobacteria phage T4. ... Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is frequent, small-volume, severe diarrhea that shows blood in the feces along with intestinal cramping and tenesmus (painful straining to pass stool). ... Cholera (or Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera) is an extreme diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. ...

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.^[6] For other uses, see Monsoon (disambiguation). ...

See also

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

The Ganga basin is a part of the composite Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin, which drains an area of 1,086,000 square kilometres. ... Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh and India The Ganges Delta (or the Bengal Delta) is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. ... The Ganges Fan (not be confused with the Ganges Delta) is a large submarine accumulation of sediment at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal, and stretches from India to Myanmar from west to east, and past Sri Lanka to the south. ... Sankat Mochan Foundation Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) is a charitable organization devoted to cleaning and protecting the sacred Ganges river in India. ...

Notes

References

Born in England in 1956, Dennison Berwick emigrated to Canada in 1980. ... Eric Newby CBE MC (born December 6, 1919 - October 20, 2006)[1] was an English author of travel literature, regarded by many as one of the finest British travel writers of the 20th century. ... Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (born 20 July 1919) is a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. ... Subhash Misras book Gangasmriti & Other Poems [1]was published by Writers Workshop, Kolkata, India. ...

External links

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• 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 Image File history File links Example. ... The Brahmic family is a family of abugidas (writing systems) used in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Tibet, Mongolia, Manchuria, descended from the BrāhmÄ« script of Mauryan India. ... The UTF-8-encoded Japanese Wikipedia article for mojibake, as displayed in ISO-8859-1 encoding. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File links Wikibooks-logo. ... Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Image File history File links Wikiversity-logo-Snorky. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... The Indus River {Urdu: Sindh; Sindhi: Sindhu; Punjabi (Shahmukhi: سندھ, Gurmukhi: ਸਿੰਧੂ) ; Hindi and Sanskrit: सिन्धु ; Persian: حندو ; Pashto: ّآباسنFather of Rivers; Tibetan: Lion River; Chinese: Yìndù; Greek: Ινδός Indos} is the longest and most important river in Pakistan. ... Not to be confused with the nearby Jamuna River a tributary of the Meghna River, which is sometimes confused both in older historical literature, and by translations of the local dialects. ... The Chenab River (Punjabi: , , Urdu: , literally Moon(Chen) River(ab)) is formed by the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers at Tandi located in the upper Himalayas, in the Lahaul district of Himachal Pradesh, India. ... The Jhelum River is the largest and most western of the five rivers of the Punjab province of Pakistan, and passes through Jhelum City. ... Map of the Brahmaputra Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet. ... Godavari river map The Godavari River, adjacent to the town of Kovvur This article is about Godavari River in India. ... The Narmada River in central India The Narmada (Gujarati: નર્મદા Devanagri: नर्मदा or Nerbudda (Narbada) is a river in central India in Indian subcontinent. ... The Tapti River (also Tapi River) is a river of central India. ... The Ravi River (Punjabi: , Urdu: ) is a river in India and Pakistan. ... The Beas River (Punjabi: ) runs through the Northwestern Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. ... The Sutlej, also known as Satluj, is the longest of the five rivers of Punjab (five waters) that flows through Northern India, with its source in Tibet near Mount Kailash. ... Dudh Kosi (दुध कोसी, Milk River) is a river in eastern Nepal. ... The Padma River is a distributary of the Ganges River in Bangladesh. ... The Sarasvati River is an ancient river that is mentioned in Hindu texts. ... Krishna in Vijayawada in 2007 The River Krishna (meaning dark (feminine) in Sanskrit, also called the Krishnaveni, is one of the longest rivers of India (about 1300 km in length). ... This article is about a river. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Mahanadi rises in the highlands of Chhattisgarh. ... The Ganga receives numerous tributaries from the Southern Uplands among which the Son is the largest and it joins ganga from the south along with Gandak, Gumti, Ghaghara, and sarda rivers. ... Ghaghara also called the Gogra, is a river in Northern India, one of the largest affluents of the Ganges. ... The Betwa (Vetravati) is a river in Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Dudh Kosi (Milk River) is a river in eastern Nepal. ... Sapt Koshi is a large river in eastern Nepal. ... Tamur is a major river in eastern Nepal, which begins around Kanchenjunga. ... Mo Chhu is a major river in Bhutan. ... Sankosh is a river in India that rises in Bhutan (where it is called Mo Chu) and empties into the Brahmaputra. ... Drangme Chhu is a major river in Bhutan. ... The Ganga basin is a part of the composite Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin, which drains an area of 1,086,000 square kilometres. ... Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh and India The Ganges Delta (or the Bengal Delta) is a river delta in the South Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. ... Indus River Delta The Indus River Delta occurs where the Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea in Pakistan. ... sab bakwas hai Categories: India geography stubs | Jammu and Kashmir | Kashmir ... Pookode Lake is a scenic lake in Wayanad, India. ... Roopkund is a place in Uttaranchal India, the location of about three to six hundred skeletons at the edge of a lake—Skeleton Lake in the Himalayas. ... Chilka Lake (also Chilika Lake) is a brackish water coastal lake in Indias Orissa state, south of the mouth of the Mahanadi River. ... Powai Lake Powai Lake is a large artificial lake, situated in a northern suburb of (Mumbai). ... Borith Lake is a famous lake in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. ... At an altitude of 10,578 feet above sea level it is probably one of the highest lakes in Pakistan. ... Gosaikunda is a lake in Nepal in Rasuwa district that is the sight of Hindu pilgrimage. ... At a distance of about 144 km north-west of Hyderabad, a reservoir known by the name Nizamsagar was constructed across the Manjira River, a tributary of the Godavari River, between Achampet and Banjapalle villages of the Nizamabad district in Andhra Pradesh, India. ... The Red Hills Lake, located in Ambattur taluka of Thiruvallur district, Tamilnadu, South India, is one of the rain-fed reservoirs from where water is drawn for supply to Chennai. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Map of Backwaters in Kerala The Kerala Backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malabar Coast) of Kerala state in southern India. ... Damodar River rises from the Chota Nagpur plateau of the Jharkhand state of India. ... The Arabian Sea (Arabic: بحر العرب; transliterated: Bahr al-Arab) is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui, the north-east point of Somalia... The Laccadive Sea encirces the Lakshadweep Islands belonging to India. ... Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gulf of Kutch on the left. ... Gulf of Khambhat on the right. ... The Palk Strait is a 40-85 mi (64-137 km) wide strait that lies between Indias Tamil Nadu state and the island nation of Sri Lanka. ... The Gulf of Mannar is an arm of the Indian Ocean, lying between the southern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka at a width of between 160 and 200 km (100 to 125 mi). ... The rivers of India play an important role in the lives of the Indian people. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...