Where does the Ganges flow? sacred river ganges

India is a country that not only preserves the resources that nature has endowed it with, but also bows before them, as they bring prosperity to it. Such a gift of nature are the rivers, which are considered sacred in the country. After all, from time immemorial they have been feeding millions of people, providing them with food. It is not surprising, therefore, that people consider rivers to be the manifestation of divine female power (Shakti).

The two most sacred rivers of northern India, the Ganges and the Yamuna, are revered as goddesses. Indeed, the Ganges is considered the most sacred of all the great Indian rivers. It originates high in the Himalayas and flows through the whole country. Its waters are always cold because it is fed by glaciers. Believers come to its shores from afar to draw its water (gangajal), which is considered almost divine. Gangajal, taken in Hardwar in the town Har ki Pauri, stays fresh forever. In mythology, the Ganges appears as beautiful woman with a lotus in her hand, descending in a stream from the hair of the god Shiva. It is said that bathing in its waters frees a person from all sins. Another sacred river Yamuna flows into the Ganges at Prayag (Allahabad), where the mythical river Saraswati joins it, forming sangam, or the confluence of three great rivers.

The mighty Brahmaputra flows in the northeast of India. It originates in the Mansarovar region of the Himalayas and then makes its way through dense forests northeastern states of India, especially Assam. The Brahmaputra may not be considered as sacred as the Ganges, but it is more beautiful. Despite its masculine-sounding name, Brahmaputra is feminine. It is 450 kilometers longer than the Ganges. The most unique feature of this great river is that even at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level, it is navigated. Like the Ganges, it is also fed by glaciers and rainwater, and it remains full-flowing throughout the year.

Mahanadi in the eastern state of Orissa represents the lifeline for its inhabitants. It flows through the most mineral-rich places in India and through the Eastern Ghats. At many points, its flow is blocked by dams. During the monsoons, this river reaches a huge size and carries a huge amount of water.

most majestic and beautiful river India, without a doubt, is the Narmada. She also has the most bewitching feminine characteristics. Its length is 1247 kilometers. Its deep blue waters flow from Madhya Pradesh to Gujarat. The Narmada is worshiped in the same way as the Ganges. It is said that Saraswati makes Kurukshetra sacred, the Ganges makes Hardwar and Kashi (Varanasi) sacred, and Narmada makes everything she touches sacred.

One more important river is the Godavari, flowing from the plateau of Maharashtra to Andhra Pradesh. It originates in the Sahyadri mountain ranges and really divides the country into south and north. This river provides water to thousands of villages and irrigates hectares of rice fields in Andhra Pradesh. Nevertheless, Godavari in the pantheon of Indian rivers does not have the status that she is supposed to. This ancient river covers a distance of 1450 kilometers, crossing the Eastern Ghats to reach the Bay of Bengal. Its basin is one of the largest in India.

The Kaveri is the last of the great Indian rivers. It is often called the Ganges of the South. In southern India, she is worshiped as a living goddess. Children are named after her. Her name is given to entire districts, streets and even business enterprises. The Kaveri stands at the head of all other Indian rivers, including the Ganges, in the sense that it represents a living culture. This river flows through the most fertile lands of the south, it irrigates the fields and blesses the people who live on its banks. The sources of Kaveri are in Talakaveri in southern district Kanara state of Karnataka. Partly it also passes through the state of Tamil Nadu, bringing prosperity everywhere.

Reprinted from India Perspectives April 2001

GANG, Ganga (in Sanskrit "ganga" - river), one of the largest rivers in the world, flows in India and Bangladesh. The length from the source to the top of the delta is 2200 km, the basin area is 980 thousand km2. It is formed by the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers flowing down the slopes of the Himalayas (Zaskar range). In the upper reaches of the Ganges, in narrow gorges, it cuts through the spurs of the Himalayas, after leaving the mountains, it flows in a wide valley along the Indo-Gangetic plain. In the lower reaches, it has a meandering channel surrounded by a wide floodplain. Together with the Brahmaputra and Meghna Ganga rivers, when it flows into the Bay of Bengal of the Indian Ocean, it forms a complexly branched delta (the area, according to various sources, is 80-100 thousand km 2), second in size only to the Amazon River Delta. Main tributaries: Jumna, Son (right), Ramganga, Gomati, Ghaghra, Gandak (left).

