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"Ganga" redirects here. For the Hindu goddess that personifies the river, see Ganga (goddess). For other uses, see Ganga (disambiguation).

Template:Geobox The Ganga (Sanskrit: गङ्गा Hindi: गंगा Urdu: گنگا Ganga' IPA: [ˈɡəŋɡaː] ⓘ; Bengali: গঙ্গা Gônga), is the second largest river on the Indian subcontinent by discharge. The 2,510 km (1,560 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It has long been considered holy by Hindus and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has also been important historically: many former provincial or imperial capitals (such as Patliputra, Kannauj, Kara, Allahabad, Murshidabad, Baharampur and Kolkata) have been located on its banks. The Ganga Basin drains 1,000,000-square-kilometre (390,000 sq mi) and supports one of the world's highest densities of humans. The average depth of the river is 52 feet (16 m), and the maximum depth, 100 feet (30 m).

Course

The Himalayan headwaters of the Ganga river in the Uttarakhand state of India. The headstreams and rivers are labeled in italics; the heights of the mountains, lakes, and towns are displayed in parentheses in meters.

Although many small streams comprise the headwaters of the Ganga, the six longest headstreams and their five confluences are given both cultural and geographical emphasis (see the map showing the headwaters of the river). The Alaknanda River meets the Dhauliganga River at Vishnuprayag, the Nandakini River at Nandprayag, the Pindar River at Karnaprayag, the Mandakini River at Rudraprayag and finally the Bhagirathi River at Devprayag, to form the Ganga main stem. The Bhagirathi is considered to be the source stream in Hindu culture and mythology. It rises at the foot of Gangotri Glacier, at Gaumukh, at an elevation of 3,892 m (12,769 ft). The headwaters of the Alaknanda are formed by snowmelt from such peaks as Nanda Devi, Trisul, and Kamet.

After flowing 200 kilometres (120 mi) through its narrow Himalayan valley, the Ganga debouches onto the Gangetic Plain at the pilgrimage town of Haridwar. There, a dam diverts some of its waters into the Ganga Canal, which irrigates the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh, whereas the river, whose course has been roughly southwestern until this point, now begins to flow southeast through the plains of northern India.

The Ganga follows an 800 kilometres (500 mi) arching course passing through the cities of Kannauj, Farukhabad, and Kanpur before being joined from the southwest by the Yamuna at the Sangam at Allahabad, a holy confluence in Hinduism. Now flowing east, the river meets the Gomti, the Ghaghra, the Gandaki, and the Kosi on the left bank; and the Son on the right, and gathers a formidable current between Allahabad and Malda, West Bengal. Along the way, it passes the towns of Varanasi, Patna, Ghazipur, Bhagalpur, Mirzapur, Ballia, Buxar, Saidpur, and Chunar. At Bhagalpur, the river begins to flow south-southeast and at Pakur, it begins its attrition with the branching away of its first distributary, the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, which goes on to become the Hooghly River. Just before the border with Bangladesh the Farakka Barrage, controls the flow of the Ganga, diverting some of the water into a feeder canal linking to the Hooghly to keep it relatively silt-free.

After entering Bangladesh, the main branch of the Ganga is known as the Padma until it is joined by the Jamuna River, the largest distributary of the Brahmaputra. Further downstream, the Ganga is fed by the Meghna River, the second largest distributary of the Brahmaputra, and takes on the Meghna's name as it enters the Meghna Estuary. Fanning out into the 350-kilometre (220 mi)-wide Ganga Delta, the river finally empties into the Bay of Bengal. Only two rivers, the Amazon and the Congo, have greater discharge than the combined flow of the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Surma-Meghna river system.

Religious significance

Main article: Ganga in Hinduism
Hindus worship the river as goddess Ganga

Hinduism

Situated on the banks of the river Ganga, Varanasi and Haridwar are considered by all Hindus to be the holiest cities in Hinduism. The Ganga is mentioned in the Rig-Veda, the earliest of the Hindu scriptures. It appears in the Nadistuti sukta (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 whether this reference is to the river.[citation needed] Also, people scatter ashes of loved ones here. George Harrison of The Beatles had his ashes scattered in the Ganga by his family in a private ceremony soon after his death.

