The Bhagirathi is a tumultuous Himalayan river arising at Gomukh
from the snout of the Gangotri glacier at a height of 7,756 m (25,446 feet)
in Uttarakhand. The Bhagirathi is a major tributary of the River Ganga. It
flows for 700 kilometers until it reaches Deoprayag where it merges with the
Alaknanda River at a height of 465 metres (1,526 feet). As the river flows
downstream from the holy confluence at Sangam, it becomes the Ganges.
Hindus consider the Bhagirathi River as a sacred river and it is also one
of the white water Rivers in the Himalayas. From Uttarakashi to Deoprayag,
rafting or kayaking trips are arranged on the river. On the right bank of
the Bhagirathi, eighteen kilometers downstream from Gomukh there is the
Gangotri Temple dedicated to Goddess Ganga.