The modern delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna is divided into three parts. The first (western) has a peak near the village of Farakka (India) and consists of the main branch, which is a continuation of the Ganges within the delta and has the same name, and numerous, intricately intertwined small watercourses, extending from it towards the ocean. The second (north-eastern) part of the delta begins in the area of ​​the city of Bahadurabad Ghat (Bangladesh), where the Brahmaputra is divided into a large main branch of the Jamuna and the left dying branch of the Old Brahmaputra. The same delta channel system includes the Middle Meghna, a continuation of the Meghna River within the delta. The third (southeastern) part is a common channel system, formed as a result of the first confluence near the village of Goalundo of the main branches of the Ganges and Jamun, giving rise to the high-water Padma branch about 100 km long, and then confluence on the left near the city of Chandpur Middle Meghna. As a result, one of the largest channel watercourses in the world arises - the Lower Meghna, which expands towards the bay, is about 150 km long and up to 60 km wide. At its confluence with the Bay of Bengal, this branch has the world's largest mouth bar, about 100 km long and 10 m deep at the crest. waterway from the top of the delta (settlement Farakka), including the branches of the Ganges, Padma and Lower Meghna, about 460 km. Length coastline delta about 500 km.

The main food sources of the Ganges are monsoon rains, melted and glacial waters of the highlands. The average annual water flow at the top of the Ganges (Farakka) delta system is 12.3 thousand m 3 / s, the flow volume is 388 km 3 / year. The total volume of water flow of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna into the Bay of Bengal is over 1200 km 3 /year (second only to the flow of the Amazon and Congo rivers). The runoff of suspended sediments of the Ganges is about 500 million tons/year. The total flow of suspended and movable sediments of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna is at least 1200 million tons / year.

In the water regime of the Ganges, two phases are clearly distinguished. The first is the high monsoon flood (wet season) from July to October (over 80% annual runoff); the most abundant month is August (29% of the annual flow), the average monthly water flow is 42.2 thousand m 3 /s, the maximum is 70 thousand m 3 /s. The second phase is a long low low water (dry season) from November to June; the least water month is April (less than 1% of the annual flow), the average monthly water flow is 1700 m 3 /s, the minimum is 1200 m 3 /s. During the monsoon flood, the water level can rise by 10-15 m, which often causes floods, sometimes catastrophic (for example, in Bangladesh in 1962, 1973, 1974, 1987, 1988, 1998), especially when the peaks of the flood on the Ganges and Brahmaputra coincide in time. Tropical hurricanes (April - May and October - November) cause great damage to the population and economy of the delta, they are accompanied by strong wind and excitement, cause significant surges in the water level (up to 9.1 m in 1970) and floods. The 20th century saw an increase in the frequency of severe storm surges. In the dry season, tidal fluctuations in the level propagate up to 300 km along small branches of the delta, and saline waters - 100-150 km.

Since ancient times, the waters of the Ganges have been widely used for irrigating lands and supplying water to the population. There are several large irrigation systems in operation in India. In 1975, a hydrotechnical complex was built on the Ganges near the village of Farakka to water the westernmost part of the delta, including a low-pressure dam and a canal. Since the 1970s, large-scale work has been carried out within Bangladesh to protect lands and settlements from floods (protective dams, drainage structures, and shelters for people are being built). The hydropower potential of the Ganges is very large (up to 160 million kW per year), but its use is negligible. It is navigable from the foot of the Himalayas to the mouth for 1450 km. On the Ganges - the large cities of Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna (India), in the western part of the delta - the large seaports of Calcutta (India), Khulna (Bangladesh).

The waters of the Ganges are heavily polluted by industrial and sewage effluents that enter the river in numerous cities and towns. settlements located on the banks of the river (for example, the daily untreated sewerage of the city of Allahabad 100 million liters). Source of pollution river waters return irrigation water containing fertilizer residues is also used. The waters of the Ganges are the main cause of hepatitis, dysentery, typhoid, cholera in 400 million inhabitants of the river basin. Since ancient times, the Ganges has been considered in Hinduism as a sacred river, an object of religious worship. Despite the threat of disease, many residents bathe in it.

