Along the Ganges River

The Ganges (Hindi: गंगा Gangā, Bengali: গঙ্গা Gongā) is India's longest and most important river, and a sacred river in Hinduism. At over 2,500 km long, the Ganges is the third-longest river in South Asia, after the Brahmaputra and the Indus.

Often called the "lifeline of India", the Ganges has been an important transport route in the country with major cities along its banks for several thousand years.

The river begins at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers at Devprayag, Uttarakhand. Although the Alaknanada is the source stream for being longer, the Bhagirathi is usually considered as such in Hinduism. The river divides into two branches in Giria, West Bengal: the Padma (Bengali: পদ্মা Podmā) and the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (ভাগীরথী-হুগলি Bhāgīrothī-Hugli). The Padma flows to Bangladesh, and the Bhagirathi-Hooghly flows to West Bengal. The river is called "Bhagirathi" from Giria to Kalyani–Bansberia, and "Hooghly" from Kalyani–Bansberia onwards.

Both Padma and Bhagirathi-Hooghly branches of the Ganges empty into the Bay of Bengal, forming the world's largest river delta in Bengal, as well as the mangrove forest of the Sundarbans.

The Yamuna (यमुना Yamunā), a major tributary of the Ganges, is considered the "twin" of the river and is equally sacred to Hindus. It begins at Yamunotri in Uttarakhand, and runs across the cities of Delhi and Agra before meeting with the Ganges at Prayagraj. Hinduism considers another mythical river that meet at Prayagraj, called the Saraswati (सरस्वती Sarasvatī), and that's why the confluence is often called Triveni Sangam (त्रिवेणी संगम Triveṇī Saṅgam).

Although the Indus Valley Civilisation was developed along the Indus River basin, due to climatic shifts, the population later migrated to the more humid Gangetic Plain. After the Indo-Aryan migration, the Ganges became central during the late Vedic period, with many small kingdoms developed around the river. The Maurya Empire was originally based around the river, with the capital at Pataliputra, present-day Patna.

In addition, a couple of holy cities were developed along the river, including Badrinath, Gangotri, Uttarkashi, Haridwar, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Gangasagar.

The arrival of Islam in India led to the development of the syncretic Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb in northern India, literally the "Ganges-Yamuna culture" in Hindi and Urdu.

The Ganges is home to around 140 species of fish, 90 species of amphibians, as well as endangered reptiles and mammals like the gharial and the South Asian river dolphin.

Listed from Devprayag to Bangladesh border, the cities on the Ganges are:

• 30.14577878.5979441 Devprayag — confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers
• 30.178.32 Rishikesh — often called the "yoga capital" of India
• 29.96666778.1666673 Haridwar — holy city at the foothills, where the river descends from the Himalayas to the plains
• 27.03133679.9220194 Kannauj —Nestled on the sacred banks of the Ganga, ancient Kannauj (Kanyakubja) weaves divinity and fragrance into one. Revered since the epics of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, this historic capital of Emperor Harsha exudes deep spiritual serenity through timeless shrines like the Gauri Shankar and Annapurna temples
• 26.472580.3311115 Kanpur — once known as the "Manchester of India", now famous for its leather works and IIT Kanpur
• 25.4581.856 Prayagraj (Allahabad) — confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati
• 25.31888983.0127787 Varanasi — holiest city on the Ganges
• 25.6185.1413898 Patna — capital of Bihar, near the remains of the former Mauryan capital
• 25.38186.4659 Munger — home to the Munger Fort
• 25.2587.01666710 Bhagalpur — home to a medieval Buddhist centre of learning
• 24.8166787.911 Farakka — home to the Farakka Barrage, the point where the river splits into the Padma and the Hooghly

• 30.74242579.49603912 Badrinath — one of the "Char Dham" pilgrimage sites across India
• 30.55579.56513 Joshimath — gateway to the Nanda Devi National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

• 30.9878.9314 Gangotri — source of the Bhagirathi River, one of the two source streams of the Ganges
• 30.72916778.44277815 Uttarkashi — literally the "Kashi of the North", home to a number of ashrams and temples
• 30.38333378.48333316 Tehri — home to the Tehri Dam Reservoir, with opportunities for trekking

