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Ganges (Ganga)
The Ganges in Varanasi
Countries	India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Major cities	Haridwar, Soron, Kannauj, 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 one of the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent, flowing east through the Gangetic Plain of northern India into Bangladesh. The 2,510 km (1,560 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Uttarakhand state of India, and drains into the Sunderbans delta in the Bay of Bengal. It has long been considered a holy river by Hindus and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. The Ganges and its tributaries drain a 1,000,000-square-kilometre (390,000 sq mi) fertile basin that supports one of the world's highest density of humans.

The many symbolic meanings of the river were described by Jawaharlal Nehru in his Discovery of 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…

In November, 2008, the Government of India decided to declare Ganga the National River of India.¹

The river supports some 400 million people.² Pollution of Ganga affects the people who live along the river and campaigns attempt to reduce the environmental stress.

Religious significance

Main article: Ganga in Hinduism

A Hanuman langur contemplates his urban surroundings on the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh.

The Ganges in Haridwar, India, as it leaves the mountains for the Gangetic Plain.

Situated on the banks of River Ganges, Varanasi is considered by some to be the most 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. According to Hindu religion a very famous king Bhagiratha did Tapasya for many years constantly to bring the river Ganga, then residing in the Heavens, down on the Earth to find salvation for his ancestors, who were cursed by a seer. Lord (god) Brahma accepted the king's prayer (Tapasya) and went and asked Lord (god) Vishnu to let the Ganga river flow to Earth through his own hands. Lord (god) Vishnu accepted Lord (god) Brahma's request. Therefore, Ganga descended to the Earth from the hands of Lord (god) Vishnu. King Bhagiratha realized that the flow of the water of the river would be so strong that the whole world would flood all of a sudden. So the king prayed to Lord (god) Shiva. The god accepted his prayer. The king asked the god if he could take the river that was flowing very strong from the hands of Lord (god) Vishnu in the lock of hair (Jata) of god Shiva to stop the strong flow that could cause the whole planet to flood all of a sudden. Instead king Bhagiratha wanted that the river should flow slowly from the hair of Lord (god) Shiva to make whole earth pious, fertile and wash out the sins of humans. For Hindus in India, the Ganga is not just a river but a mother, a goddess, a tradition, a culture and much more.

Some Hindus also believe life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganga at least once in one's lifetime. Many 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 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 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. 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

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.

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.

Ecology

Main article: Pollution of Ganga

People bathing in Ganges in Kolkata

A Hindu ceremony in Varanasi

The river waters start getting polluted right at the source. The commercial exploitation of the river has risen in proportion to the rise of population. Gangotri³ and Uttarkashi are good examples. Gangotri had only a few huts of Sadhus until the 1970s⁴ 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. While proposals have been made for remedying 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 has 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. The river has unusual ability to retain dissolved oxygen, but the reason for this ability is not known.⁵

A UN Climate Report issued in 2007 indicates that the Himalayas glaciers that feed the Ganges may disappear by 2030, after which the river's flow would be a seasonal occurrence resulting from monsoons.⁶

See also

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

Notes

References

External links

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Learning resources from Wikiversity

• The Sacred Secrets of Ganga
• Ganga in the Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909
• Ganges (Ganga)
• Melting Glaciers Threaten Ganges
• The River Ganges
• Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law. Peace Palace Library
• Ecofriends

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