Ganges River - Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Posted by: 
denben
N 30° 07.366 E 078° 18.692
44R E 240975 N 3335440
In the holy city of Rishikesh, located in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India, pilgrims and tourists from all over the world come to visit the Ganges, the third largest river by discharge in the world.
Waymark Code: WMQ96E
Location: India
Date Posted: 01/13/2016
Views: 12
The Ganga, also Ganges is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh. The 2,525 km river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal.
After flowing 250 kilometres through its narrow Himalayan valley, the Ganga emerges from the mountains at Rishikesh. It is one of the wildest section of the river.
The Ganga is the most sacred river to Hindus along every fragment of its length. All along its course, Hindus bathe in its waters, paying homage to their ancestors and to their gods by cupping the water in their hands, lifting it and letting it fall back into the river; they offer flowers and rose petals and float shallow clay dishes filled with oil and lit with wicks.
The Ganga was ranked as the fifth most polluted river of the world in 2007. Pollution threatens not only humans, but also more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and the endangered Ganga river dolphin.
Boat rides and rafting are two river activities available in Rishikesh. Rafting from Kaudiyala to Laxman Jhula is not an easy task, especially the stretch from Kaudiyala to Marine Drive.
During our trip to India in November 2015 we visited the Ganga in the holy city of Varasani and, 800 km further north, in Rishikesh and also in the pilgrimage town of Haridwar. We did two boat trips on the Ganga river, one in Varanasi and one in Rishikesh. Our pictures are from Rishikesh and the coordinates were taken at the boat ride starting point also in Rishikesh.
Source: (
visit link)