Bhagirathi River

Bhāgīrathī River
Sacred bathing ghats on Bhagirathi River at Gangotri
Name origin: "Bhagirathi" (Sanskrit, literally, "caused by Bhagiratha")
Country	India
State	Uttarakhand,
Region	Garhwal division
District	Uttar Kashi District, Tehri District
Source	Gaumukh (gou, cow + mukh, face), about 18 km (11.2 mi) from the town of Gangotri
- elevation	3,892 m (12,769 ft)
Source confluence	Alaknanda River
Mouth	Ganges
- location	Devprayag, Uttarakhand, India
- elevation	475 m (1,558 ft)
Length	205 km (127 mi)
Basin	6,921 km2 (2,672 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	257.78 m3/s (9,103 cu ft/s)
- max	3,800 m3/s (134,196 cu ft/s)
Map showing the Himalayan headwaters of the Bhagirathi river. The numbers in parentheses refer to the altitude in meters.

The Bhāgīrathī (Pron:/ˌbʌgɪˈɹɑːθɪ/) is a turbulent Himalayan river in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In Hindu mythology and culture, the Bhagirathi is considered the source stream of the Ganges. However, in hydrology, the other headstream, Alaknanda, is considered the source stream on account of its great length and discharge.

The word "Bhagirathi" (Sanskrit, literally, "caused by Bhagiratha") refers to a mythological Sagar Dynasty prince who, to gain the release his 60,000 great-uncles from the curse of saint Kapila, brought the goddess Ganga in the form of the river Ganges, from the heavens to the earth. Bhagiratha was the king of Kosala, a kingdom in ancient India. He was a descendent of the great King Sagara of the Suryavanshi, or Surya Dynasty. He was one of the forefathers of Lord Rama, of the Ramayana, the epic in which Bhagiratha's tale is primarily recounted.

The headwaters of the Bhagirathi are formed at Gaumukh (elevation 3,892 metres (12,769 ft)), at the foot of the Gangotri glacier and Khatling glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya. It is then joined by its tributaries; these are, in order from the source: