RAS question
The River Ganga originates from the Gangotri Glacier and is known at its source as:
Correct answer: (D) Bhagirathi.
The River Ganga is known as the Bhagirathi at its source in the Gangotri Glacier.
Explanation
The upper Ganga follows a specific naming sequence. India-WRIS states that the Ganga rises in the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas, in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, and that at its source the river is called the Bhagirathi. The source is the Gaumukh cave area of the Gangotri Glacier. The name Ganga is used only after the Bhagirathi descends to Devprayag and joins the Alaknanda. At the Gangotri Glacier source, the river-name is Bhagirathi, not Alaknanda or any other Himalayan stream.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Dhauliganga is not the Ganga's name at the Gangotri Glacier source; India-WRIS names Bhagirathi at the Gangotri Glacier source.
- (B) Mandakini is not the upper Ganga's name at the Gangotri Glacier source; India-WRIS identifies the upper Ganga as Bhagirathi.
- (C) Alaknanda is wrong because it joins the Bhagirathi at Devprayag, after which the river is called Ganga, rather than being the Ganga's name at origin.
Concept
The Himalayan drainage system uses precise source names and confluence-based naming for major rivers. Indian geography questions often turn on exact river origins, tributaries and confluences.