Sacred river · Uttarakhand · Uttar Pradesh · Bihar · Jharkhand · West Bengal
Ganga (गङ्गा)
गङ्गा
Presiding goddess: Goddess Ganga (Mata Ganga)
Origin
Gaumukh, Gangotri Glacier, Uttarakhand (3,892 m)
Mouth
Bay of Bengal (Ganga–Brahmaputra Delta, Sundarbans)
Length
2,525 km
Best pilgrim season
October–March (post-monsoon clarity); Ganga Dussehra in Jyeshtha (May–June)
Sacred ghats
Major tirthas on this river
Legend & origin story
Bhagiratha performed centuries of tapas to bring Ganga from Svarga to liberate his ancestors, the sixty thousand sons of Sagara, burnt to ash by Sage Kapila’s glance. Shiva caught her thunderous descent in his matted locks (jata) to spare the earth, releasing her gently across Bharat. Hence the name Bhagirathi for her upper course.
Spiritual significance
Ganga is the only river worshipped as a living goddess across all four Vedas, capable of washing away the karmic residue of seven lifetimes through a single dip (snan). Cremation on her banks at Manikarnika is believed to grant moksha by Shiva himself whispering the Taraka mantra in the ear of the departing soul. Every drop is amrit — non-perishable holy water (Ganga jal) kept in every Hindu home.