Bhagirathi River

This article is about the tributary of the Ganges. For the distributary in West Bengal, see Bhāgirathi-Hooghly.

Bhagirathi River at Gangotri, near its source.

The Bhāgīrathī is a turbulent Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India, that is the source stream of the Ganges—the major river of the Gangetic plain of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism.

Etymology

The word "Bhagirathi" (Sanskrit, literally, "caused by Bhagiratha") refers to a mythological Sagar Dynasty prince who, to gain the release his 60,000 great-uncles from the curse of saint Kapila, brought the goddess Ganga in the form of the river Ganges, from the heavens to the earth.

Course

Map showing the Himalayan headwaters of the Bhagirathi river. The numbers in parentheses refer to the altitude in meters.

The headwaters of the Bhagirathi are formed at Gaumukh (elevation Template:M to ft), at the foot of the Gangotri glacier and Khatling glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya. It is then joined by its tributaries; these are, in order from the source:

• the Kedar Ganga at Gangotri (elevation Template:M to ft),
• the Jadh Ganga at Bhaironghati (elevation Template:M to ft),
• the Kakora Gadand Jalandhari Gad near Harsil (elevation Template:M to ft),
• the Siyan Gad near Jhala (elevation Template:M to ft),
• the Asi Ganganear Uttarkashi (elevation Template:M to ft),
• and finally the Bhilangna near Old Tehri (elevation Template:M to ft).

The Bhilangna itself rises at the foot of the Khatling Glacier (elevation Template:M to ft) approximately Template:Km to mi south of Gaumukh.

The river flows from its source for Template:Km to mi before meeting the Alaknanda river at an elevation of Template:M to ft in the town of Devprayag. Downstream of this confluence, considered holy by Hindus, the river is known as the Ganga Ji or Ganges River by westerners. The controversial Tehri dam lies at the confluence of the Bhāgirathi and the Bhilangna, at 30°22′32″N 78°28′48″E, near Tehri.

• 
  The turbulent Bhāgīrathī as it enters Devprayag.
• 
  The Bhagirathi (foreground) on its way to meet the sediment-laden Alaknanda river, shown entering on the left, at Devprayag, and to flow on as the Ganges
• 
  Another view of the confluence of the Bhāgirathi (right) and the sediment-rich Alaknanda (left) at Devprayag.
• 
  Tehri Dam, the 5th tallest dam in the world

Dams

Their are 18 dams along the Bhāgirathi River, either in operation, under construction or planned. These are, in order from the source:

Hydroelectric Dams on the Bhāgirathi River
Abbreviations: KW: electrical output capacity(Kilowatts), Ht: dam height(M) FRL: full reservoir level (MSL), MWL:maximum water level(MSL), HRT: head race tunnel length(KM), TRT: tail race tunnel length(KM), TWL: tail water level(MSL), RBL: river bed level at dam site(MSL)

#	Name	Ht	KW	Status	FRL	MWL	HRT	TRT	TWL	RBL	Coordinates
1	Karmoli Dam		140	planned			8.6
2	Gangotri Dam		55	planned			5.2
3	Jadhganga Dam		50	planned			1.1
4	Bhaironghati I Dam		380	planned
5	Bhaironghati II Dam		65	planned
6	Harsil Dam		210	planned			5.06
7	Loharinag Pala Dam		600	construction	2,147	1,667	13.85	.51	1.665		30°49′6″N 78°37′5″E
8	Pala Maneri I Dam	78	480	construction	1,665	1,667	12.563	1.378
9	Maneri Bali I Dam	38	90	operation				8.631
10	Maneri Bali II Dam		304	construction			16.0
11	Bhilangana II Dam		11	planned
12	Bhilangana I Dam		22.5	planned			2.0
13	Tehri PSS Dam		1,000	planned
14	Tehri Dam	260.5	2,400	operation	830	835	1.634	.8625			30°22′40″N 78°28′50″E
15	Koteshwar Dam	97.5	400	construction
16	Kotli Bel 1A Dam	82.5	195	construction
17	Kotli Bel 1B Dam	90	320	construction
18	Kotli Bel II Dam	82	530	construction

References

• Wilson, W. (1860) A summer ramble in the Himalayas: with sporting adventures in the Vale of Cashmere Hurst and Blackett, London, OCLC 58410561, available on microfilm
• Heske, Franz (1937) Im heiligen Lande der Gangesquellen (In the Holy Lands of the Source of the Ganges) J. Neumann, Neudamm, Germany, OCLC 35036471, in German
• Sharma, Man Mohan (1997) Through the Valley of Gods: Travels in the Central Himalayas (2^nd ed.) Vision Books, New Delhi, OCLC 4547622