Ganga river is the most important and sacred river of India. It originates from the lap of Himalayas in Uttarakhand, from where it flows through the northern and eastern parts of India and meets the Bay of Bengal. The main source of Ganga is the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers, which meet at Devprayag and take the form of Ganga.
Ganga flows through states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. This river provides life to millions of people with its sacred water, combining various rivers and water streams. Bhagirathi, which was the main stream in ancient times, originates from the bottom of the Himalayan hills. At the same time, the Padma river flows eastward and enters Bangladesh, where it meets the Brahmaputra and flows further in the name of Ganga.
Ganga has many major tributaries, the main ones being Yamuna, Ramganga, Saryu, Gandak, Kosi, Mahanadi and Son. Yamuna river, which is the most important tributary of Ganga, originates from Yamunotri glacier of Himalayas and meets Ganga near Prayagraj. Apart from this, there are also sub-tributaries like Chambal, Betwa, Hindon and Ken, which join Yamuna and then Yamuna merges with Ganga.
Ganga river is not only important from geographical point of view but it also has great importance from religious and cultural point of view. Prayagraj is the most important place of Ganga for Hindu religion. Saraswati and Yamuna rivers meet Ganga in Prayagraj. Trimohini Sangam, which is located near Kataria village in Katihar district of Bihar, is a major confluence point of Ganga. Here Kosi and Kalbalia rivers meet Ganga. This confluence point is also famous for the immersion of ashes of Mahatma Gandhi, where his ashes were immersed on 12 February 1948.
The major tributaries joining Ganga from the north are Yamuna, Ghaghra, Bagmati, Ramganga, Karnali (Saryu), Tapti, Gandak, Kosi and Kakshi. At the same time, the rivers that join the plateau regions of the south include Son, Betwa, Ken, and Southern Tons. These tributaries enrich the Ganga with their water and increase its flow.
There is a famous Hindu pilgrimage at the confluence of Ganga and Bay of Bengal, which is called Ganga-Sagar-Sangam. Where the Padma and Brahmaputra rivers meet and then it flows further as Ganga. The Son River, which originates from the Amarkantak hills located south of the Ganga River, also joins the Ganga, which makes it even more sacred and life-giving.
The Ganga River is the heritage of Indian civilization, which is extremely important not only as a water source but also from a religious, cultural and historical point of view. This river continues to be a part of the lives of millions of people, carrying with it the depth and purity of Indian culture.