The great river ganges is the most important holy river in india and in hinduism. River ganges is a transboundary river of india and bangladesh. She is dressed in a cotton sari and her forehead is adorned with the traditional hindu markings, the bindi and sindoor. The ganges river begins high in the himalayas and flows southeast through india and bangladesh for more than 1,500 miles to the bay of bengal. A hindu woman bathes in the waters of the ganges river. Use of the ganges water for irrigation, either when the river is in flood or by means of gravity canals, has been common since ancient times. It flows through the plains of the north indian subcontinent with its origin in the gangotri glacier. The ganges ganga river runs through northern india and is sacred to those who follow hinduism. From time immemorial it has been the holy river of hinduism. Jawaharlal nehru, the nations first prime minister after independence in 1947, called it the purest expression of indias soul. Ganges under threat from climate change but climate change is endangering the holy river, reports jasvinder sehgal. River ganges powerpoint ppt presentations powershow. For hindus, the river ganges is sacred and revered, embodied by the goddess ganga.
The ganges river a river with many sides ganga action plan the ganges river is important for many reasons. Although the ganges is far from my home and heritage, i grew up on the banks of another famed waterwaythe mighty colorado. Information on lord shiva, as well as the hindu story of the great river. Though iconography of the goddess varies, she is most. But it has also long been a magnet for foreigners, some seeking to unravel its mysteries and others. The river ganges also referred to as ganga is a symbol of faith, hope, culture and sanity, as well as a source of livelihood for millions since time immemorial.
The ganges river represents the history, beliefs, and survival for the people of india. The pollution in the ganga river is a threat to approximately 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and to the human population who are dependent on the river for water. The glacier sits at an elevation of 3,892 meters 12,769 feet. They eat shrimp and fish from the mud in river bottoms. The river ganges, also known as the ganga, flows 2,525 kilometers 1,569 mi from the himalaya mountains to the bay of bengal in northern india and bangladesh the ganges river begins in the himalayas gangotri glacier. Ganges river cruises experience indias colorful culture and exotic treasures on a ganges river cruise. Lord shiva realised the world would be destroyed from the floods, so stood on the earth and took the mighty force of the waterfall. Megasthenes, a greek historian and ambassador who was in india, recorded the use of. Ganges simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The ganges river dolphin is found in india, nepal, bhutan, bangladesh and in the ganges river system. According to the discharge, river ganges is the 3rd largest river. During the rainy season, the river can flood and destroy crops planted along its banks. The indus river begins in the snowcovered mountains of south asia. Evidence of farming communities in the area date back to around 6,000 bc.
The river is considered to be sacred and spiritually pure, though it is also one of the most polluted rivers on earth. Gangotri, india high in the himalayas, its easy to see why the ganges river is considered sacred. It starts in the himalaya mountains and then makes its way south and east to the bay of bengal. It is the most important river to the indian subcontinent. River gangas pollution a matter of great concern slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Followers of hinduism believe that dying on the banks of the ganges river and having ones ashes cast on its waters is the way to a happy afterlife. Ganges river, hindi ganga, great river of the plains of the northern indian subcontinent. The 2510km1557m long river begins at the gangotri glacier in the central himalayas. The ganges brims with dangerous bacteria the new york times.
For indians, its a bitter reality that foreign countries, especially china find images of indian filth effective for scaring their people about the ugly reality of poor waste disposal habits and littering the prime minister of india has vowed to clean the river ganges. A hindu creation story involving the goddess ganga who became the river to save the earth from burning. Ganges under threat from climate change environment all. The ganges river, also called ganga, is a river located in northern india that flows toward the border with bangladesh. The ganges river follows an 900 km 560 mi arching course passing through the cities of kannauj, farukhabad, and kanpur. The 2,525 km river rises in the western himalayas in the indian state of uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the gangetic plain of north india into bangladesh, where it empties into the bay of bengal. Sewage flows into the water that people use to cook, bathe, and perform burial rites. Thousands gather at river ganges for holy dip they believe will. The ganges provides water for drinking, bathing, cooking, and for transportation for over 400 million people who live in its river. Ppt the river ganges powerpoint presentation free to. Such irrigation is described in scriptures and mythological books written more than 2,000 years ago.
Facts about river ganges impress us with a transboundary river, which flows in india and bangladesh. The river ganges, running for more than 1500 miles across some of the most densely populated areas in asia, is perhaps the most religiously significant body of water in the world. It flows through what are today china, india, and pakistan. The length of the ganga is 2,510 km or 1,560 miles. What its like to experience the ganges river inspired. Overall it flows 3,877 km making it one of the longest rivers in the world. Along the way it is joined by the ramganga, which contributes an average annual flow of about 500 m 3 s 18,000 cu fts. The ganges or ganga is a transboundary river of asia which flows through india and bangladesh. More than four hundred million people in india live in the area that feeds the river, known as the ganges river basin. The ganges river the story of india photo gallery pbs.
