source of ganges
Upper valley of the Bhagirathi River, the main source of the Ganges River, flowing from glaciers of the Gharwhal Himalaya, India. The trek from Gangotri Village in Uttarakhand State to the front of the receeding glacier is now more than 18 km. The trail may be seen in the lower center of this view.
Gaumukh, the sacred glacier source of the Ganges River, where the Bhagirathi River appears right out of the terminus of the Gangotri Glacier. Behind, the up to 6800 meter Bhagnirathi Peaks guard the valley.
The Gangotri Glacier is the source of the Bhagirathi River, a mountain stream which joins with another river below to become the Ganges. The river, the water, the valley and the place where the water flows right out of the glacier are sacred to Hindus and central to the stories of the gods and creation of the river.