Bhagirathi River
River in Uttarakhand, India
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Etymology
In Hindu texts, Bhagiratha was a descendant of King Sagara of the Suryavamsha, or Solar Dynasty. He played an important role in the descent of the Ganges. The story of Bhagiratha is narrated in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the 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 ashram of sage Kapila. Thinking that sage Kapila had stolen the horse, the sons interrupted him while he was in deep meditation. This infuriated sage Kapila and with his ascetic's gaze burned all sixty thousand sons to ashes. King Sagara sent his grandson, Amshuman, to ask sage Kapila what could be done to bring deliverance to their souls.
Sage Kapila advised that only the water of the Ganges, which flowed in the heavens, could liberate them. Bhagiratha, Amshuman's grandson, undertook ascetic practices and won the favour of Brahma and Shiva. Brahma allowed the goddess Ganga to descend upon the 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 took her through the mountains, foothills, the plains of India, and to the sea where she liberated the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara. Due to Bhagiratha's role in the descent of the Ganges, the source stream came to be known as Bhagirathi.
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Course
The Bhagirathi River is mythologically known to be the source stream for the Ganges River. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is the source stream for the Ganges River due to its length and discharge. The Alaknanda River, including its tributaries, is 664.5 km (412.9 miles) and the Bhagirathi River, including its tributaries, is 456.5 km (283.7 miles).
The headwaters of the Bhagirathi River are formed at Gaumukh at the foot of the Gangotri glacier. From Gaumukh the river reaches the town of Gangotri. Kedar Ganga River joins Bhagirathi River at Gangotri.
From Gangotri, Bhagirathi River travels down a deep gorge and arrives at Bhaironghati. Jadh Ganga River joins Bhagirathi River at Bhaironghati.
The river continues to travel to Harsil and crosses the Bhagirathi Granite. Kakora Gad River and Jalandhari Gad River join Bhagirathi River near Harsil. It then enters a wide valley and meets two tributaries (Siyan Gad and another small River) near Jhala.
The Bhagirathi river continues to flow downwards to Uttarkashi, where River Asi Ganga joins, and then through Dharasu, Chinyalisaur, and the old town of Tehri. The old town of Tehri sat at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Bhilangna rivers. It was formerly known as Ganesh Prayag. Construction of the Tehri Dam totally submerged the old town of Tehri, and the population was shifted to the town of New Tehri.
From Tehri, the Bhagirathi river reaches Devprayag via the Himalayas. At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi River converges with the Alaknanda River and travels onward as the Ganges River.
Tributaries
The Bhagirathi River is joined by several tributaries; these are, in order from the source:
- Kedar Ganga at Gangotri (elevation 3,049 m (10,003 ft)),
- Jadh Ganga at Bhaironghati (elevation 2,650 m (8,690 ft)),
- Kakora Gad and Jalandhari Gad near Harsil (elevation 2,745 m (9,006 ft)),
- Siyan Gad near Jhala (elevation 2,575 m (8,448 ft)),
- Asi Ganga near Uttarkashi (elevation 1,158 m (3,799 ft)),
- Bhilangna River near Old Tehri (elevation 755 m (2,477 ft)).
The Bhilangna itself rises at the foot of the Khatling Glacier (elevation 3,717 m (12,195 ft)) approximately 50 km (31 mi) south of Gaumukh.
The controversial Tehri dam lies at the confluence of the Bhagirathi River and the Bhilangna, at 30°22′32″N 78°28′48″E / 30.37556°N 78.48000°E, near Tehri. Chaukhamba I is the highest point of the Bhagirathi basin.
Dams
There are 18 dams along the Bhagirathi River, either in operation, under construction or planned. These are, in order from the source: