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The Ganga The other tributaries that join the Ganges as it moves in easterly direction are Tam-
Ganga is the most sacred river for the Hindus and it is perhaps the most important part of Indian
mythology. This also means different names and different cultures, bound by one river.
Origin
Ganga River originates at Gaumukh near Gangotri in the Indian Himalayas (Ut-
tarakhand) and is known as Bhagirathi. The name changes to Ganga at Devprayag,
where the Alaknanda River meets the Bhagirathi. Alaknanda is the main hydrolog-
ical source of the river, but the origin is considered as Bhagirathi, based on Hindu
mythology. Gaumukh is at the foot of Tapovan, or feet of Mount Shivling and is
considered as residing in the matted locks of Shiva.
Route and Tributaries
At Rishikesh, the River takes shape of the Gangetic Plains. The next main river to
join Ganga is the Yamuna, at Prayagraj. The Sangam at Praygraj is also called Trive-
ni, where the underneath river Saraswati also joins in. The Sangam (confluence) of
three rivers at Prayagraj is considered holy.
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sa or Tons, Gomati, Ghaghara (largest tributary in terms of water discharge), Son,
Gandak, Punpun, Damodar, Kosi. At Farakka in West Bengal, it branches into dis-
tributary – Bhagirathi-Hooghly, through a feeder canal, while the main river Gan-
ga enters Bangladesh, to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal at Ganges Delta.
In Bangladesh, the name of the main branch of Ganga changes to Padma and is fed
by Jamuna, a distributary of Brahmaputra.
From Farakka to Katwa, it is called Bhagirathi and then name changes to Hooghly
at the confluence of Bhagirathi and Ajay at Katwa in West Bengal. The Hooghly
River empties into the Bay of Bengal near Sagar Islands, also referred as Ganga
Sagar.
Human Life
The recorded human life around Ganga started to take firm shape in the 2nd mil-
lennium BC, during the Late Harrappan period when people started moving east-
ward from the Indus. This marks the shift of Indian civilization from the Indus
basin to the Ganga basin. The Gangetic plains subsequently became the center of
power, from the Maurya Empire till date.
Trade
It was through the Hooghly-Baghirathi river system that the East India Company
entered Bengal to establish their trade. Traders from France, Netherlands and Por-
tugal also established their trade settlements on the banks of this river.
National Waterway
In October 1986, the Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) – Haldia (West Bengal) stretch of
the Ganga was declared as Waterway. The National Waterway 1 (NW-1) across
Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly Rivers cover a distance of 1620 km (874 nm). In Aug
2016, foundation stone was laid for Waterway Terminal at Varanasi and a trial run
of the two vessels was undertaken from Varanasi to Haldia. The NW-1 is being
managed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The NW-1 route has
18 floating terminals and 2 fixed RCC jetties. On 12 Nov 2018, Honorable Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the multimodal terminal in Varanasi.
The NW-1 is being developed with major financial assistance from the World Bank.
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