• 31.01666778.412517 Yamunotri — near the origin of the Yamuna, with hot sulphur springs and various waterfalls
• 28.66666777.21666718 Delhi — the bustling metropolis that contains New Delhi, the capital of India
• 27.49241377.67367319 Mathura — known as the birthplace of Lord Krishna
• 27.1878.0220 Agra — tourist capital of India, home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Taj Mahal
• 26.7779.0321 Etawah — famous for its lion safari, as well as the gharials and dolphins at the Chambal River valley

• 26.79916782.20444422 Ayodhya — legendary birthplace of Rama

• 24.36666788.623 Rajshahi —
• 23.59861189.83527824 Faridpur —
• 23.22590.65425 Chandpur — the conflence of Padma and Meghna rivers

All the cities on the Bhagirathi are in South Bengal and Rarh regions of West Bengal. The following lists the most important ones:

• 24.1888.2726 Murshidabad — former capital of Bengal under the Nawabs
• 23.6588.1327 Katwa — confluence of the Ajay and Hooghly rivers
• 23.42588.39083328 Mayapur — headquarters of the Hare Krishnas
• 23.40882288.36573629 Nabadwip — temple city and heritage town
• 23.21722288.35222230 Ambika Kalna — temple town, home to Kalna Rajbari and Nava Kailasha

All the cities on the Hooghly are in South Bengal and Rarh regions of West Bengal. The following lists the most important ones:

• 22.92277888.37944431 Bandel — one of the first European (Portuguese) settlements in Bengal
• 22.89555688.402532 Chinsurah — former Dutch colony
• 22.86705888.36741133 Chandannagar — former French colony
• 22.76416288.37760934 Barrackpore — cantonment town with memories of the 1857 rebellion
• 22.7588.3435 Serampore — former Danish colony
• 22.567588.3736 Kolkata — capital of West Bengal, centre of the Bengali culture in India
• 22.5888.32944437 Howrah — twin of Kolkata, connecting the city to the rest of India
• 22.47365788.17393338 Budge Budge — port town, home to one of the first Chinese settlements in India
• 22.2288.0539 Gadiara — confluence of the Hooghly and Rupnarayan rivers
• 22.0388.0640 Haldia — major port town near the mouth
• 21.657188.0800541 Gangasagar — pilgrimage site at the mouth of the Hooghly River

• 30.41861179.8497221 Nanda Devi National Park — part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring the highest mountain entirely in India
• 26.76833378.6444442 National Chambal Sanctuary — home to various endangered species like the gharial, Gangetic dolphin, red-crowned roof turtle and various species of birds
• 21.7588.753 Sundarbans — one of the best places in South Asia to see tigers

While you can get away with only English in major cities, you would need a phrasebook of either Hindi or Bengali or both if you're exploring the rural areas, as well as the Sundarbans.

Delhi has a major international airport with connections to almost anywhere. The other major cities on the route (Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Patna, Kolkata) have airports with good domestic connectivity, but few to no direct international flights. Kolkata is a mixed bag in this regard. On one hand, it has no direct connectivity to the West, that is you must lay over to an intermediate city to get to Kolkata if coming from the West. On the other hand, it has a plenty of direct flights from Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

The nearest major airport to the Padma River is Dhaka.

See India#Get in and Bangladesh#Get in for visa information.

One of the most popular ways to explore the Ganges is the Ganga Vilas, the world's longest river cruise. Inaugurated in February 2023, the 51-day voyage from Varanasi to Dibrugarh covers the Varanasi–Gangasagar section of the river, as well as the Sundarbans, Bangladesh and Assam, covering over fifty destinations on the way. With a capacity of 36 tourists on board, the Ganga Vilas has three decks and 18 suites. The ticket costs ₹12.59 lakh per head.

The Grand Trunk Road roughly covers the Ganges River from Howrah to Bandel, and from Varanasi to Kannauj.

In the Hooghly River basin, especially from Kalyani to Budge Budge, travelling by ferry is also an option but not essential, as there are good rail and road connections; see public transport in South Bengal.

Regardless of the sanctity of the river, don't drink the Ganges water (gangājal) directly. The river has been severely polluted for decades, and the levels of fecal coliform bacteria from human waste near Varanasi are more than 100 times the Indian government's official limit. Many initiatives have been taken to clean up the river, including the Ganga Action Plan, but they have failed to live up to their expectations.

• From Haridwar and Rishikesh one can visit Dehradun and Mussoorie.
• Bengal — a fertile region developed around the lower Ganges Basin, containing the world's largest delta.
• Godavari River — the longest river in southern India, from Nashik to Rajahmundry. Often called the "Ganges of the South".