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Where is the source of the 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. — Ganges River The Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage network.

The Ganges River does not have a single point of origin; rather, it is formed by the confluence of two primary source streams, the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda rivers, which meet at Devprayag in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.1

The Bhagirathi River, often cited as a key source stream, originates at Gaumukh at the foot of the Gangotri glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas at an elevation of nearly 13,000 feet (4,000 meters).1