National River of India : The Ganga (Ganges) is the National River of India and longest river of India flowing over 2,510 kms of mountains, valleys and plains.
It has long been considered the holiest of all rivers by Hindus and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has also been important historically: many former provincial or imperial capitals (such as Patliputra, Kannauj, Kara, Allahabad, Murshidabad, Baharampur and Kolkata) have been located on its banks. The Ganges Basin drains 1,000,000-square-kilometre and supports one of the world’s highest density of humans. The average depth of the river is 52 feet, and the maximum depth, 100 feet. The river has been declared as India’s “National River”.
Many Hindus also believe life is incomplete without taking a bath in the Ganges at least once in their lives. Many Hindu families keep a vial of water from the Ganges in their house. This is done because it is auspicious to have water of the Holy Ganges in the house, and also so that if someone is dying, that person will be able to drink its water. Many Hindus believe that the water from the Ganges can cleanse a person’s soul of all past sins, and that it can also cure the ill.
