The Ganga River also referred to as the Ganges emerges from Devprayag and exists at Haridwar, in Uttarakhand. The source of Ganga River is Gangotri Glacier, Satopanth Glacier, Khatling Glacier and the melted water from the snow-clad peaks of Nanda Devi, Trishul, Kedarnath, Nanda Kot and Kamet. The Ganga River begins at the confluence of the holy rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda at Devprayag. The length of this river in Uttarakhand is about 96 km.
Ganga flows through the Himalayan Valley, originates from the mountainous terrains of Rishikesh and debouches onto the Gangetic Plain at the holy city of Haridwar. The left bank tributaries of Ganga are Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandaki, Bagmati, Koshi, Mahananda. Its right bank tributaries are Yamuna, Tamsa, Son and Punpun.The holy Ganga River gushes from Gaumukh in Gangotri Glacier and flows in eternity to nourish the Indo-Gangetic plain.
Having a holy dip in the water of Ganges is considered to be pious, as it cleanses the spirit and connects the soul with god. Many devotees from all around the world come to Uttarakhand, for having a sacred bath in the holy Ganga River. The towns along Ganga River are Gangotri, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Allahabad and Varanasi.
These places are considered to be sacred and are often visited by a number of devotees each year, in search of peace and spirituality.Many small and big streams comprise the headwaters of Ganga, but the six longest streams and their five confluences are considered sacred. The six headstreams are Alaknanda, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini and Bhagirathi rivers.
The Dhauliganga joins Alaknanda at Vishnuprayag, Nandakini joins at Nandprayag, Pindar joins at Karnaprayag, Mandakini joins at Rudraprayag and finally Bhagirathi joins the Alaknanda at Devprayag. Thus, forming the Ganga River.The hydel projects on Ganga River are Loharinag Pala Hydro Project (NTPC) in Uttarkashi district, Tapovan Vishnugad Hydroelectric Power Project (NTPC) in Joshimath district, Lata Tapovan Hydroelectric Power Project (NTPC) in Joshimath district, Maneri Bhali Hydro Power Project (UJVL) and Maneri Tiloth Hydro Power Project (UJNVNL) in Uttarkashi.
Several canals, dams and barrages have also been set up on Ganga River. The water of river Ganga is used for irrigation, power generating, and consumption. The turbulent water of the Ganges also offers adventure activities such as white river rafting and kayaking.
