The Ganges River and Its Importance

The Ganges River originates on the southern slope of the Himalayan range, and on its way receives supplies from seven major tributaries. Three of them – the Gandak, Karnali (Ghagara) and Kosi – pass through Nepal, and they supply the major portion of the Gangetic flow. After leaving Himalayas, the river flows in the southeasterly direction through India to enter Bangladesh. It forms the boundary between India and Bangladesh for about 112 km and then turns southeast to join the Brahmaputra River in the middle of Bangladesh.

The combined flow of the two rivers runs into the Bay of Bengal where it forms the Ganges Delta. The total basin area of the Ganges- Brahmaputra is approximately 1.66 million sq. km, of which the Ganges River supports more than 1 million sq. km and is densely populated with approximately 600 million people. The Ganges part of the basin is highly agriculture intensive as 71 per cent of it is cultivated. The river suffers from high seasonal fluctuations in its flow. Water availability in the basin is very uneven, both temporal and spatial. Himalayan glaciers, primarily Gangotri and Satopnath, provide an estimated 30– 40 per cent of the water in the Ganges, and the rest comes from melting snow and monsoon rains (Figure 6.1).

The transboundary Ganges River, which is shared among Bangladesh, India and Nepal, is the holiest river for Hindus, and it has been a symbol of Indian culture and civilization for centuries. The diversity in Hinduism has not been able to affect the sanctity of this river. Vaishnavites (followers of Vishnu) believe that the Ganges originated from the big toe of Vishnu's left foot. For the Saivites (followers of Shiva), the river flows from their God's hair. Hindus from all over the world cherish the idea of a holy dip in it, under the belief that doing so will rid them of their sins. As the Indian epic Mahabharata describes, ‘He who bathes in the Ganges purifies seven generations.’ In this ‘sin- eradication’ ritual, a Hindu needs to take three dips in the waters of the Ganges.