Geography of the Ganges River By Amanda Briney Updated August 03, 2015. The Ganges River, also called Ganga, is a river located in northern India that flows toward the border with Bangladesh ( map ). It is the longest river in India and flows for around 1,569 miles (2,525 km) from the Himalayan Mountains to the Bay of Bengal. The river has the second greatest water discharge in the world and its basin is the most heavily populated in the world with over 400 million people living in the basin. The Ganges River is extremely important to the people of India as most of the people living on its banks use it for daily needs such as bathing and fishing. It is also significant to Hindus as they consider it their most sacred river. Course of the Ganges River The headwaters of the Ganges River begin high in the Himalayan Mountains where the Bhagirathi River flows out of the Gangotri Glacier in India's Uttarakhand state. The glacier sits at an elevation of 12,769 feet (3,892 m).

The Ganges River proper begins farther downstream where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers join. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance As the Ganges flows out of the Himalayas it creates a narrow, rugged canyon. The Ganges River emerges from the Himalayas at the town of Rishikesh where it begins to flow onto the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This area, also called the North Indian River Plain, is a very large, relatively flat, fertile plain that makes up most of the northern and eastern parts of India as well as parts of Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh . In addition to entering the Indo-Gangetic Plain at this area, part of the Ganges River is also diverted toward the Ganges Canal for irrigation in the Uttar Pradesh state. As the Ganges River then flows farther downstream it changes its direction several times and is joined by many other tributary rivers such as the Ramganga, Tamsa and Gandaki rivers to name a few. There are also several cities and towns that the Ganges River passes through on its way downstream. Some of these include Chunar, Kolkata, Mirzapur, and Varanasi.

Many Hindus visit the Ganges River in Varanasi as that city is considered the holiest of cities. As such, the city's culture is also closely tied into the river as it is the most sacred river in Hinduism. Once the Ganges River flows out of India and into Bangladesh its main branch is known as the Padma River. The Padma River is joined downstream by large rivers like the Jamuna and Meghna rivers. After joining the Meghna it takes on that name before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Prior to entering the Bay of Bengal however, the river creates the world's largest delta, Ganges Delta. This region is a highly fertile sediment laden area that covers 23,000 square miles (59,000 sq km). It should be noted that the course of the Ganges River described in the above paragraphs is a general description of the river's route from its source where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers join to its outlet at the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges has a very complicated hydrology and there are several different descriptions of its overall length and the size of its drainage basin based on what tributary rivers are included.

The most widely accepted length of the Ganges River is 1,569 miles (2,525 km) and its drainage basin is estimated to be about 416,990 square miles (1,080,000 sq km). Population of the Ganges River The Ganges River basin has been inhabited by humans since ancient times. The first people in the region were of the Harappan civilization. They moved into the Ganges River basin from the Indus River basin around the 2nd millennium B.C.E. Later the Gangetic Plain became the center of the Maurya Empire and then the Mughal Empire. The first European to discuss the Ganges River was Megasthenes in his work Indica. In modern times the Ganges River has become a source of life for the nearly 400 million people living in its basin. They rely on the river for their daily needs such as drinking water supplies and food and for irrigation and manufacturing. Today the Ganges River basin is the most populated river basin in the world. It has a population density of about 1,000 people per square mile (390 per sq km).

Significance of the Ganges River Aside from providing drinking water and irrigating fields, the Ganges River is extremely important to India's Hindu population for religious reasons as well. The Ganges River is considered their most sacred river and it is worshiped as the goddess Ganga Ma or "Mother Ganges" ( About.com ). According to the Myth of the Ganges the goddess Ganga descended from heaven to dwell in the waters of the Ganges River to protect, purify and bring to heaven those who touch it. Devout Hindus visit the river daily to offer flowers and food to Ganga. They also drink the water and bathe in the river to cleanse and purify their sins. In addition, Hindus believe that upon death the waters of the Ganges River are needed to reach the World of the Ancestors, Pitriloka. As a result, Hindus bring their dead to the river for cremation along its banks and afterward their ashes are spread in the river. In some cases corpses are also thrown into the river. The city of Varanasi is the holiest of cities along the Ganges River and many Hindus travel there place ashes of their dead in the river.

