Ganga ( sa, गङ्गा or गंगा, Gaṅgā) is the personification of the river
Ganges, who is worshipped by
Hindus as the goddess of purification and forgiveness. Known by many names, Ganga is often depicted as a fair, beautiful woman, riding a divine crocodile-like creature called the
makara
''Makara'' ( sa, मकर, translit=Makara) is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn.
Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, a ...
. Some of the earliest mentions of Ganga are found in the
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...
, where she is mentioned as the holiest of the rivers. Her stories mainly appear in post-Vedic texts such as the ''
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
'', ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
,'' and the ''
Puranas''.
The Ramayana describes her to be the firstborn of
Himavat, the personification of the
Himalayas, and the sister of the mother goddess
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
. However, other texts mention her origin from the preserver deity,
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
. Legends focus on her descent to earth, which occurred because of a royal-sage
Bhagiratha, aided by the god
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. In the epic Mahabharata, Ganga is the mother of the warrior
Bhishma in a union with the
Kuru king
Shantanu
Shantanu (Sanskrit: शंतनु) is a character in the Mahabharata, described as the ruler of the Kuru Kingdom with his capital at Hastinapura. He was a descendant of the Bharata race, a forebear of the lineage of the Lunar dynasty, and th ...
.
In Hinduism, Ganga is seen as a mother to humanity. Pilgrims immerse the
ashes of their kin in the river Ganga, which is considered by them to bring the souls (purified spirits) closer to
moksha, the liberation from the cycle of life and death. Festivals like
Ganga Dussehra and Ganga Jayanti are celebrated in her honour at several sacred places, which lie along the banks of the Ganges, including
Gangotri,
Haridwar,
Prayagraj,
Varanasi and
Kali Ghat in
Kolkata. Alongside
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
, Ganga is worshipped during the
Loy Krathong festival in
Thailand.
Vedic scriptures
Ganga is mentioned in the ''
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...
'', the earliest and theoretically the holiest of the Hindu scriptures. Ganga is mentioned in the
Nadistuti (Rigveda 10.75), which lists the rivers from east to west. In RV 6.45.31, the word ''Ganga'' is also mentioned, but it is not clear if the reference is to the river. RVRV 3.58.6 says that "your ancient home, your auspicious friendship, O Heroes, your wealth is on the banks of the Jahanvi". This verse could refer to the Ganga. In RV 1.116.18–19, the Jahanvi and the
Ganga River Dolphin occur in two adjacent verses.
Iconography
Ganga is described as the melodious, the fortunate, the cow that gives much milk, the eternally pure, the delightful, the body that is full of fish, affords delight to the eye and leaps over mountains in sport, the bedding that bestows water and happiness, and the friend or benefactor of all that lives.
Since the Vedic period, the Ganga River has been considered the holiest of all rivers by
Hindus. Ganga is also personified as a goddess and worshipped as Goddess Ganga. She holds an important place in the
Hindu pantheon
Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati.
The deities of Hinduism have evolved ...
. Ganga is represented as a fair-complexioned woman, wearing a white crown and sitting on a crocodile. She holds a water lily in her right hand and a flute in her left. When shown with four hands she carries a water-pot, a lily, a rosary, and has one hand in a protective mode. The ''
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...
'' mentions Ganga but more of her is said in the
Puranas.
Ganga is depicted four-armed and mounted on a crocodile or enthroned surrounded by crocodiles. In one of the iconography in Maha Virat-rupa, she holds a jar of
amrita, rosary,
lotus or
shivalinga and varada mudra. She may be depicted in other ways holding only a
kalash (or 2 replacing lotus) and lotus, while other 2 hands in
varada and
abhaya mudra
The Abhayamudrā "gesture of fearlessness" is a mudrā (gesture) that is the gesture of reassurance and safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss in Buddhism and other Indian religions. The right hand is held upright, a ...
. Another one shows her holding
kalasha,
trishula,
shivalinga, and
varada mudra.
Another depiction popular especially in
Bengal shows her holding
shankha,
chakra (
discus),
lotus and
abhaya mudra
The Abhayamudrā "gesture of fearlessness" is a mudrā (gesture) that is the gesture of reassurance and safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss in Buddhism and other Indian religions. The right hand is held upright, a ...
, with
Kalash releasing her holy water.
In
Brahma Vaivarta Purana
The ''Brahmavaivarta Purana'' ( sa, ब्रह्मवैवर्त पुराण; ) is a voluminous Sanskrit text and a major Purana (''Maha-purana'') of Hinduism. It is an important Vaishnavism text. This Purana majorly centers ar ...
