This article is about the river. For other uses, see Ganges (disambiguation).

"Ganga" redirects here. For the goddess, see Ganga (goddess). For other uses, see Ganga (disambiguation).

Ganges

The Ganges in Varanasi

Map of the combined drainage basins of the Ganges (yellow),

Brahmaputra (violet) and Meghna (green)

Etymology Ganga (goddess)

Location

Country India (as Ganga), Bangladesh (as Padma)

Cities Uttarakhand: Rishikesh, Haridwar

Uttar
Pradesh: Bijnor,Fatehgarh, Kannauj, Hardoi, Bithoor,
Kasganj, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Gha
zipur, Ballia, Lucknow (Gomti tributary), Farrukhabad,
Narora

Bihar: Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Patna, Vaishali, Munger

, Khagaria, Katihar

Jharkhand: Sahibganj

West
Bengal: Murshidabad, Palashi, Nabadwip, Shantipur,
Kolkata, Serampore, Chinsurah, Baranagar, Diamond
Harbour, Haldia, Budge
Budge, Howrah, Uluberia, Barrackpore

Delhi: (Yamuna) tributary

Rajshahi Division: Rajshahi, Pabna, Ishwardi

Dhaka
 Division: Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj,
Faridpur

Chittagong Division: Chandpur, Noakhali

Barisal Division: Bhola

Physical characteristics

Source Confluence at Devprayag, Uttarakhand of

the Alaknanda river (the source

stream in hydrology because of its greater length) and

the Bhagirathi river (the source stream in Hindu

tradition). The headwaters of the river

include: Mandakini, Nandakini, Pindar and

the Dhauliganga, all tributaries of the Alaknanda.[1]

• location Devprayag, the beginning of the main stem of the

Ganges

Mouth Bay of Bengal

• location Ganges Delta

Length 2,525 km (1,569 mi)[2]

2
Basin size 1,999,000 km (772,000 sq mi)[3]

Discharge

• location Mouth of the Ganges (Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna;

2
Basin size 1,999,000 km (772,000 sq mi), Bay of
Bengal[3]
3
• average 38,129 m /s (1,346,500 cu ft/s)[4] to

43,900 m3/s (1,550,000 cu ft/s)[3]

1,389 km3/a (44,000 m3/s)

Discharge

• location Ganges Delta, Bay of Bengal

3
• average 18,691 m /s (660,100 cu ft/s)[3]

Discharge

• location Farakka Barrage[4]

3
• average 16,648 m /s (587,900 cu ft/s)
3
• minimum 180 m /s (6,400 cu ft/s)
3
• maximum 70,000 m /s (2,500,000 cu ft/s)

Basin features

Tributaries

• left Ramganga, Garra, Gomti, Tamsa Ghaghara, Gandak,

Burhi
Gandak, Koshi, Mahananda, Brahmaputra, Meghna

• right Yamuna, Tamsa (also known as Tons

River), Karamnasa, Sone, Punpun, Falgu, Kiul, Chan
dan, Ajay, Damodar, Rupnarayan

The Ganges (/ˈɡændʒiːz/ GAN-jeez; in India: Ganga, /ˈɡʌŋɡɑː/ GUNG-ah; in Bangladesh: Padma, /ˈpʌdmə/ PUD-mə)
[5][6][7][8] is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh. The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river
rises in the western Himalayas 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 also rises in the western Indian Himalayas,
and several left-bank tributaries from Nepal that account for the bulk of its flow.[9][10] In West Bengal state, India, a
feeder canal taking off from its right bank diverts 50% of its flow southwards, artificially connecting it to the Hooghly
River. The Ganges continues into Bangladesh, its name changing to the Padma. It is then joined by the Jamuna, the
lower stream of the Brahmaputra, and eventually the Meghna, forming the major estuary of the Ganges Delta, and
emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna system is the second-largest river on earth by
discharge.[11][12]
The main stem of the Ganges begins at the town of Devprayag,[1] at the confluence of the Alaknanda, which is
the source stream in hydrology on account of its greater length, and the Bhagirathi, which is considered the source
stream in all of Hindu mythology.