Bhagirathi River

This article is about the tributary of the Ganges. For the distributary in West Bengal, see Bhāgirathi-Hooghly.

The Bhāgīrathī is a turbulent Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India, that is the source stream of the Ganges—the major river of the Gangetic plain of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism.

Etymology

The word "Bhagirathi" (Sanskrit, literally, "caused by Bhagiratha") refers to a mythological Sagar Dynasty prince who, to gain the release his 60,000 great-uncles from the curse of saint Kapila, brought the goddess Ganga in the form of the river Ganges, from the heavens to the earth.^[2]

Course

The headwaters of the Bhagirathi are formed at Gaumukh (elevation 3,892 metres (12,769 ft)), at the foot of the Gangotri glacier and Khatling glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya. It is then joined by its tributaries; these are, in order from the source:

• Kedar Ganga at Gangotri (elevation 3,049 m (10,003 ft)),
• Jadh Ganga at Bhaironghati (elevation 2,650 m (8,690 ft)),
• Kakora Gadand Jalandhari Gad near Harsil (elevation 2,745 m (9,006 ft)),
• Siyan Gad near Jhala (elevation 2,575 m (8,448 ft)),
• Asi Ganganear Uttarkashi (elevation 1,158 m (3,799 ft)),
• Bhilangna River near Old Tehri (elevation 755 m (2,477 ft)).

The Bhilangna itself rises at the foot of the Khatling Glacier (elevation 3,717 m (12,195 ft)) approximately 50 km (31 mi) south of Gaumukh.

The river flows from its source for 205 km (127 mi) before meeting the Alaknanda River at an elevation of 475 m (1,558 ft) in the town of Devprayag. Downstream of this confluence, considered holy by Hindus, the river is known as the Ganga Ji, or Ganges River by westerners. The controversial Tehri dam lies at the confluence of the Bhāgirathi and the Bhilangna, at , near Tehri. Chaukhamba I is the highest point of the Bhagirathi basin.

Dams

There are 18 dams along the Bhāgirathi River, either in operation, under construction or planned. These are, in order from the source:

Notes

References

• Wilson,, W. (1860). OCLC 58410561 A summer ramble in the Himalayas: with sporting adventures in the Vale of Cashmere. London: Hurst and Blackett. http://worldcat.org/oclc/58410561 OCLC 58410561.  available on microfilm

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia. Neumann, J (1937). OCLC 35036471 Im heiligen Lande der Gangesquellen (In the Holy Lands of the Source of the Ganges). Neudamm, Germany. http://worldcat.org/oclc/35036471 OCLC 35036471. 

• Sharma, Man Mohan (1997). OCLC 4547622 Through the Valley of Gods: Travels in the Central Himalayas (2 ed.). New Delhi: Vision Books. http://worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/4547622 OCLC 4547622. 

External links