Ganges

a river of Hindu stan, one ‘ of the greatest rivers of Asia, rising in the Himalaya Mountains, in Garhwal State, and formed by the junction of two head streams, the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda, which unite at Deoprag, 10 miles below Srinagar, 1,500 feet. above sea-level. The Ganges is navigable for boats of a large size nearly 1,500 miles from its mouth. It is an imperative duty of the Hindus to bathe in the Ganges, or at least to wash themselves with its water, and to distribute alms, on certain days. The Hindus believe that whoever dies on its banks and drinks of its water before death is exempted from the nece ity of returning into this world. The total length of the river to its mouth in the Bay of Bengal is 1557 miles.