It originates from Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand. It forms various prayags (confluence of two rivers) as shown below:
Alaknanda + Dhauliganga = Vishnuprayag
Alaknanda + Pindar = Karnaprayag
Alaknanda + Mandakinin = Rudraprayag
Alaknanda + Bhagirathi = Devaprayag
When Ganga reaches West Bengal, it gets divided into two distributaries called Bhagirathi and Hugli. Damodar river is the tributary of Hugli. The main river goes into Bangladesh where it is first called Meghna and then Padma which then enters into Bay of Bengal.
Ganga and its tributaries
Yamuna:
- Originates near Yamnotri glacier in Banderpunch range.
- Longest tributary of Ganga; Joins it as a right bank tributary near Prayagraj.
Tributaries of Yamuna:
- Tons originates in Himalayas.
- Along with Tons, other left bank tributaries of Yamuna are Hindon, Karen, Sangar and Rind.
- Four rivers originating in Vindhyas join Yamuna as its right bank tributaries- Chambal, Sind, Betwa Ken.
- Chambal originates from a place near Mhow on Malwa plateau. It is famous for Badland topography (Ravines). Rivers like Banas, Shipra, Kalisindh and Parvati are its tributaries.
- Ken originates from Kaimur hills in Satna (M.P) and joins Yamuna near Banda.
| Other right bank tributaries of Ganga | |
| Karmanasa | Origin from Kaimur range Makes boundary of Bihar and UP. |
| Punpun | Origin from plateaus of MP. |
| Son | Also known as gold river or ‘Swarna nadi’ Origin from Amarkantak Joins Ganga near PatnaRiver Rihand and North Koel are its main tributaries. |
| Left bank tributaries of Ganga | |
| Ramganga | Originates near Nainital and joins Ganga near Kannauj |
| Gomati | Originates from distt of Pilibhit and joins Ganga near Ghazipur. Lucknow and Jaunpur are situated on its banks. |
| Ghaghra | Originates from Mapcha chung glacier in Tibet. In Nepal it is known as Karnali. It joins Ganga near Chapra. River Sharda, Rapti and Chhoti Gandak are its tributaries. |
| Kosi | Origins in NepalIts mainstream is river Arun which originates from Gosainthan peak in TibetIt is famous for changing its courses |
| Mahananda | Originates from Darjeeling hills Last left bank tributary of Ganga |
RIVER VALLEY PROJECTS ON GANGA RIVER SYSTEM
| Tehri project | Constructed at confluence of Bhilangana and Bhagirathi. Region is prone to earthquake (Zone V). |
| Ramganga project | On river Ramganga |
| Tanakpur project | On river Kali |
| Rihand project | Constructed in Sonebhadra district of U.P The reservoir is named Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar. |
| Bansagar project | On son river in Sahdol, MP. |
| Matatila project | On river Betwa Joint project of UP & MP. |
| Chambal project | Joint project of Rajasthan and M.P Three dams are built: Gandhi Sagar at Chaurasigarh, M.P Rana Pratap Sagar at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan Jawahar Sagar at Kota, Rajasthan |
| Damodar valley project | Multipurpose project Main dam is built on Panchet hills. Dams have also been built at ayyar, Bermo and Tenughat Dams at tilaiya, bal Pahari and maithon have been built on river Barakar (most prominent tributary of Damaodar river) |
| Mayurkashi project | In Jharkhand also known as Canada dam |
Read also: Indus River System
FAQs
What is the Ganga River System?
The Ganges River originates in the Himalayas Mountains in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India, receiving the right-bank tributary, the Yamuna.
Which two streams join to form Ganga?
Alaknanda and Bhagirathi are the two headstreams of the Ganga.
