GANGA AND ITS TRIBUTARIES

Ganga

The Gangotri Glacier, a vast expanse of ice five miles by fifteen, at the foothills of the Himalayas (14000 ft) in North Uttar Pradesh, is the source of Bhagirathi, which joins with Alaknanda (origins nearby) to form Ganga at Devprayag. From Devprayag to the Bay of Bengal and the vast Sunderbans delta, the Ganga flows some 1550 miles, passing (and giving life to) some of the most populous cities of India, including Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, and Calcutta. A large number of tributaries join and flow from the Ganges to drain the Northern part of India and Bangladesh.

The largest tributary to the Ganga is the Ghaghara, which meets it before Patna, in Bihar, bearing much of the Himalayan glacier melt from Northern Nepal. The Gandak, which comes from near Katmandu, is another big Himalayan tributary.

The Ganges is unique because it is considered holy by the Hindu people of India. They believe it as a goddess, the Mother of India, because they made their civilization there. Also they believe that the water heals you from sin, and if you die there you will have a better after-life. Many of the cities have steps called Ghants along the riverbank so the people can go into the water. They also wash their clothes in the river. Many places there are times where massive bathing takes place, where millions of people go to bathe during a few days.