Bhagirathi River
Bhāgīrathī River | |
---|---|
Gaumukh (gau, cow + mukha, mouth), about 18 km (11.2 mi) from the town of Gangotri | |
• coordinates | 30°55′32″N 79°04′53″E / 30.925449°N 79.081480°E |
• elevation | 3,892 m (12,769 ft) |
Source confluence | Alaknanda River |
Ganges | |
• location | Devprayag, Uttarakhand, India |
• coordinates | 30°08′47″N 78°35′54″E / 30.146315°N 78.598251°E |
• elevation | 475 m (1,558 ft) |
Length | 205 km (127 mi) |
Basin size | 6,921 km2 (2,672 sq mi) |
Discharge | |
• average | 257.78 m3/s (9,103 cu ft/s) |
• maximum | 3,800 m3/s (130,000 cu ft/s) |
[1] |
The Bhāgīrathī (Pron: /ˌbʌgɪˈɹɑːθɪ/) is a turbulent
Etymology
In
Wanting to show his sovereignty,
Sage Kapila advised that only the water of the Ganges, which flowed in the heavens, could liberate them. Bhagiratha, Amshuman's grandson, undertook ascetic practices and won the favour of Brahma and Shiva. Brahma allowed the goddess Ganga to descend upon the earth, while Shiva broke Ganga's fall in the coils of his hair so that her force would not shatter the earth.[4]
When Ganga descended, Bhagiratha took her through the mountains, foothills, the plains of India, and to the sea where she liberated the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara.[2] Due to Bhagiratha's role in the descent of the Ganges, the source stream came to be known as Bhagirathi.[5][6]
Course
The
The Bhagirathi River is mythologically known to be the source stream for the Ganges River. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is the source stream for the Ganges River due to its length and discharge. The Alaknanda River, including its tributaries, is 664.5 km (412.9 mi) and the Bhagirathi River, including its tributaries, is 456.5 km (283.7 mi).[7]
Tributaries
The Bhagirathi River is joined by several
- Kedar Ganga at Gangotri (elevation 3,049 m (10,003 ft)),
- Jadh Ganga at Bhaironghati(elevation 2,650 m (8,690 ft)),
- Kakora Gad and Jalandhari Gad near Harsil (elevation 2,745 m (9,006 ft)),
- Siyan Gad near Jhala (elevation 2,575 m (8,448 ft)),
- Asi Ganga near Uttarkashi (elevation 1,158 m (3,799 ft)),
- Old Tehri(elevation 755 m (2,477 ft)).
The Bhilangna itself rises at the foot of the Khatling Glacier (elevation 3,717 m (12,195 ft)) approximately 50 km (31 mi) south of Gaumukh.
The controversial
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The turbulent Bhagirathi as it enters Devprayag.
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The Bhagirathi (foreground) on its way to meet the sediment-laden Alaknanda, and to flow on as the Ganges.
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Another view of the confluence at Devprayag.
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Tehri Dam, the 5th tallest dam in the world
Dams
There are 18 dams along the Bhagirathi River , either in operation, under construction or planned. These are, in order from the source:
# | Name | Ht | MW | 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 Hydro Power Project | 600 | cancelled | 2,147 | 1,667 | 13.85 | .51 | 1.665 | 30°58′6″N 78°41′56″E / 30.96833°N 78.69889°E | ||
8 | Pala Maneri I Dam | 78 | 480 | cancelled | 1,665 | 1,667 | 12.563 | 1.378 | |||
9 | Maneri Dam | 38 | 90 | operation | 8.631 | ||||||
10 | Joshiyara (Bhali) Dam |
304 | operation | 16.0 | |||||||
11 | Bhilangana II Dam | 11 | planned | ||||||||
12 | Bhilangana I Dam | 22.5 | planned | 2.0 | |||||||
13 | Tehri Dam | 260.5 | 2,400 | operation | 830 | 835 | 1.634 | .8625 | 30°22′40″N 78°28′50″E / 30.37778°N 78.48056°E | ||
14 | Koteshwar Dam | 97.5 | 400 | operation | 612.50 | 615 | |||||
15 | Kotli Bel 1A Dam | 82.5 | 195 | construction | |||||||
16 | Kotli Bel 1B Dam | 90 | 320 | cancelled | |||||||
17 | Kotli Bel II Dam | 82 | 530 | cancelled |
Notes
- ^ Catchment Area Treatment:, Bhagirathi River Valley Development Authority, Uttaranchal
- ^ a b c d e Eck, Diana L. (2012). India : a sacred geography. New York: Harmony Books. pp. 216–221.
- ^ Mankodi, Kirit (1973) "Gaṅgā Tripathagā"Artibus Asiae 35(1/2): pp. 139-144, p. 140
- ^ a b Sen, Sudipta (2019). Ganges : the many pasts of an Indian River. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 56.
- ^ Rice, Earle Jr. (2013). The Ganges river. Hockessin, Del.: Mitchell Lane Publishers. p. 9.
- ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 76.
- ^ ISBN 978-981-10-2983-7, retrieved 8 April 2022
- ^ "Map of the Bhagirathi River showing dams" (PDF). Dams, Rivers & People. South Asian Network on Dams Rivers & People(sandrp.in). August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
References
- Wilson, W. (1860). A summer ramble in the Himalayas: with sporting adventures in the Vale of Cashmere. London: Hurst and Blackett. OCLC 58410561. available on microfilm
- Heske, Franz (1937). Im heiligen Lande der Gangesquellen (In the Holy Lands of the Source of the Ganges) (in German). Neudamm, Germany: J. Neumann. OCLC 35036471.
- Sharma, Man Mohan (1997). Through the Valley of Gods: Travels in the Central Himalayas (2 ed.). New Delhi: Vision Books. OCLC 4547622.