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Ganges River
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Physical map showing the Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage networks across northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet (China), and Myanmar. The map uses color shading to indicate elevation, from the high Himalayas in brown and white to lowland plains in green, and marks major rivers, tributaries, glaciers, dams, irrigated areas, and regions subject to flooding. An inset locator map highlights the region within South Asia. A Sadhu in white clothing and turban sits cross-legged on a riverbank performing morning prayer by the Ganges in Varanasi, with boats and people in the background. Gangotri Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India: footbridge Bithoor Numerous small boats and ferries crowded on the Burhi Ganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with people crossing the water and city buildings visible in the background. Mangrove trees with exposed tangled roots line the riverbank in the Sundarbans, with dense green foliage above the roots and calm water in the foreground. Ganges River: Mahatma Gandhi Bridge An illustration of a Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica) showing its elongated snout and flippers, with a faint scuba diver silhouette below for size comparison. Measurement bars indicate the dolphin is about 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) long. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India: pilgrimage
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A Sadhu in white clothing and turban sits cross-legged on a riverbank performing morning prayer by the Ganges in Varanasi, with boats and people in the background.
Ganges River summary
Quizzes
Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.
Guess the City by Its River Quiz
water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)
Water and its Varying Forms
Chandigarh. Statuettes at the Rock Garden of Chandigarh a sculpture park in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden. Created by Nek Chand Saini an Indian self taught artist. visionary artist, folk artist, environmental art
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Physical map showing the Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage networks across northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet (China), and Myanmar. The map uses color shading to indicate elevation, from the high Himalayas in brown and white to lowland plains in green, and marks major rivers, tributaries, glaciers, dams, irrigated areas, and regions subject to flooding. An inset locator map highlights the region within South Asia.
Drainage network of the Brahmaputra and Ganges river The Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage network.

Ganges River

river, Asia
Also known as: Ganga
Written by
Deryck O. Lodrick
Research Associate, Center for South Asia Studies, University of California, Berkeley. Author of Sacred Cows, Sacred Places: Origins and Survival of Animal Homes in India; coeditor of The Idea...
Deryck O. LodrickAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Ganges River, great river of the plains of the northern Indian subcontinent. Although officially as well as popularly called the Ganga in Hindi and in other Indian languages, internationally it is known by its conventional name, the Ganges. From time immemorial it has been the holy river of Hinduism. For most of its course it is a wide and sluggish stream, flowing through one of the most fertile and densely populated regions in the world....

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