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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
At a Glance
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
Explore India Quiz
Related Questions

Ganges River: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Descriptions of the Ganges are found in surveys of the corresponding regions, such as R.L. Singh (ed.), India: A Regional Geography (1971, reprinted 2006); S.D. Misra, Rivers of India (1970); B.C. Law (ed.), Mountains and Rivers of India (1968); and S.C. Majumdar, Rivers of the Bengal Delta (1942). More-focused subject studies are Development of Irrigation in India (1965), a publication of the Central Board of Irrigation and Power of the Indian government, which also issued the report Power Development in India (1987); K.L. Rao, India’s Water Wealth, rev. ed. (1979); and G.K. Dutt and A.K. Kundu (eds.), Irrigation Atlas of India, 2nd ed., 2 vol. (1987–89).

The Ganges itself is examined in Khurshida Begum, Tension over the Farakka Barrage: A Techno-Political Tangle in South Asia (1988), discussing the political repercussions in connection with the Farakka Dam; Eric Newby, Slowly down the Ganges (1966, reissued 2011), an illustrated descriptive guide; Steven G. Darian, The Ganges in Myth and History (1978, reissued 2001); and Raghubir Singh, Ganga: Sacred River of India (1974), a photographic essay. More-recent useful descriptive accounts include K.S. Bilgrami, The Living Ganga (1991); and Ted Lewin, Sacred River (1994). Discussions of environmental problems and their control are provided in P.K. Agrawal (ed.), Environmental Protection and Pollution Control in the Ganga (1994), a volume of edited papers; Kelly D. Alley, On the Banks of the Gaṇgā: When Wastewater Meets a Sacred River (2002); and Cheryl Colopy, Dirty Sacred Rivers: Confronting South Asia’s Water Crisis (2012), which focuses on the Ganges basin and other rivers of the subcontinent.

Deryck O. Lodrick The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article Contributors

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  • Nafis Ahmad
  • Deryck O. Lodrick
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Pesticides pollution and risk assessment of river Ganga: A review. Mar 25, 2026
Add new Web site: Frontiers - Frontiers in Environmental Science - Towards a Healthy Ganga—Improving River Flows Through Understanding Trade Offs. Jul 08, 2025
Questions and answers added. Mar 13, 2025
Article revised and updated. Mar 12, 2025
Add new Web site: Ancient Origins - Worshipped by Millions: The Sacred River Ganges. Oct 17, 2023
Add new Web site: World Wildlife Fund - The Ganges. May 19, 2023
Add new Web site: Cultural India - River Ganga. Aug 26, 2022
Corrected display issue. Jan 28, 2021
Changed “Allahabad” to “Prayagraj.” Nov 04, 2020
Corrected display issue. Apr 26, 2018
Media added. Jun 09, 2017
Add new Web site: World History Encyclopedia - Ganges. Dec 21, 2016
Article thoroughly revised and updated. May 01, 2015
Media added. May 01, 2015
Bibliography revised and updated. May 01, 2015
Add new Web site: MapsofIndia.com - Ganges River. Oct 31, 2014
Add new Web site: IndiaNetzone - Ganga River. Feb 01, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Ganges River Facts. Feb 01, 2013
Article thoroughly revised and updated; photographs added. Mar 06, 2009
Bibliography updated. Mar 06, 2009
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Geography - The Ganges River. Jul 08, 2008
Article added to new online database. Jul 26, 1999
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