Mangrove forests in the delta, on the coastal lowlands of the Sundarbans, are listed world heritage(Sundarban Forest reserves in India and the Sundarbans in Bangladesh).

Lit.: Milliman J. D., Rutkowski Ch., Meybeck M. River discharge to the sea: a global river index. , 1995; Allison M. A. Geologic framework and environmental status of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta // Journal of Coastal Research. 1998 Vol. 14. No. 3.

India has richest history and culture. This vast country is inhabited by many peoples. Some of them profess Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, Jainism, Christianity and other religions. But the majority of the population prefers Hinduism. This is 900 million people or 80.5% of the inhabitants of the Hindustan peninsula. It is for these people that the Ganges River, flowing along the Indo-Gangetic plain to the southeast, is considered sacred.

The mighty water stream is associated with the goddess Ganges. It appears in the form of a heavenly river, which once, a very long time ago, descended to the earth and, having acquired material forms, flowed through the north of India. Hindus from all over the peninsula make pilgrimages to the sacred waters. The dead are cremated on their banks, and the ashes are scattered over the river surface. It is believed that in this way all sins are forgiven for the dead. Today, the living perform ablutions in sacred waters, and enlightenment comes in their souls. All this is very romantic, exciting and attracts inexperienced Europeans and Americans with its exoticism.

Ganges river

The length of the river is 2620 km, which corresponds to the 34th place in the world among all rivers. The basin occupies an area equal to 1 million 80 thousand square meters. km and covers the territories of two countries: India and Bangladesh. The sacred waters originate in the western Himalayas. There, on the sky-high peak of Gangotri, lies a huge ice cap. Its length is at least 30 km, and the height above sea level is 7755 meters.

In its lower part, the glacier is melting. Numerous streams run from it. They unite first into streams, and then into rivers. One of these rivers, called Bhagirathi, begins its journey at an altitude of 3892 meters above sea level. The village of Gangotri is located 20 km from the source of the river. It is notable for the temple of the goddess Ganga. This is the residence of a holy being. It is here that its beginning is located, giving life to the great Indian river Ganges.

Bhagirathi passes a distance of 700 km and merges with the river Alaknanda. It happens near the city of Devaprayag. Two rivers unite into one, and it is from this place that people begin to call the water stream "Ganges". The area belongs to the Lower Himalayas and is located at an altitude of 642 meters above sea level.

Ganges River on the map

sacred river passes a series of hills, swampy plains and enters the operational space. This is the Indo-Gangetic plain. On it, the stormy mountain current becomes calm and majestic and changes the south direction to the southeast. This is the so-called upstream. Its length is about 900 km.

In the middle reaches along the banks of the river populous cities rise. One can name Kanpur with a population of 3 million, Allahabad with a population of 1.3 million, and Patna with a population of 2 million. Near Allahabad, the Ganges receives its main tributary, the Jamnu. Its length is 1376 km. After that, the width of the sacred stream noticeably increases and becomes equal to 1 km.

After the city of Bhagalpur, another high-water tributary flows into the river, called "Koshi". After that, the sacred stream spills up to almost 2 kilometers and turns south towards the Bay of Bengal. The relief in these places is an ideal plain, and the river flow begins to break up into branches, each of which has its own name. To the right, Bhagirathi leaves near the Indian city of Sahebganj. After that, the sacred stream gets the name "Padma".

Below, another branch is separated from it, called "Jalangi", and Padma flows into the territory of Bangladesh. It is steadily moving towards the Indian Ocean and breaks up into many small arms. Not far from the city of Rajbari, located in the west of Bangladesh, the river receives the Jamuna River, which is the main branch of the second sacred Indian river. Brahmaputra. Before falling into bay of bengal the sacred water stream dilutes another major river Meghna. All this huge river mass flows into salt water one of the great oceans of the planet.

Boats on the Ganges River

The Ganges River forms the largest delta in the world.. It is a single formation of three rivers: Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Its area is 59 thousand square meters. km, and the length along the Bay of Bengal is 322 km. In length, the delta occupies a distance equal to 348 km, since it originates near the city of Rajbari. Nearly 145 million people live in this area rich in fertile soil.