Along with daily baths in the Ganges River and offerings to the goddess Ganga there are large religious festivals that occur in the river throughout the year where millions of people travel to the river to bathe so that they can be purified of their sins. Pollution of the Ganges River Despite the religious significance and daily importance of the Ganges River for the people of India, it is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Pollution of the Ganges is caused by both human and industrial waste due to India's rapid growth as well as religious events. India currently has a population of over one billion people and 400 million of them live in the Ganges River basin. As a result much of their waste, including raw sewage is dumped into the river. In addition, many people bathe and use the river to clean their laundry. Fecal coliform bacteria levels near Varanasi are at least 3,000 times higher than the what is established by the World Health Organization as safe ( Hammer, 2007 ). Industrial practices in India also have little regulation and as the population grows these industries do as well.

There are many tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries and slaughterhouses along the river and many of them dump their untreated and often toxic waste into the river. The water of the Ganges has been tested to contain high levels of things like chromium sulfate, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and sulfuric acid (Hammer, 2007). In addition to human and industrial waste some religious activities also increase the pollution of the Ganges. For example, Hindus believe that they must take offerings of food and other items to Ganga and as a result these items are thrown into the river on a regular basis and more so during religious events. Human remains are also often placed into the river. In the late 1980s India's prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi began the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) in an effort to clean up the Ganges River. The plan shut down many highly polluting industrial plants along the river and allotted funding for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities but its efforts have fallen short as the plants are not large enough to handle the waste coming from such a large population (Hammer, 2007).

Many of the polluting industrial plants are also still continuing to dump their hazardous waste into the river. Despite this pollution however, the Ganges River remains important to the Indian people as well as different species of plants and animals such as the Ganges River dolphin, a very rare species of freshwater dolphin that is native only to that area. To learn more about the Ganges River, read " A Prayer for the Ganges " from Smithsonian.com. The Ganges River | The Story of India - Photo Gallery | PBS The Story of India Hindu woman bathing in the Ganges River Explore the Topic Click for detailed map A Hindu woman bathes in the waters of the Ganges River . She is dressed in a cotton sari and her forehead is adorned with the traditional Hindu markings, the bindi and sindoor. For the 80% of Indians who are Hindus, the Ganges is considered sacred, the terrestrial home of the goddess Ganga, and has held a vaunted place within the faith for centuries. Hindus from all over the subcontinent make annual pilgrimages to the many temples and shrines located along its shores and believe it is auspicious to drink, bathe, and, after death, have their ashes scattered in the river.

Bathing in the Ganges is a purifying ritual that is thought to wash away a penitent's sins, and spreading one's ashes in the water upon death may improve one's karma and hasten salvation. India's longest river, the Ganges flows eastward from its source in the snow-capped western Himalayas across the plains of northern India until it empties into the Bay of Bengal. During its 1,554 mile journey, the Ganges passes through the Indian states of Uttarakhand, home to the sacred city of Haridwar; Uttar Pradesh, where the holy cities of Allahabad and Varanasi (Benares) are located; Bihar; and Bengal, home to India's cultural capital, Calcutta (Kolkata). The Ganges plain has been the birthplace of several empires, including the Gupta Empire . Hinduism Brahma, Tanjore Practiced primarily in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, Hinduism is considered the world's oldest religion, with traditions originating in and before the Neolithic era, around 8,000 years ago.

Hinduism may have had its beginnings in the Indus River Valley in modern Pakistan, and the word hindu comes from the Persian name for that river. A heterogeneous philosophy, Hinduism has no one founder and includes many sacred texts, the most ancient being the Vedas. Among the variety of genres included in the Vedic texts, composed 1500 – 1100 BCE, are hymns to gods, descriptions of rituals and philosophical writings. Commentaries on the Vedic books, written between 800 and 100 BCE, discuss the transcendent principal of Brahman, the source of the universe. Also influential are the great epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana written between 500 BCE and 200 CE. Among these epics, the Bhagavad Gita describes the central idea of moksha, or liberation of the soul from the cycle of perpetual death and rebirth. The primary principle of karma determines the character of the soul in this cycle. Although Hinduism contains elements of polytheism, monotheism and monism, all gods within Hinduism are today considered manifestations of Brahman.

