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Ganga (Sanskrit: गङ्गा, IAST: Gaṅgā) is the personification of the river Ganges, who is worshipped by Hindus as the goddess of purification and forgiveness. Known by many names, Ganga is often depicted as a fair, beautiful woman, riding a divine crocodile-like creature called the makara .
The Ganga is also the mother, the Ganga Mata (mata="mother") of Hindu worship and culture, accepting all and forgiving all. [80] Unlike other goddesses, she has no destructive or fearsome aspect, destructive though she might be as a river in nature. [80] She is also a mother to other gods. [84]
Bhagiratha (Sanskrit: भगीरथ, IAST: Bhagīratha) is a legendary king of the Ikshvaku dynasty in Hindu literature.He is best known for his legend of bringing the sacred river Ganges, personified as the Hindu river goddess Ganga, from heaven upon the earth, by performing a penance.
In some legends, the goddess Ganga is daughter of Himavan (the personification of the Himalayas) and Menavati (an apsara). She is the sister of the mother goddess, Parvati. She is the goddess of purity and purification, as people believe that bathing in the Ganges removes sins and helps in gaining moksha. Her mount is a creature called the makara.
Makara as the Vahana (vehicle) of the goddess Ganga. Makara (Sanskrit: मकर, romanized: Makara) is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. [1] In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn. Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, and of the god of the ocean, Varuna. [2]
Gangamma Jatara (Telugu: గంగమ్మ జాతర, romanized: gaṁgamma jātara, lit. 'Fair of Gangamma') is a folk festival celebrated in several places across Southern India; including Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra and Uttarandhra regions in Andhra Pradesh. [1]
It is also the origin of the Ganges river and, per Hinduism, the seat of the goddess Ganga. The source of the Ganges river is the Bhagirathi River, originating from the Gangotri Glacier. [1] Once the river confluences with the Alakananda River at a town called Devprayag it finally acquires the name Ganga. [2]
The river is also worshipped as a Hindu goddess called Yamuna. [1] Yamuna is known as Yami in early texts, while in later literature, she is called Kalindi. In Hindu scriptures, she is the daughter of Surya, the sun god, and Sanjna, the cloud goddess. She is also the twin sister of Yama, god of death.