The Ganges is the river regarded as the holiest in Hinduism and flows through India. Known in India as the Ganga, it rises in the western Himalayas and travels roughly 2,525 kilometers through the northern Indian plains before continuing into Bangladesh as the Padma.
In Hindu belief, the Ganges is the goddess Ganga and its waters are considered purifying. Important pilgrimage sites along the river include Haridwar, Varanasi, Gangotri, and the Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj, where the Ganges meets the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
The Ganges is also a practical lifeline for hundreds of millions of people, supporting agriculture, cities, transport, and ecosystems. A common mix-up is the Yamuna: it is a major and sacred tributary that joins the Ganges at Prayagraj, but it is not the river generally identified as Hinduism’s holiest.