, Ganga is often depicted with her divine mount, the
makara
''Makara'' ( sa, मकर, translit=Makara) is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn.
Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, a ...
– an animal with the head of a crocodile and tail of a dolphin.
Legend
Birth
The ''
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
'' and several other texts narrate that
Brahma created
Himavat. He later became the king of the
Himalayas, and married Menavati, the daughter of
Meru. After several years, a daughter was born, and they named her Ganga. After some years, another daughter named
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
was born, who was an incarnation of
Sati
Sati or SATI may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi
* ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike
*Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer
*Sati, a character in ''Th ...
. When Ganga grew up, the
devas took her to
Svarga, and she took a form of a river and flowed there.
The
Bhagavata Purana depicts another origin of Ganga. According to the text,
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
, in his incarnation as
Vamana, extended his left foot to the end of the universe, and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of his big toe. Through the hole, the pure water of the
causal ocean
In Hinduism, the Karanodaka (IAST: ) or the Garbhodaka (IAST: ), also referred to as the Causal Ocean, is the origin of material creation. It is the place in the spiritual sky where Mahavishnu lies down and creates the material world. The Causal ...
entered this universe as the Ganges river. Having washed the lotus feet of the lord, which are covered with reddish saffron, the water of the Ganga acquired a very beautiful pink colour. Because the Ganges directly touches the lotus feet of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
(
Narayana) before descending within this universe, it is known as ''Bhagavat-Padi'' or ''Vishnupadi,'' which means e''manating from the feet of Bhagavan (God)''. It finally settles in
Brahmaloka or
Brahmapura
Brahmaloka (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मालोक, IAST: Brahmāloka) or Satyaloka (Sanskrit: सत्यलोक) is the abode of Brahma, the creator god, a member of the Trimurti along with Vishnu and Shiva, along with his consort Saraswat ...
, the abode of the
Brahma, before descending to the planet earth at the request of
Bhagiratha, and held safely by
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
on his head, to prevent the destruction of
Bhumi Devi (the earth goddess). Then, Ganga was released from Shiva's hair to meet the needs of the country.
Wife of Vishnu
A legend in the
Bhagavata Purana and
Devi Bhagavata Purana
The Devi Bhagavata Purana ( sa, देवी भागवतपुराणम्, '), also known as the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavata Purana or simply ''Devi Bhagavatam'', is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas of Hindui ...
describes Ganga as originally being one of the three wives of Vishnu, along with
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
and
Saraswati
Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati.
The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...
. In the midst of a conversation, Saraswati observed that Ganga playfully kept glancing at Vishnu, behind Lakshmi and her back. Frustrated, Saraswati launched a furious tirade against Ganga, accusing her of stealing Vishnu's love away from her. When Ganga appealed to her husband to help her, he opted to remain neutral, not wishing to participate in a quarrel between his three wives, whom he loved equally. When Lakshmi attempted to soothe Saraswati's anger by reasoning with her, the jealous goddess grew angry with her as well, accusing her of disloyalty towards her. She cursed Lakshmi to be born as the
Tulasi
''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian ...
plant upon the earth. Ganga, now enraged that Lakshmi had been cursed because she had defended her, cursed Saraswati that she would be incarnated as a river on earth. Saraswati issued the same curse against Ganga, informing her that sinful men would cleanse themselves of their sins with her water.
Descent upon the earth
The ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
'' narrates that there was once a war between the devas and the
asuras. The leader of the asuras,
Vritra, was killed by
Indra, and so his followers hid in the sea, causing the devas to be unable to find them. The devas requested Sage
Agastya to help. He used his divine powers and swallowed the ocean to reveal where the asuras were hiding. The devas defeated the remaining asuras, and asked Sage Agastya to restore the water. However, the sage was unable to release the water, despite trying several times. This caused drought conditions upon the earth, but
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
assured that the ocean would be filled by the flow of Ganga on the planet.
The story about Ganga's descent on earth through the efforts of
Bhagiratha, a descendant of
King Sagara
Sagara () is a king of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. The son of Bahuka, he ruled the city of Ayodhya, with two wives, and 60,001 sons.
Legend
Birth
Sagara was born to Bāhuka, and his wife, Yadavi, at the ashrama of Sage Aurva, ...
, is narrated in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and various Puranas.
