{"id":4636,"date":"2024-09-17T04:27:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T04:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/?p=4636"},"modified":"2024-09-17T04:27:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T04:27:00","slug":"the-journey-of-the-ganges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/","title":{"rendered":"The Journey of the Ganges &#8211; From Heaven to Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The sacred Ganges, draining a total basin area of 1,999,000 sq. kms and having a length of 2,525 kms, is acknowledged as the national river of India. It rises from the Gangotri Glacier in Uttarakhand and terminates in the Bay of Bengal draining a vast expanse of North-Eastern India. The Ganges has its potential influence on Indian civilization and is a symbol of divinity for the Hindus.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4641\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4641\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-River-Basin.jpg\" alt=\"The Ganga River Basin\" width=\"900\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-River-Basin.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-River-Basin-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-River-Basin-768x425.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-River-Basin-870x481.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4641\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Ganga River Basin [<a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/3\/34\/Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna_basins.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Image Source<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/#Mythology\" >Mythology<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/#King_Sagara\" >King Sagara<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/#Rise_of_the_Ganges\" >Rise of the Ganges<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/#Symbolism_of_the_Ganges\" >Symbolism of the Ganges<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/#Worship_of_the_River_Ganges\" >Worship of the River Ganges<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/#Ganga_Dussehra\" >Ganga Dussehra<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/#Ganga_Aarti\" >Ganga Aarti<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mythology\"><\/span><strong>Mythology<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ganga is the most sacred river for the Hindus. Many legends and myths have depicted Ganga as a Goddess.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4643\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4643\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4643\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Worship-of-river-Ganga.jpg\" alt=\"Worship of River Ganga\" width=\"900\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Worship-of-river-Ganga.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Worship-of-river-Ganga-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Worship-of-river-Ganga-768x487.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Worship-of-river-Ganga-870x552.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4643\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Worship of River Ganga [<a href=\"https:\/\/alisonanddon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1120404-2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Image Source<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>Ganges was mentioned in the Rig Veda.<\/li>\n<li>The \u201cVishnu Purana\u201d illustrated the rise of the Ganges from the sweat of the feet (charan) of Lord Vishnu.<\/li>\n<li>Ganga is also acknowledged as the daughter of \u201cParvataraja\u201d (King of the Mountains) and the sister of Parvati (Lord Shiva\u2019s wife).<\/li>\n<li>There is also a legend stating Ganga to be a devotee of Shri Krishna which made Radha (Lord Krishna\u2019s Lover) envy her. Radha\u2019s curse on Ganga led her to flow down the Earth sent-off the Heaven.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But the most popular myth regarding the descent of the Ganges on the Earth is the rise of the Ganges to liberate souls of the sons of King Sagara.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Suggested Tour<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/spiritual-ganges-tour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spiritual Ganges Tour Package<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"King_Sagara\"><\/span><strong>King Sagara<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>King Sagara (King of the Oceans) was one of the supreme Kings of the Suryavanshi in the Satya Yuga, also entitled as the Ikshvaku Dynasty.\u00a0 He was a predecessor of Lord Ram (King of Ajodhya). He had two wives, Queen Sumati and Queen Keshini.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rise_of_the_Ganges\"><\/span><strong>Rise of the Ganges<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_4639\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4639\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4639\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/River-Bhagirathi-Other-name-of-Ganga-at-Gangotri.jpg\" alt=\"River Bhagirathi (Other name of Ganga) at Gangotri\" width=\"900\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/River-Bhagirathi-Other-name-of-Ganga-at-Gangotri.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/River-Bhagirathi-Other-name-of-Ganga-at-Gangotri-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/River-Bhagirathi-Other-name-of-Ganga-at-Gangotri-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/River-Bhagirathi-Other-name-of-Ganga-at-Gangotri-870x543.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4639\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">River Bhagirathi (Other name of Ganga) at Gangotri [<a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/5\/58\/Bhagirathi_River_at_Gangotri.JPG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Image Source<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>Ashwamedha Yajna was a popular ritual amongst the kings to prove their supremacy. It was a ritual to perform a Yagna (worshipping in front of fire) in which a horse was worshipped and then was sent around the territories. A king who deemed himself to be supreme used to send the horse and the person to stop the horse was considered a challenge to the King and they were involved in battle until one supremacy was established.