The water level in the sacred stream basin is regulated by the monsoons. From June to September, 84% of annual precipitation falls. Therefore, the river flow depends on the seasons of the year. This creates many problems for the inhabitants of the region and is directly related to agriculture as droughts alternate with floods. Particularly in Bangladesh during the dry season, people lack fresh water, and during the rainy season they suffer from floods.

Currently navigation on the sacred river is very poorly developed. This is explained by the large withdrawal of water for agricultural needs. Therefore, people mostly float on flat-bottomed boats, and goods are transported along railway. There are very few river vessels in the middle and lower reaches. There are none above Allahabad. India in recent decades does not rely on shipping. As for Bangladesh, river freight transport is used more actively.

River dolphin living in the Ganges river

The great sacred river Ganges is considered one of the most polluted in the world. Industrial enterprises dump their effluents into it, not really caring about their cleanliness. Population density must also be taken into account. Household waste and human impurities mercilessly pollute the riverbed. Therefore, not only drinking, but even bathing in the river can lead to infectious diseases.

Here it is necessary to take into account the fact that not all the dead are burned. The poor people don't have the money for a lot of firewood, so the bodies are simply thrown into the water. Every year there are millions of corpses, which further exacerbates the problem of pollution of river waters. But, in spite of everything, there are many types of fish in the water. The river is also home to freshwater dolphins, which are less intelligent than marine dolphins, but still one of the most intelligent animal species. Let's hope that the human intellect will be higher than the dolphin's, and people, in the end, will find an opportunity to purify the sacred waters from impurities, and make the sacred stream suitable for life.

Stanislav Lopatin

- the sacred river of India, which is considered one of the largest in South Asia. Its basin covers an area of ​​1 million square meters and is 2,700 kilometers long. Thanks to this, the Ganges occupies one of the leading places in terms of length.

It was formed as a result of the connection of two rivers, on the slopes of the Himalayas and runs through two countries: India and Bangladesh.

The Ganges valley itself is the most densely populated on our entire planet. And the Ganges River has a very important role not only in the history of India, but also in modern life countries. Its fertile soils have been cultivated for thousands of years.

It is here that the familiar mausoleum of the Taj Mahal in the city of Agra stands and the famous mangroves. They created national park, which is the habitat of Bengal tigers.

Since ancient times, the Ganges has been recognized as a sacred stream for all Hindus.

There are many legends and ancient writings about this river, which call the Ganges a heavenly river flowing through this earth for communication between neighboring worlds.

Ganges is the personification of Ganga, the Indian goddess of motherhood. The name of this river is sung in the ancient Indian Vedas, as well as later literary sources. ancient india Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas.

Regularly, the inhabitants of India arrange pilgrimages to the Ganges, perform ritual ablutions on the banks of the sacred river, and perform cremation rites so that the ashes of the dead dissolve in the river stream.

From the time of the early Vedic civilization until the beginning of the first millennium BC, the Ganges did not have such great spiritual significance.

The main rivers of the Rig Veda at that time were the Sarasvati and the Indus. But the so-called later Vedas began to pay increasing attention to the cult of the goddess Ganges and the river Ganges associated with her.

In the course of history, the Indo-Gangetic plain has become the cradle of numerous civilizations, now and then replacing one another. On the banks of the Ganges river different time were the capitals of the Harsha and Maurya empires. From the cities of Delhi and Agra, which are located on the banks of the Jumna River, the main tributary of the Ganges, the Mughals ruled India.

When the Muslims came here and established their dominance, their power spread along the entire length of the Ganges. recent history The river is already associated with British rule in India.

The city of Calcutta was founded at the end of the 17th century during the East India Company on the banks of the Hooghly branch.

Gradually, British influence spread throughout the Ganges valley, reaching Delhi in the early 19th century. In 1848, the East India Company was reorganized into British India, which spread its influence along the entire course of the Ganges and the main area of ​​\u200b\u200bits basin.

This influence was maintained until 1947, when India gained full independence.

The division of British India led to the fact that a section of the Ganges delta went to the territory of neighboring Pakistan. The Bengali War of Independence in Pakistan in 1971 led to the formation independent state Bangladesh.

