Ganges River

The Ganges (anglicised from Ganga) is a major river in northern India. It originates as the Bhagirathi River[?] at the Gangotri Glacier[?] in the Himalayas, joins the Alaknanda River[?] to form Ganga, and then flows across the North Indian plains (called the Gangetic Plains[?]). Eventually it splits into many parts and empties into the Bay of Bengal. One part is the Hoogli River[?] near Kolkata, and a major part is the Padma River[?] that enters Bangladesh.

Ganga is considered a sacred river by Hindus. It is believed that dipping in the Ganga will wash away one's sins, and that having one's ashes disposed of in the Ganges after death may improve one's next life or even allow Moksha to be attained sooner. Devout Hindus make pilgrimages to bathe in the Ganges and to meditate[?] on its banks.

Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the river Ganga, including Haridwar[?] and Varanasi (sometimes called Kashi, and its anglicised name Benares).

The Yamuna River[?], a major river in its own right, and nearly as sacred, is a tributary of the Ganga, and their confluence is near Allahabad[?].