Sacred Ganga: Sacred Ganga (Ganges)

S acredGanga

Introduction
The Ganges River is a river of northern India and Bangladesh. The river has a long history of reverence in India and is worshipped by Hindus as a goddess. It often called the 'holy Ganga'.

The total length of the river is about 2,510 km (1,557 mi). Along with another river Yamuna, it forms a large and fertile basin, known as the Gangetic plains, stretching across north India and Bangladesh, and supports one of the highest densities of human population in the world. Indeed, about one in every 12 people on earth (8.5% of world population) live in its catchment area. Due to this incredible co

ncentration of population, pollution and the destruction of habitats is a matter of serious concern.

It is not only in Hinduism that water has been treated as an object of reverence. Water has been considered pious not only in Hindu scriptures but in Holy Bible (Genesis 1:1-20), Quran (Sura-21.30 & 25.54). In Bible bathing in "Live (flowing) water" is referred to as ritual bath. Live water is one that flows down from the hills (river). In Mahabharata, XIII.27.48.52, Ganga water is treated at par with elixir of Gods. In Skand Puran V.1(ii).62.53, Ganga water is referred to be endowed with characteristics of Ambrosia. It is also believed that river Ganga has taken birth from the water pitcher of Lord Brahma. Ganga is supposed to be the archetype of sacred water. Ganga is the symbol of fertility and has purifying powers.

The Gangotri Glacier in the Uttarakhand Himalayas is the origin of the Bhagirathi river, which joins the Alaknanda river at Devaprayag, also in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, to form the Ganga. The river then flows through th

e Himalayan valleys and emerges into the north Indian plain at the town of Haridwar. This section sees extensive Whitewater rafting and kayaking from September to March.

It is Bharat's most sacred river that is considered to wash all the sins or the effects of bad deeds and is known also as Surasarita (the stream of Gods), Bhagirathi, Jahnavi etc. Coming out of the Gomukha cavity of the snowy glacier Gangotri, in Himalaya, and playing with the mountain peaks it enters on the plain at Haridwar and sanctifying Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal with its holy flow reaches and meets the ocean the portion of which is known as Gangasagara (because of the event ). According to the NadiSukta of the Rgveda, Ganga is the very first and foremost of the rivers of Bharat. On the banks of Ganga are situated many well known places of pilgrimage such as Haridwar, Prayag and Kashi. On its banks, from the very beginning of time many of the Rishis, Munis and Tapasvis have been performing their spiritual endeavours.

The water of Ganga is an object of comparison for purity and unsulliness. This has been fully established through scientific experiments that its capacity to get cleaned automatically is the highest among the waters drawn from all other world sources. Hindus consider this river to be the Mother and address it as Ganga maiya i.e. Mother (Goddess) Ganga. According to its account in the Purana, Ganga having had its start from the feet of Visnu entered in the Kamandalu (water carrier) of Brahma, descending from where it had been retained by Shiva in His matted hairs rolled up over His head and from there king Bhagirath, of the Sagar dynasty, brought it to earth with a view to bring salvation to his ancestors. In the Bhagavata Purana the story of the descent of Ganga has been told in a detailed manner. According to the Aditya Purana the descent of Ganga on earth took place on the third day of the brighter fortnight of the month of Vaisakha and its exit from Himalaya occured on the tenth day of the brighter fortnight of the month of Jyestha (falling in the month of May). That day is celebrated as the festival of Ganga Dasahara by having dip in Ganga by millions of people.

The Ganga has an exalted position in the Hindu ethos. It is repeatedly invoked in the Vedas, the Puranas, and the two Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata Ganga is a goddess, Ganga devi, one of two daughters of Meru (the Himalayas), the other being Uma, consort of Shiva. In her youth, Indra had asked for Ganga to be given to heaven to soothe the Gods with its cool waters. The story of its descent to earth appears in slightly different forms in Ramayana (Bala Kanda: Vishwamitra narrates it to the child Rama), Mahabharata (Aranya Parba: Agastya narrates it to Rama), and in the Puranas. These myths are variously dated between 2000 to 400 BC.

Ganga in Vedas

The Ganga is definitely mentioned in the Rig-Ved, the earliest and theoretically the holiest of the Hindu scriptures. The Ganga is mentioned 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 if the reference is to the river.

