National River

                         Ganga  had been declared as the National River on Nov 4 2008 by the Prime Minister.

                        The Ganga or Ganges is the lomgest river of India flowing over 2,510 kms of mountains , valleys and plains .  It originates in the snowfields of the Gangotri  Glacier in the Himalayas as the Bhagirathi River.  It is later joined by other rivers such as the Alaknanda, Yamuna , son, Gumti, Kosi and Ghagra.

                       The Ganga tiver basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated areas of the world and covers as area of 1,000,000 sq.  kms. There are two dams on the river – one at Haridwar and the other at Farakka.  The Ganges River Dolphin is an Farakka.  The Ganges River Dolphin is an endangered animal that specifically habitats this river.

                      The Ganga is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth. Key religious ceremonies are held on the banks of the river at cities such as Varanasi , Haridwar and Allahabed.  The Ganga widens out into the Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans swamp of Bangladesh, before it ends its journey by emptying into the bay of Bengal.