<\/p>\n<p>King Sagara performed \u201cAshwamedha Yajna\u201d deeming himself to be the supreme Emperor. Lord Indra (Leader of the Demigods) was frightened by the consequences of the Yajna of King Sagara and planned to harness the horses deceivingly to hurdle the supreme kingship of Lord Sagara.<\/p>\n<p>Accordingly he stole the horses and secretly kept them in the divine Ashram of Kapilamuni. King Sagara was worried about the whereabouts of his horse and sent his 60,000 sons (son of Queen Sumati) in search of it. The sons search everywhere on the Earth but could not find any trace of it.<\/p>\n<p>Then those 60,000 sons along with Asamanja (son of Sagara\u2019s another wife Queen Keshini) found the horses tied in the ashram of Kapilamuni who was deeply concentrating in his meditations. King Sagara\u2019s sons thought Kapilamuni to be the harnesser of the horses and prepared to attack him for his deed.<\/p>\n<p>Disturbed by the commotion, Kapilamuni was interrupted in his meditation and myth illustrates that the rage in the eyes of Kapilamuni emanated fire and as soon as his vision fell on those sons they were burnt to ashes.<\/p>\n<p>Later Kapilamuni turned soft and he felt pity about the unfortunate death of the 60,000 sons of King Sagara. So he decided to approach the King and tell him a way out to rescue his sons. He suggested the King that if he could convince Ganga to flow down the Earth and touch the dead bodies of his sons they would be liberated and would gain their eternal status.<\/p>\n<p>Ages passed by but King Sagara and his descendants failed to convince Ganga to leave the heaven and flow on the Earth and rescue the souls of their ancestors. The Kingdom of Kosala gradually was weakening and by the time Bhagiratha, King Sagara\u2019s grandson, was born it was in its ruins.<\/p>\n<p>Through several years of austerities, Bhagiratha was able to convince Brahma for help. Brahma suggested Bhagiratha to please Lord Shiva who could only make the Ganga flow down to the Earth. Bhagiratha\u2019s devotion in the prayers pleased Lord Shiva who promised to convince Ganga to rescue his ancestors\u2019 souls.<\/p>\n<p>Ganga was then pleaded by all the Gods to flow eastwards but Ganga showed concern that the Earth would not be able to sustain the great force with which she will fall on the Earth unless someone resist her force. Lord Shiva intervened and asked Ganga to first descend on his head and from there with the sustainable force flow on the Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Ganga obliged and as soon as she fell with the immense force on Lord Shiva\u2019s head she broke apart into seven streams of which three flow eastwards and the other three westwards. The seventh stream known as the Ganges followed Bhagiratha to his ancestors\u2019 bodies and purified them of sins and became their liberator.<\/p>\n<p>Ever since the Ganges flowed on the Earth she was acknowledged as a Goddess and Lord Shiva had another name \u201cGangadhari\u201d as the bearer of the Ganges. Ganga became an integral part of the Vedic ritual and even today people bathe in the Ganges to be relieved of their sins. The ashes of the dead are flowed along the Ganges as it is symbolized as the Liberator and Purifier of Sins.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Symbolism_of_the_Ganges\"><\/span><strong>Symbolism of the Ganges<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_4642\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4642\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4642\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-river-Ganga-in-Varanasi.jpg\" alt=\"The River Ganga in Varanasi\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-river-Ganga-in-Varanasi.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-river-Ganga-in-Varanasi-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-river-Ganga-in-Varanasi-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-river-Ganga-in-Varanasi-870x483.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4642\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The River Ganga in Varanasi [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.global-gallivanting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Sunrise-Boat-Ride-on-the-Holy-Ganges-River-1500.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Image Source<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>The liberation of the ancestors of Bhagiratha has a great symbolism depicted within. The symbolism goes as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sagara meaning ocean depicts the mind or Human Consciousness. It is vast in expanse like the Ocean.<\/li>\n<li>Ashwa (Horse) represents the human senses that travel rapidly like a horse.<\/li>\n<li>Earth points out to the materialistic world in which the Human senses seem to be lost.<\/li>\n<li>Sixty Thousand sons of King Sagara represent the immense frequency of thoughts that like waves surface the mind.<\/li>\n<li>Sumati means the right thought<\/li>\n<li>The sixty thousand sons were the sons of Sumati which depicts that the sons were not bad. This point out that, human thoughts are not bad but are the reasons for bond of human with the circle of life and death.<\/li>\n<li>Sage Kapila characterizes the law of work (Karma) or Fate. The law punishes the sinful and tells them a way to get redemption from those sins.<\/li>\n<li>Sage Kapila (The Law of Fate) suggested Sagara (Mind) to let flow the pure consciousness (The Ganga) through the mind to purify from sins.<\/li>\n<li>Bhagiratha symbolizes the embodied soul or Jivatma. Bhaga is the women\u2019s womb and Bhagiratha is its occupant. It depicts the mortal beings that let the pure consciousness flow through its mind with the help of the God to become liberated.<\/li>\n<li>Lord Shiva is the Divine Gurudev or preacher who translates the spirituality to mortal thoughts.<\/li>\n<li>Ganga is the pure consciousness or Chita- Shakti that cleanses the sins of mind and liberates from mortality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Worship_of_the_River_Ganges\"><\/span><strong>Worship of the River Ganges<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ganga_Dussehra\"><\/span><strong>Ganga Dussehra<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_4638\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4638\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4638\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Ganga-Dussehra-is-being-performed.jpg\" alt=\"Ganga Dussehra is being performed\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Ganga-Dussehra-is-being-performed.