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Some aliases
The Ganges is also known by the names of its five
headstreams, which are Bhagirathi, Alaknanda, Mandakini,
Dhauliganga, and Pindar. The Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi are
the two main headstreams. Of these, the Alaknanda is the longer
one and rises from Nanda Devi and the Bhagirathi rises from the
foot, the Gangotri. Both Alaknanda and Bhagirathi unite at
Devaprayag to form the Ganga. From here Ganga flows through the
southern Himalayas and emerges at Rishikesh where she flows on
to the plains starting at Haridwar, a place held to be very
sacred by Hindus.
The route
The snow capped Himalayas melt and feed the Ganga in the hot
months from April to June. The next three months, this job is
taken over by the rain bearing monsoon winds. Seasonal variations can be
noticed in the river. Joining her tributaries and regions with
heavy rainfall add to the water flow. The main tributaries of
the Ganga are the rivers Yamuna, which flows through the capital
city Delhi, and Tons flowing through Madhya Pradesh. They come
together at Allahabad at the Sangam – the place where Ganga,
Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati meet, the site of the Maha
Kumbh Mela. |
The next destination of the Ganga is Bihar.
The tributaries she meets here are the Gandak, Ghugri, Kosi and the
Son. Skirting the Rajmahal hills, the Ganga flows southeast to
Farakka.
The last state to be covered by the Ganga
before joining the Bay of Bengal is West Bengal. The rivers
Mahananda from the north and the mighty Brahmaputra join the Ganga
here. Another synonym may be found here – Padma. This is the name
that the locals know her by. The most well known tributary of the
Ganga in this region is the Hooghly, whose east bank houses Kolkata.
The tributaries Damodar and Rupnarayan join the Hooghly from the
west. Before entering the Bay of Bengal, the Padma nee Ganga merges
with the Meghna river, yet another synonym of the Ganga.
The
Gangetic plain
The Gangetic plain is a very fertile and densely
populated region. Approximately a quarter of India’s territory is
covered by the drainage basin of the Ganga – an area of 975,900
square kilometers. The fertile soil has been used for the
cultivation of both food crops and cash crops with an increase in
capacity being brought about by irrigation. The main crops grown
here are rice, wheat, sugarcane, oilseeds, legumes, sesame, etc. One
stretch of the southwestern delta is not used for cultivation, being
covered with mangroves. This area houses many species of crocodile
and other animals.
The Ganga is of great religious importance
to the Hindus. People prefer to be cremated on her banks after
death. Many places of pilgrimage – Allahabad, Varanasi, Haridwar,
Rishikesh, Badrinath and Amarnath are witness to the river’s mighty
flow. Indiscriminate flow of industrial and other types of waste
into the river have resulted in a very high level of pollution.
Massive pollution clearance projects have been undertaken by the
government to cleanse this river which is believed to cleanse humans
of their sins with just a few dips in her water. |