Many Hindus practice devotion to one of three main deities: Brahma , the creator of the cosmos; Vishnu , preserver of the cosmos; and Shiva , destroyer of the cosmos. In Hinduism, the nature of the universe and the structure of society are closely linked. Brahman is the ultimate reality and also the name given to the highest (priestly) caste. The concept of dharma describes both cosmic law and the conduct of individuals in society, including adherence to the social order. Castes in orthodox Hindu society distinguished among people of priestly, military, merchant, peasant, and untouchable (individuals with no social standing) castes—now known as dalits and the focus of positive discrimination legislation and job quotas in today's democratic India. Approximately 80% of India's population today practices Hinduism. Ganges Ganges River at Varanasi India's most revered river, the Ganges, or Ganga, is formed by the merging of two mountain streams, the Bhagirathi, which is fed by the melting of the Gangotri glacier, and the Alaknanda, at the village of Deoprayag in the foothills of the Himalayas.

The Ganges flows parallel to, but several hundred miles south of, the Himalayas as it crosses northern India on its route east to the Bay of Bengal. Its tributaries bring down sediment-filled water from the mountains, which help create a wide, fertile plain that provides food and sustenance for nearly a billion people. The river has played a vital role in the growth of the civilizations that developed along its shores, not only in terms of agriculture but commerce as well, and been worshipped by Hindus since ancient times. According to Hindu mythology, the Ganges is a goddess, Ganga, who dwelled in the heavens until a human king, Bhagiratha, prayed to the god Brahma to have her descend to Earth. Bhagiratha made this request in order to help cleanse and release the souls of his ancestors who had been burnt to death and condemned to wander in the nether-world. Although Brahma granted Bhagiratha's wish, Ganga was displeased and threatened to descend with such force that it would destroy the Earth. Bhagiratha then prayed to the god Shiva , who caught Ganga in his hair and released her in small streams to the Earth.

Related Web Sites Top Sari A daily garment worn by women throughout India, the sari, also spelled saree, is a single piece of seamless cloth that is five to nine yards long and draped around the body. Thought to be in use in the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years, the sari can be wrapped in numerous ways, depending on the region, social class, and ethnic background of the wearer. Today, the Nivi style, which began to be widely adopted in the mid-20th century, is the most popular. Woven on both hand and power looms, saris are made of cotton, silk, and synthetic fibers and commonly worn with two foundational garments: the pavada, a thin, cotton petticoat that extends to the ankles and is secured at the waist with a drawstring and a tailored short-sleeve or sleeveless blouse that is fitted and covers the bosom. In the Nivi style, most of the cloth is wrapped around the lower part of the body and pleated and tucked into the pavada at the center of the waist. The remaining material is then draped across the blouse, either loosely or tightly with pleats, and falls over the left shoulder.

The portion that hangs from the shoulder is called the pallu and is often the most highly decorated element of the garment, picking up on the motifs found on the sari's border and body. Top Bindi The bindi is an ornamental mark on the forehead, placed between the two eyebrows, worn by Hindu women. It is known as a pottu in Tamil , a bottu in Malayalam, and a tikli in Marathi. Traditionally, the red bindi was worn solely by Hindu women as a marker of their marital status. The round, red dot was created by applying a dab of kumkum, or vermillion powder, over a sticky wax paste with the tip of the forefinger. The circular black bindi, more commonly sported by young girls, particularly in southern India, was made with a kohl pencil. Today, the bindi has evolved from a propitious symbol of marriage into a decorative element that is worn by girls and women throughout South Asia and can vary in size, shape, material, and color. Application has been simplified with the creation of the self-adhesive, disposable bindi made of felt or thin metal with glue on one side that allows it to easily stick to the forehead.

Women can match the bindi to their dress and enhance their appearance even further by donning the highly embellished bindis that feature sequins, beads, and sparkling stones. Gupta Empire Iron Pillar, Qutub Complex, Delhi, erected during Gupta period Although preceded by two Guptan rulers, Chandragupta I (reign 320-335 CE) is credited with establishing the Gupta Empire in the Ganges River valley in about 320 CE, when he assumed the name of the founder of the Mauryan Empire. The period of Gupta rule between 300 and 600 CE has been called the Golden Age of India for its advances in science and emphasis on classical Indian art and literature. Gupta rulers acquired much of the land previously held by the Mauryan Empire , and peace and trade flourished under their rule. Sanskrit became the official court language, and the dramatist and poet Kalidasa wrote celebrated Sanskrit plays and poems under the presumed patronage of Chandragupta II. The Kama Sutra , a treatise on romantic love, is also dated to the Gupta era.