Many Hindus also believe life is incomplete without taking a bath in the Ganga at least once in their lives. Many Hindu families keep a vial of water from the Ganga in their house. This is done because it is auspicious to have water of the Holy Ganga in the house, and also so that if someone is dying, that person will be able to drink its water. Many Hindus believe that the water from the Ganga can cleanse a person's soul of all past sins, and that it can also cure the ill.[1]

Lord Ram

The Ganga is also called the river of supreme Lord Rama and also called Ram Ganga, as there is a belief Lord Ram promised while the Ganga emerged from his feet that, when he appears on Earth as Lord Ram he will reside on the banks of the Ganga and her tributaries.[2] Lord Ram then appeared in Ayodhya which is on the banks of Saryu Ganga River, When he went to Janakpuri he crossed the River Ganga in Haridwar. During his 14 years exile with wife Sita and brother Laxman after leaving Ayodhya his first night stay was at Tamsa River (a Ganga tributary), his second stay was at Shrungverpur which is on the banks of the Ganga and with the help of Nishadraj Guha and Kevat he crossed the Ganga, he then went to Triveni Sangam, Prayag Raj stayed with Muni Bharadvaj and then marched towards Chitrakut and stayed there for 11 and half years on Kamadgiri parvat on the banks of Mandakini River. From there he went to Panchvati and stayed on the bank of Godavari until his wife Sita was abducted by demon king Ravana. The search for his beloved wife Sita, lord Rama went to Rameshwaram , as it is said all rivers meet the bay of Bengal.

It is also believed that when Lord Rama installed and worshiped the Jyotirlingam of Lord Shiva in Rameshwaram, the River Ganga emerged from the Lotus feet of Lord Rama and then Lord Rama did abhishek of Shivalingam declaring "who so ever will worship by pouring Ganga Jal on this Shivlingam, I will give them moksha from all sins and he will be freed even from the deadliest sins of killing cows or Brahmins and become one with me (will immerse in me.) And who will get the darshan of the setu build by me will be able to swim the "sansar samudra" easily.

In the Mahabharata, while explaining to Arjuna the mahima (greatness) of the 12 Jyotirlingams, Lord Shiva said that any devotee who worships my Jyotirlingam in Rameshwaram with Gangajal (the water of the Ganga), will attain the moksha that even the demigods (devatas) cannot attain.

Kumbha Mela

Some of the most important Hindu festivals and religious congregation (worship) happen here. Congregations are celebrated on the banks of the River Ganga, such as the Kumbh Mela, every twelve years at Haridwar and at Allahabad.

Varanasi

Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is an important place of worship for Hindus. The city is situated between two rivers Varuna and Asi, which join the River Ganga. Varanasi has hundreds of temples, including Kashi Vishwanath Temple along the banks of the Ganga which often become flooded during the rains. Mentioned as 'Maha smashanam' (or 'Great cremation ground') in Hindu Vedic Rituals, the city assumes special significance as the cremation ground for devout Hindus.

Legend of Bhagirath

According to Hindu religion a very famous king Bhagiratha did Tapasya for many years constantly to bring the River Ganga, then residing in the Heavens, down on the Earth to find salvation for his ancestors, who were cursed by a seer. Therefore, the Ganga descended to the Earth through the lock of hair (Jata) of god Shiva to make whole earth pious, fertile and wash out the sins of humans.[3] For Hindus in India, the Ganga is not just a river but a mother, a goddess, a tradition, a culture and much more.

Dams

Head works of the Ganga canal in Haridwar (1860). photograph by Samuel Bourne.

There are two major barrages on the Ganga. One at Haridwar diverts much of the Himalayan snow-melt into the Upper Ganga Canal, built by the British in 1854 to irrigate the surrounding land.

The other barrage is at Farakka, close to the point where the main flow of the river enters Bangladesh, and the tributary Hooghly (also known as Bhagirathi) continues in West Bengal past Calcutta. This barrage, which feeds the Hooghly branch of the river by a 26-mile (42 km) long feeder canal, and its water flow management has been a long-lingering source of dispute with Bangladesh, which fortunately is likely to be resolved based on discussions held with the new Hasina government in Bangladesh in 1996 when I.K. Gujral was the Foreign Minister in India. Failure to resolve this has caused harm to both sides of the border for nearly two decades now. Bangladesh feels that the lack of flow in the summer months causes sedimentation and makes Bangladesh more prone to flood damages. At the same time, proposals for linking the Brahmaputra to the Ganga to improve the water flow in the Ganga is hanging fire. Also, the water management problem may actually involve a number of other riparian countries such as Nepal, where there has been tremendous deforestation, leading to greater silt content.

It is likely that the Ganga carried more water around the time of the Roman Empire, when Patna was the major port city of Pataliputra. Even in the eighteenth century the ships of the East India Company would come to call at the port city of Calcutta, and the British ran a steamer line all the way to Allahabad. Now only smaller ocean traffic can make it through the Hooghly to Calcutta, beyond which the silting prevents all deep-draft vessels.