Wanting to show his sovereignty, King Sagara performed a ritual known as
ashvamedha, where a horse was left to wander for one year. However, Indra stole the horse to prevent the ritual from being successful. Learning that the horse had disappeared, King Sagara sent his sixty thousand sons to look for it.
They eventually found the horse at the
ashrama of Sage
Kapila, in the netherworld. Thinking that Sage Kapila had stolen the horse, the sons interrupted him while he was in a deep meditation. This infuriated Kapila, and with his ascetic's gaze, he burned all the sixty thousand sons to ashes.
King Sagara sent his grandson, Anshuman, to ask the sage Kapila what could be done to bring deliverance to their souls. Sage Kapila advised that only the water of the Ganges, which flowed flowed from Svarga, could liberate them.
Bhagiratha, Anshuman's grandson, undertook severe ascetic practices, and won the favour of Brahma and Shiva. Brahma allowed Ganga to descend on earth, while Shiva broke Ganga's fall in the coils of his hair, so that her force would not shatter the earth.
When Ganga descended, Bhagiratha led her to the sea. From there, the river reached the
netherworld, and liberated the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara.
Because of Bhagiratha's efforts, the river is also known as
Bhagirathi
The Bhāgīrathī (Pron: /ˌbʌgɪˈɹɑːθɪ/) is a turbulent Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In the Hind ...
. She is also known as Tripathaga because she flows in the three worlds, heaven, earth, and the netherworld.
Another epithet that Ganga is known by is Jahanvi, because she flooded the ashram of Sage
Jahnu
Jahnu () is a hermit-king in Hinduism, belonging to the Chandravamsha dynasty. The son of King Ajamīḍha, Jahnu abdicates his kingdom in favour of his son, Balākāśva, or sometimes Ajaka, and retires to perform a penance. According to the Har ...
while being led by Bhagiratha. Her waters extinguished the ritual fire there, which angered the sage Jahnu, so he drank up all of Ganga's waters. Sage Jahnu later released the water out of his left ear after Bhagiratha explained his mission for Ganga's descent. Due to this incident, Ganga is known as ''Jahanvi,'' which means daughter of Sage Jahnu.
Marriage and children
In the ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
'', Ganga is the wife of
Shantanu
Shantanu (Sanskrit: शंतनु) is a character in the Mahabharata, described as the ruler of the Kuru Kingdom with his capital at Hastinapura. He was a descendant of the Bharata race, a forebear of the lineage of the Lunar dynasty, and th ...
as well as the mother of the eight
Vasus, including
Bhishma.
Ganga and Shantanu were cursed by
Brahma to be born on earth. Shantanu met Ganga on the banks of the Ganges and asked her to marry him. She accepted the proposal on the condition that Shantanu would not question any of her actions.
Shantanu agreed and they married. They lived together peacefully and had eight sons who were the incarnation of the eight Vasus. They too had been cursed and had asked Ganga to end their life when they were born to her on earth. Due to their request, Ganga began drowning each son upon birth while Shantanu watched without questioning. However, when she was about to drown their eighth son, Bhishma, Shantanu stopped her.
Ganga later leaves with Bhishma but gives him back to Shantanu when he is ten years old.
Significance
The Ganga is also called the ''Ganga Mata'' (Mother), and is revered in Hindu worship and culture, venerated for her forgiveness of sins and capacity to cleanse mankind.
[Quoted in ] Unlike various other goddesses, she has no destructive or fearsome aspect, destructive though she might be as a river in nature.
She is also a mother to other gods.
Festivals
Ganga Jayanti
On this day Ganga was reborn. Legend says that she accidentally destroyed the hut of a sage during her descent to earth, as a result of which, the sage drank the entirety of the river's water. At the request of Bhagirathi and Ganga herself, he released the river from his ear and she earned the name Jahanvi. Ganga Jayanthi falls on Saptami of
Vaishakh month's
shukla paksha
Paksha (also known as ''pakṣa''; sa, पक्ष, Nepal Bhasa: ''thwa'' and ''gа̄''; ) refers to a fortnight or a lunar phase in a month of the Hindu lunar calendar.
Literally meaning "side", a paksha is the period either side of the Ful ...
.
Navratri
Ganga Maa is worshipped during
Navratri as all the forms of Maa Adishakti are worshipped in those days.
Loi Krathong
Thais use the Krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, the
Hindu Goddess Ganga, Phra Mae Khongkha ( th, พระแม่คงคา).