In 499 CE, the mathematician Aryabhata published his landmark treatise on Indian astronomy and mathematics , Aryabhatiya, which described the earth as a sphere moving around the sun. Detailed gold coins featuring portraits of the Gupta kings stand out as unique art pieces from this period and celebrate their accomplishments. Chandragupta's son Samudragupta (r. 350 to 375 CE) further expanded the empire, and a detailed account of his exploits was inscribed on an Ashokan pillar in Allahabad toward the end of his reign. Unlike the Mauryan Empire's centralized bureaucracy, the Gupta Empire allowed defeated rulers to retain their kingdoms in return for a service, such as tribute or military assistance. Samudragupta's son Chandragupta II (r. 375–415 CE) waged a long campaign against the Shaka Satraps in western India, which gave the Guptas access to Gujarat's ports, in northwest India, and international maritime trade. Kumaragupta (r. 415–454 CE) and Skandagupta (r. c.

454–467 CE), Chandragupta II's son and grandson respectively, defended against attacks from the Central Asian Huna tribe (a branch of the Huns) that greatly weakened the empire. By 550 CE, the original Gupta line had no successor and the empire disintegrated into smaller kingdoms with independent rulers. Top Discussion Questions Why did the Ganges River become such an important part of Hinduism? How do Hindus show their reverence for the Ganges River? The word Karma is often used in American popular culture. What are its Hindu origins? Is the adoption of religious concepts in a secular context disrespectful towards the original religion? How are Hinduism and the caste system connected? While India outlawed the caste system at independence, why do problems persist? The Ganges River, India | What is the significance of the Ganges River? The Ganges River, India another word for charily The Ganges River, India For more than two millennia, the River Ganges has been revered by millions in India as a symbol of spiritual purity.

Originating in the frozen heights of the Himalayas, the river travels 1,600 miles across the teeming plains of the subcontinent before flowing east into Bangladesh and from there it spills into the Bay of Bengal. ”Mother Ganga” is described by ancient Hindu scriptures as a gift from the gods; that is, the earthly incarnation of the deity Ganga. “Man becomes pure by the touch of the water, or by consuming it, or by expressing its name,” Lord Vishnu, the four-armed “All Pervading One”, proclaimed in the Ramayana, the Sanscrit epic poem composed four centuries before Christ. For some time now, this romantic view of the Ganges has collided with India’s grim realities. During the past three decades, the country’s explosive growth (at nearly 1.2 billion people, India’s population is second only to China’s), industrialization and rapid urbanization have put unyielding pressure on the sacred stream. Irrigation canals siphon off ever more of its water and its many tributaries to grow food for the country’s hungry millions.

Industries in the country operate in a regulatory climate that has changed little since 1984, when a Union Carbide pesticide plant in the northern city of Bhopal leaked 27 tons of deadly methyl isocyanate gas and killed 20,000 people. The amount of domestic sewage being dumped into the Ganges has doubled since the 1990′s; it could double again in a generation. The result has been the gradual killing of one of India’s most treasured resources. One stretch of the Yamuna River, the Ganges’ main tributary, has been devoid of all aquatic creatures for at least a decade. In Varanasi, India’s most sacred city, the coliform bacterial count is at least 3,000 times higher than the standard established as safe by the United Nations world Health Organization, according to Veer Bhadra Mishra, an engineer and Hindu priest who’s led a campaign there to clean the river for two decades. Coliform are rod-shaped bacteria that are normally found in the colons of humans and animals and become a serious contaminant when found in the food or water supply.

