https://youtube/watch?v=TgW-e4xjAuE Ganga River is one of the prime rivers of India and is declared as the National River of India. The river has immense religious significance and considered as the holy river of the Hindus. The Ganges begins at the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers at Devprayag. The Bhagirathi rises at the foot of Gangotri Glacier, at Gaumukh at an elevation of 3,892 m. Bhagirathi River originates from Gangotri glacier, one of the biggest glaciers in Himalayas. The place, where Bhagirathi flows out from Gangotri, it is called Gaumukh. Twenty-three kilometers from Gaumukh, the river reaches Gangotri, the first town on its path. The Ganga is a major river of the Indian subcontinent rising in the Himalaya Mountains and flowing about 2,510 km generally eastward through a vast plain to the Bay of Bengal. On its 2,510-km course, it flows southeast through the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. In central Bangladesh it is joined by the Brahmaputra River and Meghna rivers. Their combined waters (called the Padma River) empty into the Bay of Bengal and form a delta 354 km wide which is shared by India and Bangladesh. It is the third largest river by discharge. The river passes the holy bathing sites at Haridwar, Allahabad (where the Yamuna River enters the Ganga) and Varanasi. The Ganges is the most sacred river to Hindus. In most Hindu families, a vial of water from the Ganga is kept in every house. It is believed that drinking water from the Ganga with ones last breath will take the soul to heaven. Hindus also believe life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganga at least once in their lifetime. Because of its location near major population centers, the Ganges River is highly polluted. The Ganges was ranked as the fifth most polluted river of the world in 2007.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 18:53:31 +0000