The term ''Uttarvahini Ganga'' is used to refer to places where the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

river has a northward flow. For the majority of its route, the Ganges flows in a generally southeasterly direction, from the gangotri glacier to its

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also re ...

emptying into the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

. However, there are several places where the meandering of the river leads to a northerly flow, which is considered auspicious among Hindus.

Significant places of ''Uttarvahini Ganga''

Uttarakhand

Haridwar

Haridwar Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the righ ...

is a holy place of Hindus. ‘Hari’ terms belongs to Lord

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" within t ...

and ‘Dwar’ represents door. Also known as Hari Dham. Here

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

is ''Uttarayan'' for a little.

Uttar Pradesh

Kashi

Kashi Kashi or Kaashi may refer to: Places * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India **Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas **Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi * Kashgar, a cit ...

, the Ganges has a more distinct northerly flow than at Haridwar. The Ganges here merges with five more rivers like Varuna and Assi. which is why this place is also known as

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

. It is said that Kashi is set on the Trishul of Lord

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 ...

Bhriguthaura

In Bhriguthaura, the Ganges has a more distinct northerly flow than at Haridwar.

Bihar

Barh Barh, a city in Patna district located on the bank of Uttarwahini Ganges. One of the holiest & historic temple of Hindu of Lord Shiva also known as UMANATH located on the bank of Uttarwahini Ganga. The temple is the famous spot of pilgrimage of locals in Sawan month. People came over here from different places to put Gangajal in sawan month over shivling.

Bhagalpur

The Uttarvahini Ganga's impact in the

Bhagalpur Bhagalpur is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern banks of the river Ganges. It is the 2nd largest city of Bihar by population and also the headquarters of Bhagalpur district and Bhagalpur division. Known as the Silk ...

region has effects on

Sultanganj Sultanganj is a city located in the Bhagalpur district of the India state of Bihar. It is situated on the south bank of Ganga river, 25 km west of Bhagalpur city at . Demographics As per the Census 2011, the literacy rate of Sultanganj i ...

and

Kahalgaon Kahalgaon (formerly known as Colgong during British rule) is a town and a municipality in Bhagalpur district in the state of Bihar, India. It is located close to the Vikramashila, that was once a famous centre of Buddhist learning across the wo ...

, which plays a pivotal role in the spiritual culture of this ancient city.

has been culturally rich and a centre of religion, culture, education, trade etc. from ancient times.

=Sultanganj

= In Sultanganj, Ganga is ''uttarvahini'' for almost half kilometers, where the holy Ajgaivinath Temple is situated. Every year during the holy month of

Sawan Sāwaṇ or Sāuṇ ( pa, ਸਾਵਣ, ਸਾਉਣ, ) is the fifth month in the Nanakshahi calendar. Many Indian calendars started in different eras such as Shaka Calendar (national calendar of India) traditional Vikrama as well as the Nanak ...

, millions of devotees of Lord Shiva take the water of

holy river Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleric. T ...

as ‘Ganga Jal’ to 110 km from here to Baba Baidyanath Dham or

Baidyanath Temple Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga temple, also known as ''Baba Baidyanath dham'' and ''Baidyanath dham'' is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkha ...

, for the ‘Jal Abhishek’.

=Kahalgaon

= Here the Ganges covers a long distance as Uttarvahini for 6 kilometres. From Kahalgaon to Bateshwar Sthan, the Ganges is completely ''Uttarvahini''. Here the Koshi and Ganges rivers merge, where Maharishi

Vashistha Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha an ...

is believed to have worshiped. Identifying the importance of this place, in 8th century, King

Dharampal Dharampal ( hi, धरमपाल) (19 February 1922 – 24 October 2006) was an Indian thinker. He authored ''The Beautiful Tree: Indigenous Indian Education in the Eighteenth Century'' (1983), ''Indian Science and Technology in the Eight ...

of Pal Dynasty, formed the World famous Vikramshila Mahavihara in this place.

References

{{reflist Ganges