Ganga: The Legendary River!!
Ganga is the most auspicious river you might have ever gone through. You would love to see the diversity in a country like India. Let's go through the whole story of Ganga:
Ganga is a river in India that is 2,525 km long (1569 miles). The river rises in the western Himalayas and in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is a transboundary river in Asia that flows through India and enters Bangladesh. The river Ganga is known as Padma in Bangladesh, it is close south and East to the Gangetic plain of North India. In the West Bengal state of India, the river diverts by 50% to the south artificially connecting it to the Hooghly River. The river Ganga joins Jamuna and then Bhramaputra and eventually joins Meghana, forming the major estuary of the Ganga delta and emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganga River originated from the Gangotri Glacier at Gomukh and the mouth of the Meghna River on the Bay of Bengal. The Ganga river basin has four countries India, Nepal, China, and Bangladesh also Ganga flows from 11 Indian states Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal and union territories of Delhi. The Ganga basin is about 1,080,000 sq.km(420,000 sq.miles). The average discharge of the Ganga River is 20,143.6 cu.m/s.
Course:
As we know river Ganga flows from 11 states. The river Ganga Rises from Gangotri Glacier at Gomukh at the height of 4356m (14,291ft) and is mythologically referred to as a place related to Lord Shiva. The Ganga River starts flowing from the north and then comes towards the south and also bends towards the east where it meets 400 km long river Tamsa and has an average flow of 1807 cub.m/s after Tamsa it also meets Gomti River which joins from South Himalaya. The next river that joins the Ganga is the Ghaghara River which is 1156 km long and 718 miles. The Ghaghara River is also known as the Karnali River which flows from the South of the Himalayas of Tibet through Nepal. From the South the Ganga River is joined by the Son River which is 748 km(487 miles) long and contributes about 1,008 cubic meters per second of discharge, many such rivers contribute to Ganga's discharge. The Son River joins the Ganga in Bihar. The Hoogly River is formed by the confluence of 2 rivers Ajay and Katwa. The Hoogly River on its own has many tributaries. The Ganga Delta is one of the largest deltas.
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History:
Ganga is the most auspicious river in India. A saying says that having a bath over here cleans all your sins. Let me take you through the different stories of the origination of the Ganga:
1. Lord Shiva, From Kailash Parvat(Mountain)
A Hindu mythological story says about Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva had Ganga as his wife. Lord Shiva has one of his names as Gangadhar it is said that he took Ganga in his turban. The word Ganga means moving, restless, and rolling energy. In Hindu Mythology Ganga is also pronounced as Ganga Mata. Ganga is worshipped as a god in India.
2. Mahabharat story:
As per the story of Mahabharata Shantanu was a king of Kuru kingdom with his capital at Hastinapur. Shantanu married Ganga on one condition that he would never question her about her actions. Shantanu had one wife named Satyavati with whom he had 2 sons Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. From Ganga, he had 8 sons but Ganga drowned all 7 children which were incarnations of Vasus on her 8th child Shantanu stopped Ganga who gave the child to Shantanu who was further named Bhishma. After the 8th child, Ganga was not seen, and later she went into the Ganga River(asper stories!).
Religious Ceremonies:
Being an auspicious place it has a big contribution to Hindu Mythology specially Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu ritual celebrated over 3 years whereas Ardh(half) Kumbh is celebrated every 6 years at Haridywar and Paryagraj. This event has a main ritual of Bathing on the banks of the river. You may see sadhus and naga sanyasis in this event doing their rituals.
Ganga and it's effect on the Economy:
Ganga supports India's economy in many forms:
1) Agriculture: Crops grown near the Ganga basin are fruitful for the country. Most of the agriculture takes place in those Indo-Gangetic planes thus showing the importance of the river Ganga for the agriculture system in India.
2) Tourism: Been such an authentic place that people from around the world visit here. There are many activities we can do in Ganga like river rafting and some attracting adventure. Wishing you to visit Ganga Ghats soon!!
Ecology and Environment:
- 95% of the area is in agriculture.
- It has many types of birds like myna, Psittacula, crows, kites, partridges, etc.
- It has small patches of tropical moist deciduous with sal plant.
- It has about 350 fish species that live in Ganga with many names like rohu, tor mahseer, catla, etc.
- Ganges also contain crocodiles, gharials, and turtles most of which are under serious threats.
- The most unique animal found in this river is the Ganges river dolphin which is near to extinction due to pollution, dam construction, and improper fishing.
Concern for Ganga:
- Ganga Action Plan(GAP): It was launched in 1985 by the government and aimed to improve the water quality of Ganga.
- Namami Gange plan: It was launched/approved in 2014 having a mission to clean the river. The program pillar includes bio-diversity, public awareness, riverfront development, afforestation, etc.
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