“Polluted river water is the biggest cause of skin problems, disabilities and high infant mortality rates,” says Suresh Babu, deputy coordinator of the River Pollution Campaign at the Center for Science and the Environmet, a watchdog group in New Delhi, India’s capital. These health problems are compounded by the fact that many Hindus refuse to accept that Mother Ganga has become a source of illness. “People have so much faith in this water that when they bathe in it or sip it, they believe it is the nectar of God [and] they will go to heaven,” says Ramesh Chandra Trivedi, a scientist at the Central Pollution Control Board, the monitoring arm of India’s Ministry of the Environment and Forests. What is the significance of the Ganges River? The River Ganges has been a symbol of spiritual purity in India for more than 2,000 years. Ancient Hindu scriptures describe “Mother Ganga” as a gift from the gods. The Hindu faithful bathe in the Ganges, drink its waters and praise its waters in their quest for spiritual purification.

The Ganges River originates in the frozen Himalayas, and travels 1,600 miles across India before it flows into Bangladesh to empty into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges is the third largest river in the word as measured by the amount of water discharged into the sea. Almost a tenth of Earth’s people reside on the plains of the Ganges River, some of the most fertile land in the world. We can send a shuttle into space, we can build the Delhi Metro. We can detonate nuclear weapons. So why can’t we clean up our rivers? Rakesh Jaiswal, who has fought polluters since 1993 From his base in Kampur, Rakesh Jaiswal has waged a lonely battle to clean up the river for almost 15 years. He was born in Mirzapur, 200 miles downstream from Kanpur, and remembers his childhood as an idyllic time. “I used to go there to bathe with my mother and grandmother, and it was beautiful,” he said.

“I didn’t even know what the word ‘pollution’ meant.” Then, one day in the early 1990s, while studying for his doctorate in environmental politics, “I opened the tap at home and found black, viscous, stinking water coming out. After one month, it happened again, then it was happeing once a week, then daily. My neighbors experienced the same thing.” Jaiswal traced the drinking water to an intake channel on the Ganges. There he made a horrifying discovery: two drains carrying raw sewage, including contaminated discharge from a tuberculosis sanitarium, were emptying right beside the intake point. “Fifty million gallons a day were being lifted and sent to the water-treatment plant, which couldn’t clean it. It was horrifying.” Mishra says he’s especially concerned for the future of India’s most devout Hindus, whose lives are entirely focused on Mother Ganga. He calls them an endangered species.

“They want to touch the water, rub their bodies in the water, sip the water,” he said, “and someday they will die because if it.” ”If you tell them ‘the Ganga is polluted,’ they say, ‘we don’t want to hear that.’ But if you take them to the places where open sewers are giving the river the night soil of the whole city, they say, ‘this is disrespect done to our mother, and it must be stopped.’ ” The problem is that there is no sign of any real prospects for any solutions! Population growth is considered to be the most important factor in increasing environmental destruction because, for one thing, India’s population grows by 1,815 people every hour. Excerpts from “A Prayer for the Ganges” by Joshua Hammer Please share: The Ganges: holy river from hell Print The Ganges: holy river from hell India’s sacred Ganges river is so polluted that many fear for its future. But new prime minister Narandra Modi has promised to clean it up. Can he do it? Amrit Dhillon reports from Varanasi. Amrit Dhillon reddit More What is dumped in the river Ganges?

Raw sewage, plastic bags and bottles, industrial effluents, human waste, chemicals from tanneries, discarded idols, cow dung, partially cremated corpses, garlands of flowers, human remains, animal carcasses, butcher’s offal, chemical dyes from sari factories and construction waste. It only takes a few hours of being in the ancient holy city of Varanasi – the most sacred place in the world for Hindus – to realise that the question needs to be reworded as “what is not dumped in the Ganges?” SHARE Boatman Virender Nishad and the rubbish by the river bank. Photo: Amrit Dhillon On an overcast, but oppressively humid, August day, India’s holiest river is the colour of pewter and swollen from the monsoon rains, which have raised the water level to cover some of the famous ghats – the long stretch of steps leading down to the river. At Assi Ghat, named after the river Assi, which flows into the Ganges near this spot, a herd of buffalo has been brought by their owner to cool off in the river.

Submerged up to their backs, they stand, still as statues, in the same water that locals and pilgrims will bathe in. SHARE A cremation on the Ganges. Photo: Amrit Dhillon “The Assi river has been reduced to this,” says Virender Nishad, a seventh generation boatman, pointing to a three-metre wide drain, full of sludge, plastic and litter. “If nothing changes, the Ganges will become like this too in 20 or 30 years. If we go on polluting it, the river will be ruined and so will we.” Nishad represents that curious paradox found all over India – everyone knows what the problem is and how it should be fixed but somehow it never is. The will to act is missing, in ordinary people, in the government. Advertisement Nishad has grown up on the ghats. Now 30, he has seen the river he regards as a living deity become indescribably dirty. “When I was a boy, I used to drink the water. It used to be much cleaner and fast-flowing,” he says.

