The Ganges: Cultural, Economic and Environmental Significance (Springer Geography)

"'The Ganges: Cultural, Economic, and Environmental Importance' is a geographical, cultural, economic, and environmental interpretation of the Ganga River. The Ganga River originates from Gaumukh- situated in the high Himalaya, flows through the world's biggest fertile alluvial plain, and inlets into the Bay of Bengal at Ganga Sagar. It makes a unique natural and cultural landscape and is believed to be the holiest river of India. The Hindus called it 'Mother Ganga' and worship it. The towns/cities, situated on its bank, are world-famous and are known as the highland and valley pilgrimages. The water of the Ganga is pious, and the Hindus use it on different occasions while performing the rituals and customs. This book is unique because no previous study which presents a complete and comprehensive geographical description of the Ganga has been composed. This book presents the historical and cultural significance of the Ganga and its tributaries. Empirical, archival, and observation methods were applied to conduct this study. There are a total of 10 chapters in this book such as 'Introduction', 'the Ganga Basin', 'Geography of the Ganga Basin', 'the Ganges System: Ganga and its Tributaries', 'Ganga between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi', 'the Major Cultural Towns', 'Major Fairs and Festivals', 'Economic Significance of the Ganga', 'Environmental Issues', and 'Conclusions'. The contents of the book are enriched by 89 figures, 15 tables, and substantial citations and references."--Publisher's website Preface About This Book Contents About the Author Acronyms and Abbreviations Acronyms Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction 1.1 Origin and Extension of the Ganga River 1.2 Historical Perspectives of Ganga 1.3 Cultural and Economic Importance of Ganga 1.4 Importance of Water in Hindu Scriptures 1.5 Description of Ganga in Hindus Religious Wisdom 1.6 Objectives and Significance of the Study 1.7 Organization of the Study References 2 The Ganga Basin 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Salient Features of the Ganga and Its Tributaries 2.3 State-Wise Distribution of Drainage Area 2.4 Area and Population Density of Ganga Basin 2.5 Conclusions References 3 Geography of the Ganga Basin 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Climate 3.3 Faunal Resources 3.4 Floral Resources 3.5 Ganga’s Topography 3.5.1 The First Stage (Youthful) 3.5.2 The Second Stage (Mature) 3.5.3 Third Stage (Old Stage) 3.6 Conclusions References 4 The Ganges System: Ganga and Its Major Tributaries 4.1 Introduction 4.2 The Bhagirathi River/Ganga 4.3 The Yamuna River 4.4 Tons River 4.5 The Bhilangana River 4.6 The Alaknanda River 4.7 The Saraswati River 4.8 The Dhauli Ganga 4.9 The Nandakini River 4.10 The Pindar River 4.11 The Mandakini River 4.12 Kali Ganga 4.13 Son Ganga 4.14 Madhyamaheshwar Ganga 4.15 The Nayar River (E) 4.16 The Nayar River (W) 4.17 Ramganga (W) 4.18 The Kosi River 4.19 The Kali River 4.20 The Dhauli Ganga (E) 4.21 The Goriganga 4.22 The Ramganga (E) 4.23 The Saryu River 4.24 The Gomati River 4.25 Conclusions References 5 The Ganga Between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Uttarkashi to Gaumukh: A Divine Path 5.3 Case Study of Some Important Villages 5.3.1 Gaumukh 5.3.2 Gangotri 5.3.3 Bhaironghati 5.3.4 Lanka 5.3.5 Mukhimath (Mukhawa) 5.3.6 Dharali 5.3.7 Harshil 5.3.8 Jaspur 5.3.9 Sukhi 5.3.10 Gangnani 5.3.11 Bhatwadi 5.3.12 Uttarkashi 5.4 Conclusion References 6 The Major Cultural Towns/Cities 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Major Cultural Towns Situated Along Ganga 6.2.1 Gaumukh 6.2.2 Gangotri 6.2.3 Uttarkashi 6.2.4 Devprayag 6.2.5 Rishikesh 6.2.6 Haridwar 6.2.7 Prayagraj 6.2.8 Varanasi 6.2.9 Ganga Sagar 6.3 Major Cultural Towns/Cities Situated Along the Tributaries of Ganga 6.3.1 Kedarnath 6.3.2 Badrinath 6.3.3 The Main Prayags 6.3.4 Yamunotri 6.3.5 Hanol 6.3.6 Bageshwar 6.3.7 Jageshwar 6.4 Some Important Tirthas on the Bank of the Ganga 6.5 Conclusions References 7 Major Fairs and Festivals 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Important Fairs and Festivals 7.2.1 Magh Mela 7.2.2 Kumbh Mela 7.2.3 Baishakhi 7.2.4 Akshaya Tritiya 7.2.5 Ganga Dashami/Dussehra 7.2.6 Kanwar Yatra 7.2.7 Ganga Mahotsav 7.3 Conclusions References 8 Economic Significance of the Ganga 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Ganga: The Life Line of India 8.3 The Agro-Climatic Zones and Agricultural Development 8.4 Hydroelectricity Power Potential 8.5 Conclusions References 9 The Environmental Issues in Ganges Basin 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Construction of Hydropower Projects 9.3 Increasing Pollution in the Ganga 9.4 Pollution in Ganga Water and Its Impact 9.5 Conservation of the Ganga River 9.6 Conclusions References 10 Conclusions 10.1 Cultural Importance of the Ganga 10.2 Natural and Economic Importance 10.3 Issues of Environmental Degradation References Index