Gangā
Sign in to savegoddess personifying the river Ganges in Hinduism
Key facts
- Other names
- Bhagirathi Vishnupadi Shivapriya Jahnavi Nikita Mandakini
- Affiliation
- Devi River goddess Yogini Banai
- Mantra
- Oṁ Śrī Gaṅgāyai Namaḥ
- Weapon
- Kalasha
- Symbol
- Ganges River
- Mount
- Makara
- Festivals
- Ganga Dussehra Ganga Jayanti Navaratri Loy Krathong Triyampawai ceremony
- Parents
- Himavan and Maināvati (in some texts)
- Siblings
- Parvati , Mainaka (in some texts)
- Consort
- Shantanu (married temporarily) Shiva (in some Puranas)
- Children
- Bhishma and 7 other sons of Shantanu
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
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.
Some of the earliest mentions of Ganga are found in the Rigveda, where she is mentioned as the holiest of the rivers. Her stories mainly appear in post-Vedic texts such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas.