Bhagiratha | |
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Grandson of Sagara | |
Shiva bearing the Descent of the Ganges River, as the goddess Parvati, Bhagiratha, and the bull Nandi look on (circa 1740).
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Bhagiratha (Sanskrit: भगीरथ, bhagīratha) was a great king who brought the River Ganges, personified as the river goddess Ganga, to Earth from the heavens. When he was prince of Sagar Dynasty, he did penance for a thousand years to gain the release his 60,000 great-uncles from the curse of saint [Kapila] which eventually led to descent of the goddess Ganga in the form of the river Ganges, to the earth. To commemorate his efforts, the head stream of the river is called Bhagirathi, till it meets Alaknanda River at Devprayag.