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The Ganges

The River Ganges (Ganga), which has its source in the Himalayas, is the sacred river of Hinduism and there are several important pilgrimage towns along it.

The main ones are Rishikesh and Haridwar where the river emerges from the Himalayas and Varanassi (Benares), the most holy city in all India for Hindus. (Close to Varanassi is Sarnath, a Buddhist pilgrimage site )

Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri are pilgimage sites north of Rishikesh.

Allahabad is a small village 120 km west of Varanassi situated at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna (Jumna) rivers. This meeting point, called the sangam, is believed to have great soul-cleansing powers and is a major pilgrimage site, yet relatively unknown among westerners. It is much quieter and less touristy than the other Ganges spots.