While the Ganga (or the Ganges in English) is one of the major rivers in northern India, its source lies several hundred miles south of Kailasha in the Gangotri Glacier, a mountain of ice almost 20 miles long and 3 miles wide, fenced in by peaks 21,000-24,000 feet in altitude.
The source of the river Yamuna is about 1 kilometer further ahead at a height of about 4,421 meters. It is the seat of the goddess Yamuna and one of the four sites constituting India's Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The sacred Yamuna emerges from the Yamunotri glacier on the western flank of the Bandarpoochh peak (6,315 meters).
Both the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers are considered holy by all Hindus.
The three major perennial river basins of the Ganga, Yamuna and Sarda possess high discharge capacity and steep gradient which means that these major rivers have considerable hydro power potential while flowing through the Uttarakhand region.
The major rivers of Uttarakhand may be listed as follows:
- Ganga
- Yamuna
- Bhagirathi
- Kali
- Gori
- Alaknanda
- Kosi
- Sarda
- Ramganga
- DhauliGanga
- Mandakini
- Pindar
- Tonnes
- Saryu
- Bhilangana
Uttarakhand contains within its boundaries several major rivers which affect the life, agriculture and industry of the state in several ways.