A tributary of the Ganga, the Haldi River, flows south and meets the Hooghly River (Ganga) at the growing port of Haldia. Damodar, another important tributary of the Ganga, meets the river near Bagnan, Howrah. Damodar , popularly known as "Sorrow of Bengal" due to its frequent floods, is having the large hydroelectric dam, the Damodar Valley Project, built - on the lines of the Tennessee Valley Authority. There is also a controversial dam at Tehri, on the Bhagirathi, one of the main source rivers of the Ganga.

Another dam is proposed to be built on the upper reaches of a tributary of the Ganga, Mahakali. This Indo-Nepal project, the Pancheswar Dam, proposes to be the highest dam in the world and will be built with US collaboration.

The upper and lower Ganga canal, which is actually the backbone of a network of canals, runs from Haridwar to Allahabad.

Tehri Dam was also constructed on Bhagirathi River, tributary of the Ganga. It's multipurpose project.

History

During the early Vedic Age, the Indus and the Sarasvati River were the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent, not the Ganga. But the later three Vedas seem to give much more importance to the Ganga, as shown by its numerous references.

Possibly the first European Traveler to mention the Ganga was Megasthenes (ca. 350 – 290 BCE). He did so several times in his work Indica: "India, again, possesses many rivers both large and navigable, which, having their sources in the mountains which stretch along the northern frontier, traverse the level country, and not a few of these, after uniting with each other, fall into the river called the Ganga. Now this river, which at its source is 30 stadia broad, flows from north to south, and empties its waters into the ocean forming the eastern boundary of the Gangaridai, a nation which possesses a vast force of the largest-sized elephants." (Diodorus II.37)

In Rome's Piazza Navona, a famous sculpture, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers) designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini was built in 1651. It symbolizes four of the world's great rivers (the Ganga, the Nile, the Danube, and the Río de la Plata), representing the four continents; the Americas counted as one, and Australia and Antarctica were unknown.

Economy

The Ganga Basin with its fertile soil is instrumental to the agricultural economies of India and Bangladesh. The Ganga and its tributaries provide a perennial source of irrigation to a large area. Chief crops cultivated in the area include rice, sugarcane, lentils, oil seeds, potatoes, and wheat. Along the banks of the river, the presence of swamps and lakes provide a rich growing area for crops such as legumes, chillies, mustard, sesame, sugarcane, and jute. There are also many fishing opportunities to many along the river, though it remains highly polluted. Kanpur, largest leather producing city in the world is situated on the banks of this river.

Tourism is another related activity. Three towns holy to Hinduism– Haridwar, Allahabad, and Varanasi– attract thousands of pilgrims to its waters. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims arrive at these three towns to take a dip in the Ganga, which is believed to cleanse oneself of sins and help attain salvation. The rapids of the Ganga also are popular for river rafting, attracting hundreds of adventure seekers in the summer months.

People

Chars are temporary islands formed by the deposition of sediments eroded off the banks of the river in the State of West Bengal. They each provide dwelling ground for to up to 20,000 destitute people. The soil they are made of is very fertile, thus suitable for growing crops and pastures to feed cattle on, but they can disappear in a matter of a few hours, following any river water surge, particularly during the monsoon season. The people living on chars are either Bangladeshi refugees or Bengalis, therefore the Government of West Bengal does not acknowledge their de facto existence, nor does it issue the ID cards they would need aged 14 to emigrate and find jobs on the mainland. Sanitation on the islands is very poor and char-dwellers do not benefit from health care; also, schooling is not provided, so illiteracy is widespread. The Inland revenue demands nevertheless they pay tax.[4]

Pollution and ecology

Main article: Pollution of the Ganges

The Ganga River has been considered one of the dirtiest rivers in the world.[5] The extreme pollution of the Ganga affects 400 million people who live close to the river.[6] The river waters start getting polluted right at the source. The commercial exploitation of the river has risen in proportion to the rise of population. Gangotri[7] and Uttarkashi are good examples too. Gangotri had only a few huts of Sadhus until the 1970s[8] and the population of Uttrakashi has swelled in recent years.

As it flows through highly populous areas the Ganga collects large amounts of human pollutants such as Schistosoma mansoni and faecal coliforms. Drinking and bathing in its waters therefore carries a high risk of infection. While proposals have been made for remediating this condition, little progress has been achieved. In December 2009 the World Bank agreed to loan India US$1 billion over the next five years to clean up the Ganga.[9]

Along the Template:Mi to km stretch of terraced bathing ghats in the holy city of Varanasi, the water of the Ganga is a "brown soup of excrement and industrial effluents."[10] The water there contains 60,000 faecal coliform bacteria per 100 ml, 120 times the official limit of 500 faecal coliforms/100ml that is not considered safe for bathing.[10]

The Ganga River's long-held reputation as a purifying river appears to have a basis in science. First of all, the river carries bacteriophages that vanquish bacteria and more. As reported in a National Public Radio program, dysentery and cholera are killed off, preventing large-scale epidemics. The river has an unusual ability to retain dissolved oxygen, but the reason for this ability is unknown.[11]

