Where is the ganges
The source of the Ganges - Ganges - BBC
and this one the last of the four sacred
sources of the Ganges is the busiest and
most important temple of them all
this is dango 3 the place where Hindus
believe the Ganges first appeared on
earth
as a goddess Ganga originally watered
the gardens of heaven but her purifying
powers were needed on earth to cleanse
the ashes of the Dead
ganda agreed to come to the aid of
humankind but the impact of her descent
would have destroyed the earth
so another god Shiva intervened at
Gangotri
he caught the falling river in his hair
cushioning her arrival and channeling
the flow into thousands of lesser
streams
the spectacular waterfall here is a very
earthly reminder of that tumultuous
descent
but even Gangotri can't be the true
source either the river here is already
wide and powerful fed by one of the
Himalayas largest glaciers higher up the
valley just a few hundred years ago that
same glacier filled this valley reaching
right down to the village now in the
face of rising temperatures
it's retreated over 20 kilometers only
the most determined make the final
journey up valley to the farthest
extremity of the river
their destination is gal Mook the cow's
mouth an ice cave from which flows a
milky stream this cold and lonely place
is considered by many to be the source
of the Ganges for most pilgrims it's a
fleeting visit just time for a few
prayers in a ritual bath in the frigid
waters
yet even here it's faith rather than
geography that is defining the source
higher still up above the glacier there
is more running water if the source of a
river is the point farthest from the sea
then it's here in the meadows at the
pavan that the spiritual and geographic
origins of the Ganges finally come
together surrounded and protected by the
mountain gods nowhere could be more
fitting as the birthplace of India's
holiest River
