RIO GANGES

Feb 11, 2010 Lorenzo Martinez Bernal RIOS - RESERVOIRS - LAGOS 8

RIO GANGES

El Ganges river es innot of the great rivers of the Indian subcontinent, It is flowing eastbound from northern India across the Gangetic plain to Bangladesh.

The river rises in the western Himalayas, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and after 2510 km long ends to form, the Brahmaputra river delta in the world's largest, Delta Ganga, in the Bay of Bengal.

For a long time it has been considered a holy river by Hindus, who have worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. Historically, It has also been important: many of the former provincial or imperial capitals (as Pataliputra, Kannauj, Kara, Allahabad, Murshidabad and Calcutta) They have been placed on its banks. The Ganges and its tributaries drain a fertile basin 907 000 km² which supports a large concentration of population, with one of the highest densities in the world (in the year 2005, one of every twelve people in the world (a 8%) They lived in the region). The average depth of the river is 16 m and the maximum depth is 30 m.

The name "Ganges" comes from the Sanskrit word 'bargain', which means "going, will » (that is, it moves quickly).

The most distant source of the river, called Bhaguirati, born in the western Himalayas, Gangotri Glacier in and joins, a 210 km from the source, Con el Alaknanda (descending from the mountain Nanda Devi, a 7800 m), near Deoprayag, from whose confluence renamed Ganga.

From there, the river flows eastward and after Haridwār, located 300 m, runs through the great plains of northern India, who they call for him llanurasgangéaticas, slightly sloping and receiving numerous tributaries long: the Yamuna River (1300 km), another river considered sacred, near the holy city of Prayag (now Allahabad); L Gagrā (1080 km) in Chapra; L Gandak (700 km) In Hajipur; the Ramganga (640 km) shortly before allahabad; Son or Sone (784 km), in Patna; Damodara or the Damodar (541 km) south of Calcutta; Koshi (700 km) near Bhagalpur; and GUMTI or Gomati (675 km) near Varanasi.

Forming leads delta Ganga, after being divided into many smaller rivers. One of them is the Hoogli River near Calcutta; another is the Padma, a river that enters Bangladesh.

Its length varies sources, between 2500 Y 3000 km. One of the highest concentrations of world's population is set along the banks of the Ganges. The Ganges basin is very fertile and, nowadays (2005), one of every twelve people in the world (a 8%) lives in this area. Nevertheless, because of the high population density, pollution and destruction of various natural habitats have increased alarmingly in the whole area.

Delta region is known as the Sundarbans ('Beautiful forest'); a region of dense mangrove forest and one of the main habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is the Sundarbans National Park has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, comprising a protected area 1395 km².

WATCH VIDEO

Two species of dolphin inhabit the Ganges, the dolphin rio ganges ,and Irrawaddy dolphin. The Ganges is also interesting because of a strange species of sharks, the Ganges shark which is currently fairly unknown.

At the top of the fishing ganges is one of the most combative fish in the world.

MAHSEER DORADO

Artificales fished with lures, flies and bait during the day and night. Fishing in mahseer, is no set schedule exactly what time of day is good for fishing, It's just a matter of the time of year and places. There is wide selection of lures and flies that can be used for mahseer, again depending on a variety of situations, such as the tone of water and its flow.

WATCH VIDEOS

River pollution

Ganges river pollution has increased alarmingly in recent years. Contaminate products include remnants of human cremations, animal skeletons, sewage and refuse factories. There have been various attempts to clean up the Ganges but, Until now, all have failed or have caused major problems.

WATCH VIDEO

Due to the great number of bodies thrown into the river, Indian authorities sent the introduction of cannibals turtles, to eat the bodies decaying, turn one of the siluros the area Göncz He has developed a special appetite for human flesh of these cadavers, reaching large sizes.

It is said that there have been cases that have come to attack people who were bathing in the river.

WATCH VIDEOS

The Ganges and Hinduism

In Hinduism, the Ganges river is personified in the form of a goddess: Maa Ganga (mother Ganges) or Ganga Devi (goddess Ganges). According to legend, This goddess was the stepmother of Kárttikeia (God of War, e hijo Shiva y Parvati).

Along the river are many sacred places for Hindus, including the cities of Varanasi and Haridwar. It is believed that every dive into the river serves to atone for a sin. further, deposit the ashes of a corpse in the Ganges prevents the cycle of rebirths the deceased. Hindus perform continuous pilgrimages to the river to bathe in it or meditate on its shores.

According to mythology, the god Brahma created the Ganges River from the foot sweat collected god Vishnu. Years later, a king named Sagara had 60 000 children. One day, King performed a ritual for God's kingdom in which participated a horse. The god Indra, jealous, He stole the horse and Sagar sent all his children around the earth to find the animal. Finally they found him in the underworld next to a penitent wise. Believing that the sage was the author of theft, they insulted and beat. The sage opened his eyes and looked at the sons of Sagar. His gaze burned them to death to 60 000 sons of King.

The souls of the children of Sagar wandered like ghosts until completely finished the ritual that his father had initiated. One of the descendants of Sagar, King Bhagīratha, He prayed to the god Brahma to allow the goddess Ganga to descend from heaven to play with its purifying waters the ashes of the deceased, so could ascend to Heaven. Brahma agreed and ordered the goddess came to the underworld. But Ganga feared the fall to Earth. Bhagiratha then asked the god Shiva deaden the river plunged.

Ganga fell on the clump of hair from the head of Shivá, but I think chaos in the whole area of ​​the Himalayas, where the king was meditating Jahnu, who she was furious and swallowed up the river. Bhagīratha gods and prayed to the wise to drop the goddess. He did Jahnu. Bhagīratha then guided his car very fast (just bhagīn-ratha means 'quick wagon' in Sanskrit) the river through India to the ocean. Ganga there reached the edge and into the hell, where he liberated the unfortunate souls 60 000 sons of Sagara.

A SALUTE TO FRIENDS PESCAPROFESIONAL

• Gangetic dolphin, fish, MAHSEER, fishing, rio, RIVER, CATFISH Gonch