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Place
of origin
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Gangotri Glacier, Uttaranchal
(The actual geographical origin of the
Ganges is the Gaumukh glacier.
Here, the river is known as Bhagirathi.
The river Bhagirathi joins river Alaknanda,
fed by the glacier Satopan, to form the Ganges near Devprayag.)
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Religious significance
River Ganga, India’s most sacred water body is personified
in Hindu mythology as Goddess Ganga. Hindus believe that bathing in
her holy waters would help wash one’s sins and aids them in securing a place
in the swargaloka. (heaven)
Several legends are associated with the river. The
river is believed to have originated when Brahma washed the feet of Lord
Vishnu (during His incarnation as Vamana) using his kamandala
or water pot. From this pot Ganga emerged.
Ganga is believed to have brought down to earth by Bhagiratha.
He prayed to Lord Brahma to let Ganga come down to earth and then go to patalaloka
(underworld). Brahma agreed, and ordered Ganga to descend to earth. Ganga
felt insulted and decided to sweep the whole earth as she fell from the
heavens. Bhagiratha prayed to Lord Shiva to stop Ganga’s descent. Lord
Shiva covered the entire sky with his locks (jata) when the river
fell from the heaven, so that not a drop would fall on earth. This manifestation
of Lord Shiva is sometimes referred to as Gangadhar.
After He fully captured her, He let her out in small
streams. Realising her foolishness, Ganga thereafter followed Bhagiratha
wherever he went – down the mountains, across the plains and finally into
the sea.
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Goddess Ganga
following Bhagiratha
(Photo Courtesy: www.vaisnava.cz)
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Ecological
significance
From the alpine forests in the Himalayas to the
mangroves in its delta, the river Ganga supports a wide variety of flora
and fauna including tigers, deer, leopards, gharials, turtles and storks.
The river is also home to the Ganga river dolphins (Platanista
gangetia), which is endemic to the Ganga-Brahmaputra river systems. It is
considered one of the most endangered animal in the region.
Although the spiritual purity of river Ganga has
remained unchanged through ages, the physical aspects have deteriorated
over the years due to over-exploitation of her waters. Various pollutants
including cremated corpses, livestock carcasses, industrial wastes and raw
sewage are discharged into the river everyday. There have been many
attempts to clean up the river (including the Ganga Action Plan
launched by the Government of India in 1985), but none have been really
successful.
Apart from the river, recent studies have shown that
the Gangotri glacier, the source of the Ganga, has been retreating at an
alarming rate. This has been mainly attributed to the increase in
population, mass deforestation and global warming. Thus, if measures are
not taken up, a holy dip in the river could be a thing of past for the
future generations.
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