O ryo Ganges is located on the Asian continent. It is a extremely important river for the inhabitants who live on its banks. This importance goes beyond the water issue, as in many cities in the India (one of the countries bathed by the Ganges), this river is used in cultural and religious rituals.
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Ganges River General Data
Length: 2510 km
Location: south of asian continent
Source: Bhagirathi River, North India, Himalayas
Altitudegivessource: approximately 3900 m
Mouth: Ganges Delta, Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean
tributariesmain: Bramaputra river, Gandak river, Ghaghara river, Ramgamga river, Son river and Yamuna river
Country(s): India and Bangladesh
Country(s) of the river basin: India, Nepal, China and Bangladesh
Main features of the river Ganges
The Ganges is located in the Ganges basin, made up of the river of the same name and its tributaries. This river is over 2500 km long, and your course goes through two countries, India and Bangladesh.
this river too is known as Benares, being considered the most important in India. Its basin covers an area of approximately one million km², directly and indirectly supplying 400 million people, being the most densely populated in the world.
É one of the biggest rivers in Asia in terms of water flow. In some locations, the depth can reach 30 meters. However, the average depth of the entire river is 16 meters. It's a river that run west–east, flowing into the OIndian ocean, in the Ganges delta, the largest delta on the planet.
In the Ganges we can find the Ganges dolphin, typical of the region, but which is threatened with extinction due to the amount of pollutants present in the waters of this river.
Ganges River Story
In literature Hindu, the Ganges is mentioned in the Rigveda, one of the oldest books of this religion that makes references to rituals and offerings to the gods, in addition to several hymns. In one of the hymns, the Nadistuti Sukta, the literature tells of a famous king named Bhagiratha practiced rituals to bring Mother Ganga to earth.
His request was for Ganga to save him from sins and worldly curses, as he had been cursed by a prophet. Ganga descends from heaven, through the braid of the god Shiva, to wash away the sins of men and cleanse them. Thus, the Ganges is not just a river, but a liquid deity of purity and protection..
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Ganges river route
the ganges born from the thaw of the Gangotri glacier, located in the state of Uttarakhand, northern India, at the foot of the Himalayas. The thaw occurs constantly, but it is accelerated during the summer, when the river has its greatest flow. The source of the Ganges is formed by the Bhagirathi River and other tributaries such as the Mandakini River and the Pindar River, all in north western India.
By joining the river Alaknanda, the Bhagirathi is called the Ganges, in the city of Rishikesh. From there, it travels 200 km until reaching the Gangetic plain in Haridwar. This city is the center of Indian pilgrimage as well as some other cities that are on the bank of the Ganges.
From Haridwar, the Ganges heads southeast towards Sangam, 800 km away. Then it passes through Varanasi, one of the most visited places for religious rituals on the banks of the Ganges.
Upon reaching the city of Bhagalpur, still on Indian soil, the River Ganges skirts the RajMahal mountains and flows south, reaching Pakur, a city bordering Bangladesh. Upon entering this country, the Ganges receives the waters of Brahmaputra, another great Indian river that runs from north eastern India. From there, the Ganges runs its course towards àBay from Bengal, in the delta named after him, flowing into the Indian Ocean.
Importance of the Ganges River
The Ganges River is vital to India, not only because it is the country's longest river but also because of its water and religious contribution. Its basin supplies nearly half a billion people in four countries (India, Nepal, China and Bangladesh), in the most diverse sectors: agriculture, fishing, transport, consumption, leisure, religious activities, among others.
It is estimated that in India alone, on the banks of the Ganges, there is a population of 20 million people who directly benefit from the river's water regime. During the flood, soil irrigation on the river banks is facilitated. When the flow decreases, the areas that were covered by the water are used for agricultural cultivation due to the organic material left by the river.
Both in India and Bangladesh, the fertile soils on the banks of the Ganges provide food for thousands of people, as it is a constant source of irrigation. Rice, sugarcane, potato and wheat crops are present in local agriculture, in addition to the cultivation of seeds that produce oils, very useful in Hindu rituals.
religious importance
For Indians, the Ganges is not just a river. According to Hindu tradition, the goddess Ganga is present in the river, being he a liquid, maternal deity. For Hindus, Ganga has descended from her abode and is present at the Ganges to wash away the darkest sins of humans devoted to her, a form of purification and spirituality.
![Hindus in sacred ritual on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, India. [1]](/f/ba5110113dec1bfb65e00dd7fa424cda.jpg)
With this, the cities that are located on the banks of the Ganges are famous for receiving tourists from all over India who seek them for their religious rituals, like bathing and drinking the water of the Ganges, as well as performing prayers and prayers.
One of the most famous cities is Varanasi. It has riverside hotels and temples to house pilgrims seeking inner peace with the waters of Ganga. Many believe that when they die, their bodies (or ashes, if cremated) should be thrown into the Ganges so that Mother Ganga can receive them and free them from all evil experienced in life.
For Indians, life is only complete when you immerse yourself in the Ganges. Families that live further away from the river tend to keep water jars from it. According to tradition, this water serves to bless the residence and be given to the sick who are on their deathbed. A river, a divinity, a spirit that saves those who believe in it.
Ganges River Pollution
Despite being the sacred and pure (in religious terms) river of India, the Ganges suffers from the extreme pollution in its waters. This is due to the high level of industrialization of the country, associated with the little supply of basic sanitation and sacred rituals of Hinduism.
![Cremation ritual on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, India. [2]](/f/dc36fae6a6e4536908d1b9c852608d15.jpg)
Estimates indicate that the Ganges River receives about a trillion liters of industrial waste and residential sewage that are not treated daily. The recent strong industrialization taking place in India does not follow the structural changes in society, which exceeds the one billion mark.
The low basic sanitation present in cities bathed by the Ganges affects the fauna, flora and the local population. One of the animals present in the Ganges is the Ganges Dolphin. It suffers from the channeling of the river in urban areas, as the curvature and sinuosity help this animal to swim. Irregular and increasingly constant fishing is also a condition that, added to pollution, is driving the dolphin to extinction.
Corpses and ash are common in the Ganges due to sacred rituals. The decomposition of bodies intensifies the pollution of the river, which is considered one of the most polluted in the world.
Image credits
[1] Cheryl Ramalho / Shutterstock
[2] Vinayak Jagtap / Shutterstock
By Attila Matthias
Geography teacher