But his memories have probably been sanitised by time because it was almost 30 years ago that the Indian government launched its first huge clean-up project so the river cannot have been as clean as Nishad remembers. Over the decades, numerous campaigns to clean the Ganges have come and gone. Billions of dollars have been thrown into the river. Good intentions have been felled by corruption and mismanagement. The pollution and its causes have been dissected ad nauseam. Yet it is filthier than ever. The Ganges flows for 2500 kilometres from the Himalayas through four states where 400 million Indians live through to the east coast where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. As it passes through 100 towns and cities, it absorbs all their human and industrial waste. Experts estimate that more than 3000 million litres of untreated sewage from these towns along the Ganges are pumped into the river every day. By the time it reaches Varanasi, whose untreated sewage (or most of it) is also pumped into the waters, it becomes a sewer and the sixth most polluted river in the world.

Dr Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, a university professor whose family has been temple priests here for 13 generations, says that 33 sites in the city continually discharge raw sewage into the river. “If Modi can’t clean up the river, no one can. But I can guarantee 101 per cent that he will. He is upset at the dirt in India and he is determined to do something about it. Tourists come here because of its name but once they see the filth, they curse us and never return.,” Alok Tiwari According to Mishra, who also runs the Sankat Mochan Foundation which campaigns to clean the Ganges, scientists in the foundation’s laboratories have found the river has a faecal coliform count of more than 1.5 million per 100ml of water. Water regarded as safe for bathing should not contain more than 500 faecal coliform per 100ml, so bathing in the Ganges is only for the strong-hearted or those with blind faith. The foundation’s slogan is that “Not a drop of sewage should go into the Ganges” – although this has yet to be achieved.

“I know it’s dirty but I begin my morning prayers every day with a dip in the river,’’ Mishra says. ‘‘ It doesn’t affect my faith.” That faith is predicated on the belief that the waters of the Ganges are both pure and purifying. As British travel writer Eric Newby wrote in his 1966 book Slowly Down the Ganges: “To drink the water, having bathed in it, and to carry it away in bottles is meritorious. To be cremated on its banks, having died there, and to have one’s ashes cast in its waters, is the wish of every Hindu.” The country’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, is one such Hindu and he is now the latest big hope for those who wish to clean up the Ganges. Known by his admirers as a man of action who can turn ideas into reality, he stood for election in Varanasi in the recent general election and won a thumping majority.

In a speech to thank voters on the banks of the Ganges on May 17, amid Hindu chants, Modi pledged to clean the country’s holiest river, referring to it, as do millions of Hindus, as his “Ma Ganga” or Mother Ganges. Modi has allocated 20.4 billion rupees ($340 million) for the clean-up and says he will succeed where all previous governments have failed. “If Modi can’t clean up the river, no one can. But I can guarantee 101 per cent that he will. He is upset at the dirt in India and he is determined to do something about it. Tourists come here because of its name but once they see the filth, they curse us and never return,” says Alok Tiwari, 35, owner of a nearby roadside restaurant. He too bathes every day in the river. Millions of pilgrims come every year to Varanasi because to bathe in the Ganges is to wash away your sins. To die here is to escape the cycle of reincarnation and achieve instant salvation.

Every day, the ghats are full of pilgrims who have endured long, hard train journeys to make their way to fulfil their lifelong desire to take a holy dip in the Ganges. Every centimetre of the river is sacred to them. They make offerings of flowers and rose petals. They remember their ancestors as they pray. On the journey home, they all carry a small amount of the precious water for use in rituals at home. The moment of entering the water is special like no other. “When they step into the water, they are so overcome by euphoria that they lose their footing or go too far in,’’ Nished says. ‘‘There are no lifeguards, no life rings. It’s up to us boatmen to get them out.” He says that he has saved 100 people from drowning. On the ghats, the boatmen, restaurant owners, flower sellers all seem to know how the river can be protected against pollution. Tour guide Rajesh Choudhury, whose office is on Tulsi Ghat, says he is ashamed when tourists want to see the sun rise on the ghats because he knows local people will be lined up on the bank, defecating.

