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The Ganges  also Ganga , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) 

river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through 

the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It is the 

second largest river on the Indian-subcontinent by discharge. The Ganges basin is the most heavily 

populated river basin in the world, with over 400 million people and a population density of about 1,000 

inhabitants per square mile (390 /km2).
The Ganges is the most sacred river to Hindus[6] and is also a lifeline to millions of Indians who live 

along its course and depend on it for their daily needs. It is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. 

It has also been important historically: many former provincial or imperial capitals (such as Patliputra, 

Kannauj, Kara, Kashi, Allahabad, Murshidabad, Munger, Baharampur, Kampilya and Kolkata) have been located 

on its banks.
The Ganges was ranked among the five most polluted rivers of the world in 2007, with fecal coliform levels 

in the river near Varanasi more than one hundred times the official Indian government limits. Pollution 

threatens not only humans, but also more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and the endangered 

Ganges river dolphin. The Ganga Action Plan, an environmental initiative to clean up the river, has been a 

major failure thus far, due to corruption and lack of technical expertise,lack of good environmental 

planning, and lack of support from religious authorities.

The Ganges begins at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers. The Bhagirathi is considered to 

be the true source in Hindu culture and mythology, although the Alaknanda is longer.[18][19] The headwaters 

of the Alakananda are formed by snowmelt from such peaks as Nanda Devi, Trisul, and Kamet. The Bhagirathi 

rises at the foot of Gangotri Glacier, at Gaumukh, at an elevation of 3,892 m (12,769 ft).
Although many small streams comprise the headwaters of the Ganges, the six longest and their five 

confluences are considered sacred. The six headstreams are the Alaknanda, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, 

Mandakini, and Bhagirathi rivers. The five confluences, known as the Panch Prayag, are all along the 

Alaknanda. They are, in downstream order, Vishnuprayag, where the Dhauliganga joins the Alaknanda; 

Nandprayag, where the Nandakini joins; Karnaprayag, where the Pindar joins, Rudraprayag, where the 

Mandakini joins; and finally, Devprayag, where the Bhagirathi joins the Alaknanda to form the Ganges River 

proper.
After flowing 250 kilometres (160 mi) through its narrow Himalayan valley, the Ganges emerges from the 

mountains at Rishikesh, then debouches onto the Gangetic Plain at the pilgrimage town of Haridwar.At 

Haridwar, a dam diverts some of its waters into the Ganges Canal, which irrigates the Doab region of Uttar 

Pradesh, whereas the river, whose course has been roughly southwest until this point, now begins to flow 

southeast through the plains of northern India.

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