RV 3.58.6 says that "your ancient home, your auspicious friendship, O Heroes, your wealth is on the banks of the Jahnavi (JahnAvyAm)". This verse could possibly refer to the Ganga.[1] In RV 1.116.18-19, the Jahnavi and the Gangetic dolphin occur in two adjacent verses. [2] [3]

During the early Indo-Aryan Ages, the Indus and the Saraswati were the major rivers, not the Ganga. But the later three Vedas seem to give much more importance to the Ganga, as shown by its numerous references.

Hindus also believe life is incompolete without bathing in the Ganga atleast once in their lifetime.

Ganges Canal
Ganges Canal was dug from Haridwar to Kanpur in later half of 19th century and a very wide network of small tributary canals were constructed from the main canal to act as source of irrigation in the fertile plains of Western Uttar Pradesh. University of Roorkee was established at Roorkee to train Civil Engineers who could oversee the construction of this canal. This canal is still supplying water to thousands of villages in western Uttar Pradesh and water of Ganga, flowing in this canal, is in true sense the life line of western Uttar Pradesh an area which played a central role in the Green revolution of India and water of Ganga played a vital role in this endeavor. Sources and TributariesThe 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 the craggy canyon-carved town of Devprayag. Interestingly, the sources of Indus and the Brahmaputra are also geographically fairly close; the former goes through Himachal Pradesh and fans out through Punjab and Sind (Pakistan) into the Arabian Sea. The latter courses for most of its tremendous length under various names through Tibet/China, never far from the Nepal or Indian borders, and then takes a sharp turn near the northeastern tip of India, gathers momentum through Assam before joining the major stream of the Ganga near Dacca in Bangladesh to become the mighty Padma, river of joy and sorrow for much of Bangladesh. 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 (2 million), Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, and Calcutta (14 million). Dacca, the capital of Bangladesh is on a tributary of the Brahmaputra, just before it joins the Ganga to form Padma. A large number of tributaries join and flow from the Ganges to drain the Northern part of India and Bangladesh.

The Yamuna, which originates less than a hundred miles east of the Bhagirathi, flows parallel to the Ganga and a little to the south for most of its course before merging with the Ganga at the holy city of Allahabad, also known as Triveni Sangam (literally, Three-way Junction, the third river being the mythical Saraswati which is also supposed to be an underground river). New Delhi, capital of India, and Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, are two of the major cities on the Yamuna.

Course of the Holy Ganga

The perennial river Ganga originates in the mighty Himalayas and flows through the Northern Plains of India and drains into the Bay of Bengal. The Northern plains of India have been shaped by the rich alluvial deposits carried by the river over a vast period of time.

The Ganga is associated with the legend of the penance carried out by King Bhagirata to bring the heavenly river down to the earth.

The Ganga has its source in the Gangotri glacier in the lofty Himalayas at a height of about 14000 feet above sea level. Bindu -Sar - near Gangotri is referred to as the spot where Bhagirata is believed to have carried out his penances.

At its origin, the river is referred to as Bhagirati. The Jahnavi and the Alakananda merge with the Ganga in the Himalayas. On the banks of the Alakananda is the ancient Himalayan pilgrimage town of Badrinath. Heading down through Rishikesh, the river descends down to the plains at Haridwar - also referred to as Gangadwara.

Ganga in Rishikesh

The Ganga then flows through the state of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar through the ancient pilgrimage towns of Benares and Prayag. Prayag (Triveni Sangamam) marks the confluence of the river Yamuna with the Ganga.

About 250 miles before reaching the ocean, the river divides itself into several streams, and drains into the Bay of Bengal. Also merging with the Ganga here is the river Bhramaputra. The Ganga assumes other names such as the Padma and the Meghna.

One of the islands at the mouth of the river Ganga is the Gangasagar - said to be the location of the hermitage of Kapila Muni, who is associated with the legend of Bhagiratha and the descent of the river Ganga.

Ganga in Shivpuri, Uttarakhand

Ganga temples and tourism
The Indian system of beliefs is based on an intimate relationship with nature. An offshoot of this is the reverence accorded to rivers as a gesture of acknowledgement of their life sustaining abilities in primarily agrarian societies. Perennial rivers such as the Ganges have been held in high regard since time immemorial.

Rishikesh - Gateway to the Himalayas. Experience the might of the Ganges and the serene atmosphere of Rishikesh where all Himalayan pilgrimages begin.

Holy Ganga

Haridwar - where the Ganges is revered. Visit Haridwar in the foothills of the Himalayas and experience the Aarti to the Ganges, when the entire riverside is lit up with the glow of hundreds of lamps.