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Ganga-Dussehra-is-being-performed-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Ganga-Dussehra-is-being-performed-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Ganga-Dussehra-is-being-performed-870x489.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4638\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ganga Dussehra is being performed [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehawk.in\/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthehawk.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com%2FGanga%2520Dussehra.webp&amp;w=3840&amp;q=75\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Image Source<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>Ganga Dussehra occurs on the 10th day of the Hindu month \u2018Jyestha\u2019. On this particular day the Hindus worship mother Ganges according to their custom. According to Hindu mythology it is believed that the sacred river inclined on the same day on earth.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ganga_Aarti\"><\/span><strong>Ganga Aarti<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_4640\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4640\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-Aarti-taking-place-in-Haridwar.jpeg\" alt=\"The Ganga Aarti taking place in Haridwar\" width=\"900\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-Aarti-taking-place-in-Haridwar.jpeg 900w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-Aarti-taking-place-in-Haridwar-300x187.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-Aarti-taking-place-in-Haridwar-768x479.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/The-Ganga-Aarti-taking-place-in-Haridwar-870x542.jpeg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4640\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Ganga Aarti taking place in Haridwar [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.grasshopperyatra.com\/assets\/images\/main\/1681800658467.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Image Source<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>Ganga Aarti is very famous in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/haridwar-travel-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Haridwar<\/a>. Haridwar is a very popular as well as sacred place of the Uttarakhand state. In every evening the traditional Maha Aarti begins. Har ki Pauri is the most devotional Ghat in Haridwar. Thousands of followers and devotees gather near both the sides of the Ghats during this sacred Maha Aarti.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The sacred Ganges, draining a total basin area of 1,999,000 sq. kms and having a length of 2,525 kms, is acknowledged as the national river of India. It rises from the Gangotri Glacier in Uttarakhand and terminates in the Bay&hellip;<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/#more-4636\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &#10142; <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Journey of the Ganges &#8211; From Heaven to Earth<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hinduism","oviyan-lite-has-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Journey of the Ganges - From Heaven to Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the sacred journey of the Ganges, tracing its path from divine origins in the Himalayas to its earthly course through India.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pilgrimage Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T04:27:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/River-Bhagirathi-Other-name-of-Ganga-at-Gangotri.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"562\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ashish Thapliyal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ashish Thapliyal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\\\/blog\\\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\\\/blog\\\/the-journey-of-the-ganges\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ashish Thapliyal\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pilgrimagetour.in\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/189b3d65b9d028275d392a18a9e9b3ac\"},\"headline\":\"The Journey of the Ganges &#8211; 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A proud native of Uttarakhand \u2014 the Devbhoomi \u2014 he grew up surrounded by the Garhwal Himalayas and has undertaken the Char Dham Yatra personally multiple times, giving him rare first-hand knowledge of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri that goes far beyond guidebooks. Ashish holds the title of Acharya from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi \u2014 one of India's most prestigious centres of Vedic scholarship \u2014 with deep grounding in Hindu scripture, ritual traditions, and pilgrimage philosophy. This academic foundation, combined with nearly two decades of practical tour management, makes him uniquely qualified to guide pilgrims both spiritually and logistically. Over his 18-year career at Pilgrimage Tour India, Ashish has personally planned and managed 200+ pilgrimage tours covering Char Dham Yatra, 12 Jyotirlinga circuits, Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Varanasi &amp; Kashi Vishwanath, Puri Jagannath, Rameshwaram, and international pilgrimages to Nepal and Sri Lanka. He has helped thousands of pilgrims \u2014 from first-time travellers and senior citizens to NRI families visiting from the USA, UK, UAE, Canada, and Australia \u2014 complete their sacred journeys safely and meaningfully. His writing on the Pilgrimage Tour blog focuses on making India's ancient pilgrimage traditions accessible to modern travellers. He covers temple history, Char Dham opening and closing dates, trekking conditions, altitude health advice, puja rituals, VIP darshan tips, packing guides, and practical planning advice based on real on-ground experience. He writes in both English and Hindi. 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