Ganga river born story

Personification of the river Ganga as a deity in Hinduism

"Ganga Devi" redirects here. For the Indian painter, see Ganga Devi (painter).

Ganga river born story for kids

For the Indian politician, see Ganga Devi (politician). For Queen of Bhaktapur, see Ganga Rani.

Ganga (Sanskrit: गङ्गा, IAST: Gaṅgā) is the personification of the river Ganges, who is worshipped by Hindus as the goddess of purification and forgiveness.

Known by many names, Ganga is often depicted as a fair, beautiful woman, riding a divine crocodile-like creature called the makara.

Some of the earliest mentions of Ganga are found in the Rigveda, where she is mentioned as the holiest of the rivers.

Her stories mainly appear in post-Vedic texts such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas.

Ganga river born story

The Ramayana describes her to be the firstborn of Himavat, the personification of the Himalayas, and the sister of the mother goddess Parvati. However, other texts mention her origin from the preserver deity, Vishnu.

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