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Name: Ganges River
Location: India
Describe the river:
The Ganges is one of the holiest and also most polluted rivers in the world.
On any given day at hundreds of points upon the 1500 mile long Ganges you will find scores of Hindus stepping into the sacred waters of the Ganges River, drinking the holy water, washing in it to cleanse themselves from sin, cremating their dead and throwing the ashes into the river.
To the Hindus, who have performed these practices for millenia, the Ganges is more than just a river. It is the holy goddess Ganga, who descended to earth and was wound in the hair of Vishnu before lying on the earth as the river we see today. Considering that Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, the Ganges is sacred to a large portion of the Earth's population.
Ironically, it is due to the very reverence with which the Hindus hold the Ganges that has caused it to become so polluted. Believing that the water of the Ganges is perfect, that nothing can defile it, they do nothing to protect it from outside pollutants. The millions of people bathing in its waters and the countless dead bodies and ashes thrown into it only add to the problem.
However, no amount of pollution will stop devout pilgrims from travelling to the banks of the Ganges, descending to the river on ghats, holy steps that take a pilgrim from the top of the bank to the river itself. Many of the most devout pilgrims will even walk the entire 1500 mile distance of the river. As it cannot stop these faithful followers, it also does little to stop tourists coming from around the world to see this amazing river.
Devprayag
The mouth of the Ganges lays buried deep in the Himalayan Mountains, at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier. The mouth has its own special name: Gaumukh, which means "Cow Mouth." At the mouth of the river it is not actually called the Ganges, but the Baghirathi River.
The Ganges does not become the Ganges until the Baghirathi merges with the Alaknanda River. At the point of this merger, nestled amidst the dramatic mountain gorges created by the two rivers sits the town of Devprayag.
Because of its vital location at the merging of these two rivers, Devprayag is one of the more important centers of pilgrimage. It is also a common starting point for those who raft the turbulent waters of the Ganges.
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