“We need to stop those who urinate and defecate in the river. We have to put up signs telling pilgrims not to bathe with soap, oil and shampoo. We must fine cattle owners who bring their animals to bathe here. And we need policemen on each ghat to enforce these rules. Right now, there is nothing, not a single signpost saying don’t litter,” says Choudhury. But he blames the culture more than the government’s failures. Of course, India must build sewage treatment plants and penalise factories that pump noxious effluents into the river but he feels that ordinary Indians must also learn to be clean. The filth of the Ganges is mirrored in the filth of Varanasi. If the one million inhabitants of the city cannot keep it clean, they are unlikely to keep the river clean. Once, Varanasi (also known as Benares), one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, boasted a glorious civilisation. Indian music, dance, poetry and religious thought flourished here. A few kilometres away is Sarnath where the Buddha gave his first sermon. Today it is a slum.

The city is pot-holed, full of rubbish where goats, dogs and cows rummage, roadside eateries serve food right next to open sewers swarming with flies, people eat snacks and throw the wrappers on to the street, men spit and urinate, and the roads are engorged with noisy, chaotic traffic. Mark Twain famously said: “Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” Stanley Benjamin, a 30-year-old hotel manager who moved to Varanasi seven months ago had heard of Twain’s observation but it failed to prepare him for the assault on his senses. “I am still suffering from culture shock,” says Benjamin, who moved from Kerala in south India where life is cleaner and more orderly. He is the general manager of Suryauday Haveli, a charming, 100-year-old mansion on Assi Ghat. He shakes his head when he talks about how people behave. “They always blame the government instead of looking at themselves. They keep their homes clean but throw their rubbish out onto the street. As for the river, everything is thrown into it,” he says.

The ghats themselves are dirty and infested with hawkers and conmen out to fleece tourists. Even so-called holy men demand ‘‘baksheesh’’ to be photographed. Amazingly enough, though, hawkers and boatmen manage to catch fish, even in the areas by the bank, near where the boats are anchored, areas that are choked with rubbish. Here on the ghats is the place that exemplifies the worst of the city, the Manikarnika cremation ghat where funeral pyres burn night and day. An endless procession of biers carrying the dead, covered in red and gold shrouds, keeps threading its way through the alleyways towards the ghat. It’s estimated that 35,000 bodies are cremated here every year. On a busy day the ghat looks like a scene from hell. Bodies that have not been properly cremated – if the family is poor and unable to buy the right quantity of wood, which is expensive – are just pushed into the river. Also, according to Hindu tradition, five categories of dead – holy men, pregnant women, children under five, people bitten by snakes and lepers – must not be cremated.

Instead, they are weighted down with stones and pushed out into the river. “After 24 hours, they rise to the surface and many end up by the banks,’’ Nishad says. ‘‘The authorities do nothing. It’s up to us boatmen to push them away from the shore.’’ Sewage is not just Varanasi’s problem or the Ganges’ problem. It plagues the entire country. Other water bodies are similarly polluted. India's cities and towns generate 38.2 billion litres of sewage every day. Its installed capacity to treat sewage is 11.8 billion litres, about 30 per cent of what it needs. In a way, the solution is simple. India has to build sewers, treat its sewage, punish industries that discharge their waste into the river and make people develop cleaner habits. “Ninety per cent of the pollution of the Ganges is from untreated sewage,’’ says Mishra. ‘‘Only the other 10 per cent is from human behaviour.” Many locals disagree. Tapan Das, a 55-year-old hotelier who has lived his entire life in Varanasi, says it is up to every resident to keep the river and the ghats clean.

“Everyone talks but no one does anything. It is a desperate situation,” he says. In July, a family friend of Das’ died and he attended the cremation at Manikarnika ghat. Tradition dictates that mourners must bathe in the Ganges after the funeral. “I did bathe in it, out of faith. But when I came home, I had a shower to wash away the Ganga water!” Advertisement Which bay does the Ganges River empty into? - Find Answers Here! Which bay does the Ganges River empty into? We found this answers Definition of GANGES. river ... N India flowing from the Himalayas SE & E to unite with the Brahmaputra & empty into Bay of ... What made you want to look up Ganges? - Read more User: The Ganges River flows into the A. Gulf of Mannar. B. ... Bay of Bengal. Weegy: A. Arabian Sea.