Beyond the Indian subcontinent and Hinduism
Ganga is respected in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
as a guardian water goddess, worshipped together with another river goddess
Yamuna. Her sculptures are found in
Patan Durbar Square
Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of its attractions is the ancient royal palace w ...
and
Gokarneshwar Mahadev temple is a municipality in
Kathmandu District in the
Bagmati Province.
In
Sri Lanka, Ganga with other Hindu deities assumes a Buddhist persona. Her sculpture is seen in
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. It is located north-east of Colombo. The current chief incumbent (chief priest) is Venerable Professor Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Thera.
The ...
.
In
Balinese Hinduism, she is worshipped together with the
goddess Danu. Her waters are considered holy in
Bali. Her maternal association with Bhishma is known in Bali. Religious sites associated with her in Bali are
Tirta Gangga,
Pura Taman Mumbul Sangeh, and
Kongco Pura Taman Gandasari.
Ganga Talao in Mauritius is considered by the
Mauritian Hindus
Mauritians (singular Mauritian; french: Mauricien; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a multi-ethnic society, with notable groups of people of South Asian (notably ...
equivalent to Ganga. In 1972, the then
Prime Minister of Mauritius,
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam brought Holy water from the Ganga's source -
Gomukh
Gomukh, also known as "Gaumukh" or "Gomukhi" (Hindi: गौमुख or गौमुखी ; Assamese and Bengali: গোমুখ or গোমুখী), is the terminus or pout of the Gangotri Glacier and the source of the Bhagirathi River, on ...
in India and mixed it with the water of the
Grand Bassin and renamed it as Ganga Talao.
Ganga is invoked with Hindu deities Shiva,
Bhumi,
Surya and
Chandra in
Thailand's royal
Triyampawai ceremony. She is worshipped together with goddess
Phra Mae Thorani
Vasundharā or Dharaṇī is a chthonic goddess from Buddhist mythology of Theravada in Southeast Asia. Similar earth deities include Pṛthivī, Kṣiti, and Dharaṇī, Vasudhara bodhisattva in Vajrayana and Bhoomi devi and Prithvi in hindu ...
within
Thai Bushhism and goddess
Phosop
Phosop ( th, โพสพ) or Phaisop ( th, ไพสพ) is the rice goddess of the Thai people. She is a deity more related to ancient Thai folklore than a goddess of a structured, mainstream religion. She is also known as ''Mae Khwan Khao'' ...
in
Tai folk religion. The four sacred pools of
Suphan Buri Province have waters from the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers and are used for rituals.
Ganga has been revered in
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
since the
Khmer empire. In Shiva's iconographical form ''Uma-Gangapatisvarar'' ( km, ព្រះឧមាគង្គាបតិស្វរ), Shiva is depicted with Ganga and his wife Uma (
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
). Ganga's images are located in
Bakong
Bakong ( km, បាគង ) is the first Khmer temple mountain of sandstone constructed by rulers of the Khmer Empire at Angkor near modern Siem Reap in Cambodia. In the final decades of the 9th century AD, it served as the official state tem ...
,
Lintel in
Thommanon
Thommanon ( km, ប្រាសាទធម្មនន្ទ) is one of a pair of Hindu temples built during the reign of Suryavarman II (1113–1150) at Angkor, Cambodia.Higham, C., 2001, The Civilization of Angkor, London: Weidenfeld & Nicol ...
and exhibit in
International Council of Museums
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, I ...
.
See also
*
Bhishma
*
Shantanu
Shantanu (Sanskrit: शंतनु) is a character in the Mahabharata, described as the ruler of the Kuru Kingdom with his capital at Hastinapura. He was a descendant of the Bharata race, a forebear of the lineage of the Lunar dynasty, and th ...
*
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
*
Yami
Yamuna is a sacred river in Hinduism and the main tributary of the Ganges River. The river is also worshipped as a Hindu goddess called Yamuna. Yamuna is known as Yami in early texts, while in later literature, she is called Kalindi. In Hindu scr ...
/
Yamuna
*
Narmada
References
Sources
*
*
* Vijay Singh: ''The River Goddess'' (Moonlight Publishing, London, 1994)
External links
The Life Of Ganga''Ganga Ma: A Pilgrimage to the Source''a documentary that follows the Ganges from the mouth to its source in the Himalayas.
{{Authority control
Characters in the Mahabharata
Hindu goddesses
Sea and river goddesses
Rigvedic rivers
Hindu pilgrimage sites
Ganges
Water and Hinduism
Personifications of rivers