Ablutions in the sacred waters of the Ganges

An ancient myth tells that the Ganges, washing the shores of paradise, descended to earth to help people wash away their sins. But its waters were so powerful that the Ganges could destroy the world, falling down from heaven. To save humanity, the god Shiva put his own head under an icy stream. The Ganga became entangled in Shiva's hair and split into seven separate streams, thanks to which people can now bathe in the waters of the sacred river.

These ablutions are not only a sacred rite, but also a daily action. It is possible only near the city of Haridwara, where the water of the Ganges is not so cold, and the current, although fast, is not so dangerous.

It is believed that it is in Haridwar that the valley meets the Ganges, the main ghat is also located here - the goal of pilgrimages and the main place for ritual bathing.

The daily puja is an evening ritual performed in Haridwar dedicated to the Ganges. At this time, people, singing sacred songs, descend to the river, offering bread and milk to the Ganges.

The end of the puja is especially beautiful: hundreds of burning lanterns decorated with flowers are lowered into the water.

Where does the Ganges river flow and how can you visit it?

The Ganges River begins in the Great Himalayas, at an altitude of 4100 meters in a small grotto, at the very foot of the glacier called Gangotri. Two of its components, the Bgakhirathi River and the Alakanda River, merge here.

Further, the Ganges River, a hundred kilometers from its source, enters the Indo-Gangetic lowland. It then flows into the Bay of Bengal. On the banks of the Ganges are the main cities of India, which are also pilgrimage centers. These are Haridwar, Varanasi, Allahabad, Rishikesh.

You can get to India, and in the future to see the Ganges River, by purchasing any tour. But still, India is more suitable for individual travel. Most tourists visit the resort state - Goa.

And if after that there is a desire to get to the Ganges River, it is worth getting to any of the cities that accept pilgrims. Basically, everyone goes to the city of Varanasi, the oldest on the banks of the Ganges River.

What time can I visit the Ganges River and how much will it cost?

• The tourist season in India is from October to March, and the most best months for travel in this country - November and December.
• Most fast way to get into the country - to fly by plane. Various airlines operate flights to many Indian cities. It will cost about $700.
• You can also hitchhike or take the train. You should take into account the cost of housing, movement around cities and entertainment. But this is only for those who travel to India on their own.

The Ganges River for hot India is the source of life.

Of course, Europeans are shocked by the fact that people bathe and even wash in the waters of the sacred river. By the water, there are also rituals of greeting the river, and funerals, when the ashes are dissolved in the same sacred water.

But for an Indian, such communication with big river and at the same time the largest shrine - a completely understandable and harmonious action.

February 3, 2014

The Ganges is a sacred river for every inhabitant of India. This is a true symbol of the Indian nation. The Ganges is as important to India as the Yellow River is to China, and the Nile is to Egypt.

The legend of the origin of the Ganges

It is believed that the Ganges originates not on Earth, but in the sky. People see it as the Milky Way flowing smoothly across the sky.

Legend has it that a previously amazing river flowed in paradise. Then she descended to Earth so that the people in her waters could wash away their sins. But the flow was so strong that it could destroy the Earth, spilling strongly and powerfully into its expanses.

The inhabitants of the planet were saved from death by God Shiva, substituting his head under the icy water. The river got tangled in his hair and split into seven smaller streams.

Since then, people can take a bath in the waters of the Ganges.

The Many Faces of the Divine Ganges

The source of the river lies, from a geographical point of view, high in the Himalayas, at an altitude of about 5000 meters. The Ganges flowing through the plains is very different from the part of the river that runs through the mountains.

From the Himalayas, such stormy streams of icy water descend that it is simply impossible to make daily ablutions in them. It is possible to wash away sins with the help of water only when the river passes the city of Haridwara. The current here is fast, the water is cold, but it poses almost no danger.

The full-flowing Ganges is a sacred river, on the banks of which more than 145 million people live in India. The inhabitants of the country bathe in it, wash themselves, perform rituals and even let the ashes of the dead down the river on their last journey. Everything revolves and rages around the waters of this many-sided river, despite the fact that floods claim hundreds of thousands of lives.

Ganges river photo