Tier539|Points 20| User: another name for the Thar Desert - Read more Discussion about this question Ganges River - Ganges River Facts - Ganges River Cruises Wildlife Share Ganges River in India is one of the holiest and most revered rivers in the world. It is as famous around the world as the Taj Mahal . It is exalted in the ethos of Hindus and continuously summoned by the Puranas and the Veda, as well as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. It is the longest of the rivers in India and the largest body of water in India. The larger part of the Ganges flows through India while the rest continues through Bangladesh. Initialized high up in the Himalaya Mountains, Ganges River facts reveal the flow commences inside a 10,000-foot ice cave and continues on across the northernmost corner of the country. After its continuous flow through both countries, the Ganges empties into the Bay of Bengal. Although Ganges River cruises are an exceptionally popular with tourists on India vacations , the greatest importance is placed on the necessities provided for millions of people. The Ganges plays an iconic religious role in the lives of India’s people.

It is a cardinal spiritual gathering place first and foremost and the ways in which it is used are countless—bathing, drinking, transportation , agricultural fulfillment, and performing baptisms are the key usages of the Ganges River. This becomes evident during tours on the Ganges River, where one look at the river banks illustrates how crucial the waterway is. An endless array of industries also rely on the Ganges, including paper, textiles, and leather among many more, for washing, cleaning, and much more. Ganges River facts fascinate and draw people in from all over the world to see for themselves the honored river and what lies in the surrounding layers. Exploring it is the main attraction. Ganges River cruises and rafting trips are intended to bring to light life along the river, but are also considered a decisive adventure has changed lives. From tours on simple wooden boats to trips aboard larger ships, Ganges River cruises are available for all budgets and preferences from companies to independent operators. Take a few hours to explore or dive in for a five or more day experience on the water. There are an endless array of vacation packages that can cover some or all of a Ganges River trip, from accommodations and tours to side trips and more.

India Map There are many Ganges River facts to consider when planning adventures revolving around the waterway. At almost 1600 miles long, the Ganges offers incredible opportunity for rafting trips and cruises. Two river contributories create the Ganges River at their confluence; the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers join at Devprayag, creating Ganga Ma, or Mother Ganges. The largest tributary is the Yamuna River, which means there are several rivers ideal for rafting in addition to the Ganges. The largest delta known in the world called Sundarban lies at the Ganges River's mouth and is a major point of exploration for adventurous tourists, particularly The Sajnakhali Tiger Sanctuary within Sundarban National Park. One famous route for Ganges River tours remains the one beginning in Allahabad and ending in Varanasi . Both locations are predominant pilgrimage sites with 2000-year-old civilizations. Of all sections of the legendary Ganges, these two areas are the most vibrant and interesting. Ancient temples , people of all ages, scenic countryside, and river islands contribute to the draw the Ganges elicits.

Major attractions to see during tours on the Ganges River include the hanging bridge Lakshman Jhula and the iron bridge Ram Jhula in Rishikesh, Ganga Aarti (religious ceremonies), countless temples, and other religious sites and events. Related Articles Delta Research And Global Observation Network (DRAGON) Delta Research And Global Observation Network (DRAGON) Related Links Ganges River The Ganges River (Ganga River) is 1,560 mi (2,510 km) in length, with its source high in the Himalayas. The river carries a very high sediment load and has unstable banks that frequently migrate. The Ganges Basin, which includes parts of India, Nepal, China, and Bangladesh, has one of the highest human population densities in the world. The river generally flows eastward and in Bangladesh empties into the Bay of Bengal. Here the Brahmaputra River and the Ganges River combine to form the largest delta in the world, which contains large population centers, fertile agricultural land, and the vast Sunderbans mangrove forest. The delta is a complex network of mudflats, beach ridges (called cheniers), tidal channels, and mangrove islands.

According to religious tradition, the Ganga River is a symbol of purification.

Question: What does the The River Ganges empty into?
Answer: Bay of Bengal