More prayers for Ganga
Full text, meaning and benefits
Where this is recited
Temples and tirthas for this deity
Prayagraj
Prayagraj is Tirtha-raj — the king of tirthas — at the sacred Triveni Sangam where Ganga, Yamuna, and the invisible Saraswati meet. Host of the Kumbh Mela every twelve years, the Magh Mela every year, and the Ardh Kumbh every six years. Tradition holds a snan at the Sangam to grant the merit of countless tirthas.
PrayagrajDashashwamedh Ghat
The spiritual centrepiece of Varanasi's ghats and one of the five sacred panchatirtha ghats of Kashi. Tradition holds that Brahma himself performed ten Ashwamedha yajnas here, and the evening Ganga Aarti continues a nightly devotional offering to the river goddess.
VaranasiTriveni Sangam
Triveni Sangam is the sacred confluence at Prayagraj where Ganga, Yamuna, and the invisible Saraswati meet — the king of all tirthas. The site of the Kumbh Mela snan and the Magh Mela kalpavas, held by Hindu tradition to be the supreme bath available in Bharat.
PrayagrajGangotri
Gangotri is the sacred seat of goddess Ganga in the high Bhagirathi valley and the second dham of the traditional Chota Char Dham yatra. Tradition holds that here King Bhagiratha did tapas for many years to bring Ganga down from the heavens, and Shiva received her on his matted hair so that the earth might bear her descent.
UttarkashiManikarnika Ghat
Manikarnika is the <em>Mahashamshan</em> of Kashi — the great cremation ground. Hindu tradition holds that Shiva whispers the Taraka Mantra into the ear of every soul cremated here, and that the ground itself grants moksha. It is counted among the five <em>panchatirtha</em> ghats of Kashi.
VaranasiGaumukh
Gaumukh is the snout of the Gangotri Glacier at 3,892 metres in the high Himalaya — the actual glacial source of the Bhagirathi-Ganga. Reached by an 18-km trek from Gangotri through the protected Bhagirathi forest, with the river bursting forth from beneath the ice in a great icy mouth. The supreme aspiration of every Ganga-bhakta who can undertake the climb.
Uttarkashi