Explores the importance of the river ganges to hindus. Every river runs its course, finding life after loss on the ganges on our last day in india, i found out my gramma had passed away. But in truth the entire river, flowing for more than 2,500km. A hindu creation story involving the goddess ganga. The river ganges flows through the countries of india and bangladesh.
She was 83 years old and had enjoyed good health and comfort all. Flowing from the himalayas down to the bay of bengal, the sacred river is revered as a goddess among hindus and serves as a lifeline to the. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. River ganges historical, cultural and socioeconomic. The silt deposits and river water make farming possible in the dry environment of western south asia. It is sacred to hindus who worship ganga, the river goddess. The bjps efforts have been hampered by failure to put plans into effect, meaning much of. Interesting facts about river ganges just fun facts.
Tens of thousands of hindu pilgrims gathered on the banks of the river ganges on thursday for a holy dip they believe will wash away their. The students will explore the importance of the ganges river by looking at readings that explain some of the important events that take place in the ganges river in india. Despite the rivers pollution, it remains a holy spot in india, where pilgrims come to. Hindus visit the ganges for spiritual cleansing youtube. The sharks and dolphins in the ganges river are both endangered due to the massive pollution. As told in the hindu epic the ramayana, the ganges is an. Ganges river ganges river huang he yellow river indus river. View river ganges ppts online, safely and virusfree. Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office at 26 red lion square london wc1r 4hq.
Popularly referred to as the ganga in the indian subcontinent, the river ganges has entwined within its many tributaries and distributaries several legends, historical events, religious significance, political prowess, economic development, cultural milieu, and of course, geographic relevance. It is popular for its spiritual existence and abundant wildlife, as well as its negative aspects such as pollution. The people who live around the river depends their life on the presence of river ganges. Full ganga aarti varanasi banaras ghat aarti holy river ganges hindu worship ritual duration. It drains into the bay of bengal through its vast delta in the sunderbans. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Ganges the ganges also known as ganga or gonga, is the biggest river in the indian subcontinent in terms of water flow. A river basin is a region that is drained by a river, such as the ganges, and any of its tributaries. The river water is so muddy that vision is useless and so these dolphins are blind and their eyes have no lenses.
Indias ganges river pollution in photos business insider. Born in melting snow in the himalayas, the ganges forms from the convergence of. The river has the second greatest water discharge in the world, and its basin is the most heavily populated in the world. The ganges river starts in the indian himalayas and empties in the bay of bengal, over 1,500 miles away. It drains into the bay of bengal through its vast delta in the sunder bans. The annual event takes place in february in devprayag, a town. This means that surface water and rainwater in the basin.
The river starts from a glacier called gangotri glacier, which is in the garhwal region in himalayas. 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. Thats where a great powerpoint template comes in handy. Subscribe to our channel thousands of hindu pilgrims have braved a winter chill by taking a dip in the ganges river.
Although officially as well as popularly called the ganga in hindi and in other indian languages, internationally it is known by its conventional name, the ganges. Due to heavy pollution, it has become a health hazard to bathe in or drink the water from the river. The ganga kayak festival is the only festival of its kind on indias holiest river. The ganges forms where the bhagirathi river and the alaknanda river meet. The exploration of the river ganges is an opportunity to see how humans depend on rivers but also pollute them. Worshipped by a billion hindus and a water source for 400 million, the government is battling to save mother ganga. The promise to clean up the ganges is the most visible symbol of that. The ganges flows through north india, and ends at the bay of bengal in eastern india. The government has also built around nine million 90 lakh toilets in the past one year to eradicate open defecation, as. For most of its course it is a wide and sluggish stream, flowing. They use a sophisticated echolocation system to navigate and find food.
She is the centre of social and religious tradition in the indian subcontinent and particularly sacred in hinduism. However there are people who ignore the warnings and use the river regardless of potential health issues. Humans use the ganges river for many different things including bathing, drinking and irrigation. The sun is setting in rishikesh, an indian city in the himalayan foothills. After the confluence of the bhagirathi river and the alaknanda river, the ganges river flows through a. Gaumukh, the source of the river ganges, is one of the most sacred places in hinduism. The ganges river flows across most of northern india. The ganga is a major indian river flowing through the plains of northern india into bangladesh. The ganges is regarded as the fifth most polluted river across the globe. Five years ago i followed that river source to seaby boat, by plane. The waters in the bhagirathi river come from ice melt from the gangotri glacier.