Is a major river in India associated with the myth and reality, with the land and people of India. The belief system in India is based on an intimate relationship with nature. One consequence of this is the reverence of the river as a gesture of recognition of their ability to survive in essentially agrarian societies.
The arrival of the Ganges
The King Bhagirath brought the Ganges to the earth whose original home was in heaven. This is a legend according to which the river descended from heaven to earth. Bhagiratha bids were pressured by the arrival of the Ganges to the earth. But the river current was too strong for the land could bear. For fear of a catastrophe, Bhagiratha begged Shiva offered his thick hair to catch the river as it was descending, and so softened his journey to the land. Hence, the Ganges was a characteristic of Shiva.
The route
Since its origin in the Himalayas came to meet the ocean, passing through towns and villages are places of pilgrimage for centuries. The river originates in the Himalayan perennal great and passes through the northern plains of India and empties into the slope of Bengal. The rich alluvial deposits, carried by the river for a very long time, have contributed to the structure of the northern plains of India.
The Ganges is fed by the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas towering to a height of about 14,000 feet above the sea level.
Legendary Places
Bindu-Sar
Gangotri is near and it is believed that this was where Bhagiratha to do penance. Hence the Ganges passes to the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where the pilgrimage cities of Benares and Prayag (Triveni Sangamam), which marks the confluence of the Ganges with the Yamuna.
Rishikesh
You can experience the power of the Ganges in Rishikesh is the gateway to the pilgrim Himayalas and where the Himalayas begin.
Haridwar
is where he is revered the Ganges. It is situated at the foot of the hill of the Himalayas and tourists can participate in the Aarti (religious ceremony in which they prayed and offered gifts to God to a flame) that takes place on the banks of the Ganges. During this time hundreds of lamps are lit next to the River.
Benares
is among the most visited religious destinations are on the banks of the Ganges in India.
Prayag
Here the Yamuna meets the Ganges at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. It is an ancient place of pilgrimage and is also the site of the festival of Kumbh Mela (a fair that is held when the planets are in a particular position) that occurs once in every 12 years.
Tryambakeshwar
"Here in Maharashtra is revered as the Godavari river Ganges. Ganga Sagar, is the confluence of the Ganges with the ocean and is associated to this pilgrim with the legend of Saint Kapilmuni.