Ganga River Facts

16 Interesting Facts about The Ganges River

1. River Ganga is about 1557 miles long(2506 km).
2. The Ganges basin is about 200 to 400 miles (322 to 644 km) wide.
3. River Ganga originates from the Gangotri Glacier, on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, which is 14,000 feet above sea level.
4. Rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda join each other at Devprayag to form River Ganga.
5. Hindus have always believed Ganga Jal to be pure, pious and drinkable.
6. In many Hindu rituals (from birth to death) much reverence is given to Ganga water.
7. River Ganga is considered to be very pure.
8. In 1896, a British bacteriologist Ernest Hanbury Hankin tested the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae that causes the deadly disease cholera, and found that this bacterium died within three hours when put into the waters of Ganga.
9. The same bacteria continued to thrive in distilled water even after 48 hours.
10. The presence of bacteriophages (viruses that kill bacteria) in the water of the Ganges is considered as the reason behind this quality and its purity.
11. In a study conducted by Malaria Research Center in New Delhi it was observed that water from the upper ambits of Ganga did not host mosquito breeding, and also prevented mosquito breeding if added to other water sources.
12. An unknown substance in Ganga acts on organic materials and bacteria and kills them.
13. The Ganga’s self-purifying quality leads to oxygen levels 25 times higher than any other river in the world.
14. Mistpouffers or Barisal Guns are unexplained sounds that resemble a sonic boom that have been reported to be heard in Ganga. They resemble the sonic boom of a supersonic jet.
15. The Ganga in Haridwar has shifted from its original course by 500 meters in the past few decades. In Bihar, some parts of the river have shifted more than 2.5 km since 1990.
16. River Ganga holds a sacred place in the hearts of Indians.

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