In Puranic age, Ganges had great importance as a goddess. A famous tale tells that Ganges flew from the skies.
As Purana say, seeing, pronouncing the name or touching the sacred river are forms of intense purification.

If you go to Rishikesh, don't forget to partecipate at the Aarati, in the early morning or before sunset, in a temple wet by the waters of the river.
Holy and silent mountains are very close and the sky is full of every colour.
Sadhus will smile at you, sometimes they'll joke, or they will invite you in their simple huts, or you can even share their purification rhites, in holy union with the goddess.




Gangajala, the waters of Ganges, are so sacred that each Hindu with them in his hands can only say truth.


I suggest you a lovely book, 'Sacred waters' by Stephen Alter, an interesting research and a careful description of the places, the springs, the refuges and the people met during the walks in different seasons.
Yamuna river comes from Yamunotri; Gangotri is the place 'where Ganges fell from Paradise'; Kedarnath is the most spectacular spring, 3584 m. above sea-level; finally Badrinath, 307 Km. from Rishikesh, with its famous flower valley.



This is Deoprayag, where two rivers meet: Bhagirathi flowing from Gangotri and Alakananda from Badrinath.
Here the sacred river can really be called Ganges.


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