Cities with most polluted Ganga water

Cities with Low polluted Ganga water

Ganges river dolphin

The Ganges River Dolphin, which used to exist in large schools near to urban centres in both the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers, is now seriously threatened by pollution and dams being built on the rivers. A recent survey by the World Wildlife Fund found only 3,000 left in the water catchment of both river systems.[12]

The effects of climate change on the river

The Tibetan Plateau contains the world's third-largest store of ice. Qin Dahe, the former head of the China Meteorological Administration, said that the recent fast pace of melting and warmer temperatures will be good for agriculture and tourism in the short term; but issued a strong warning:

"Temperatures are rising four times faster than elsewhere in China, and the Tibetan glaciers are retreating at a higher speed than in any other part of the world.... In the short term, this will cause lakes to expand and bring floods and mudflows. . . . In the long run, the glaciers are vital lifelines for Asian rivers, including the Indus and the Ganga. Once they vanish, water supplies in those regions will be in peril."[13]

In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Fourth Report, stated that the Himalayan glaciers which feed the Ganga, were at risk of melting by 2035.[14] The IPCC has now withdrawn that prediction, as the original source admitted that it was speculative and the cited source was not a peer reviewed finding.[15] In its statement, the IPCC stands by its general findings relating to the Himalayan glaciers being at risk from global warming (with consequent risks to waterflow into the Gangetic basin).

Water shortages

Along with ever-increasing pollution, water shortages are getting noticeably worse. Some sections of the river are already completely dry. Around Varanasi the river once had an average depth of 60 metres (200 ft), but in some places it is now only 10 metres (33 ft).[16]

"To cope with its chronic water shortages, India employs electric groundwater pumps, diesel-powered tankers and coal-fed power plants. If the country increasingly relies on these energy-intensive short-term fixes, the whole planet's climate will bear the consequences. India is under enormous pressure to develop its economic potential while also protecting its environment—something few, if any, countries have accomplished. What India does with its water will be a test of whether that combination is possible."[17]

See also

Ganga Delta

Further reading

  • Fraser, James Baillie (1820). Journal of a tour through part of the snowy range of the Himala Mountains, and to the sources of the rivers Jumna and Ganges. Rodwell and Martin, London.
  • Hamilton, Francis (1822). An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches. A. Constable and company, Edinburgh.
  • Cautley, Proby Thomas (1864). Ganges canal. A disquisition on the heads of the Ganges of Jumna canals, North-western Provinces. London, Printed for Private circulation.

Notes

  1. ^ Stefanovic, Karl (7 May 2010). "Taking the Plunge". 60 Minutes. Nine Network. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  2. ^ "Our Merciful Mother Ganga" by Jaya Vijaya Das published by Padyatra Press, New Delhi
  3. ^ "''Mahabharata'', Book 3, Sections 107–109". Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  4. ^ "Wandering Gaia". "The Give and Take of the Ganges". Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  5. ^ Salemme, Elisabeth (22 January 2007). "The World's Dirty Rivers". Time. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  6. ^ "June 2003 Newsletter". Clean Ganga. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  7. ^ Swami Sundaranand Himalaya: Through the Lens of a Sudu Published August 2001 ISBN 81-901326-0-1
  8. ^ Swami Sundaranand,Himalaya: Through the Lens of a Sudu Published August 2001 ISBN 81-901326-0-1 Page 252
  9. ^ "World Bank loans India $1bn for Ganga river clean up". BBC News. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  10. ^ a b "India and pollution: Up to their necks in it", The Economist, 27 July 2008.
  11. ^ Self-purification effect of bacteriophage, oxygen retention mystery: Mystery Factor Gives Ganga a Clean Reputation by Julian Crandall Hollick. National Public Radio.
  12. ^ [1]
  13. ^ (AFP) – 17 Aug 2009 (17 August 2009). "Global warming benefits to Tibet: Chinese official. Reported 18/Aug/2009". Google.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "See s. 10.6 of the WGII part of the report at" (PDF). Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  15. ^ The IPCC report is based on a non-peer reviewed work by the World Wildlife Federation. They, in turn, drew their information from an interview conducted by New Scientist with Dr. Hasnain, an Indian glaciologist, who admitted that the view was speculative. See: [2] and [3] On the IPCC statement withdrawing the finding, see: [4]
  16. ^ "How India's Success is Killing its Holy River." Jyoti Thottam. Time Magazine. 19 July 2010, pp. 12–17.
  17. ^ "How India's Success is Killing its Holy River." Jyoti Thottam. Time Magazine. 19 July 2010, p. 15.

References

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