Alaknanda River

Alakanandā (अलकनंदा)
River
The sediment-laden Alaknanda river flowing into Devprayag, Uttarakhand.
Country	India
State	Uttarakhand
Region	Garhwal division
Districts	Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pauri Garhwal
Tributaries
- left	Saraswati, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar
- right	Mandakini
Source	Confluence of Satopanth Glacier and Bhagirathi Kharak Glacier
- elevation	3,880 m (12,730 ft)
Source confluence	Bhagirathi River
Mouth	Ganges
- location	Devprayag, Uttarakhand, India
- elevation	475 m (1,558 ft)
Length	190 km (118 mi)
Basin	10,882 km2 (4,202 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	439.36 m3/s (15,516 cu ft/s)
The Himalayan headwaters of the Ganges river in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. The Alaknanda is the left bank tributary of the Ganges at Devprayag.

The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and one of the two headstreams of the Ganga, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is considered the source stream of the Ganges on account of its greater length and discharge; however, in Hindu mythology and culture, the other headstream, the Bhagirathi, is considered the source stream.

The Alaknanda is considered to rise at the confluence and foot of the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers in Uttarakhand, though the Saraswati River tributary flowing from Mana Pass is longer; the two meet at Mana, India, 21 km from Tibet. Three km below Mana the Alaknanda flows past the Hindu pilgrimage centre of Badrinath. It meets the Bhagirathi River at Devprayag after flowing for approximately 190 km (118.1 mi) through the Alaknanda valley. Its main tributaries are the Mandakini, Nandakini, and Pindar rivers. The Alaknanda system drains parts of Chamoli, Tehri, and Pauri districts.

Following the merging at Devprayag, the river is known as the Ganges. The Alaknanda contributes a significantly larger portion to the flow of the Ganges than the Bhagirathi. The Alaknanda is also known for adventure sports such as rafting.