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.

Pilgrims immerse the ashes of their kin in the river Ganga, which is considered by them to bring the souls (purified spirits) closer to moksha, the liberation from the cycle of life and death.

[1] Ganga is described as the melodious, the fortunate, the cow that gives much milk, the eternally pure, the delightful, the body that is full of fish, affords delight to the eye and leaps over mountains in sport, the bedding that bestows water and happiness, and the friend or benefactor of all that lives.

Another depiction popular especially in Bengal shows her holding shankha, chakra (discus), lotus and abhaya mudra, with the kalasha releasing her holy water.

In Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Ganga is often depicted with her divine mount, the makara – an animal with the head of a crocodile and tail of a dolphin.

According to the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu, in his incarnation as Vamana, extended his left foot to the end of the universe, and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of his big toe.

Having washed the lotus feet of the lord, which are covered with reddish saffron, the water of the Ganga acquired a very beautiful pink colour.

Ganga is described as the eldest child of Himavat, son of Brahma and the king of the Himalayas, and his Menavati, the daughter of Meru.

[4][5] A legend in the Devi Bhagavata Purana describes Ganga as originally being one of the three wives of Vishnu, together with Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Frustrated, Saraswati launched a furious tirade against Ganga, accusing her of stealing Vishnu's love away from her.

When Ganga appealed to her husband to help her, he chose to remain neutral, not wishing to participate in a quarrel between his three wives, whom he loved equally.

When Lakshmi attempted to soothe Saraswati's anger by reasoning with her, the jealous goddess grew angry with her as well, accusing her of disloyalty towards her.

To prevent further conflict among the goddesses, Vishnu declares Lakshmi as his only wife and sends Saraswati to Brahma and Ganga to Shiva.

The leader of the asuras, Vritra, was killed by Indra, and so his followers hid in the sea, causing the devas to be unable to find them.

This caused drought conditions upon the earth, but Vishnu assured that the ocean would be filled by the flow of Ganga on the planet.

[10] The story about Ganga's descent on earth through the efforts of Bhagiratha, a descendant of King Sagara, is narrated in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and various Puranas.

[11] Wanting to show his sovereignty, King Sagara performed a ritual known as ashvamedha, where a horse was left to wander for one year.

[12] Bhagiratha, Amshuman's grandson, undertook severe ascetic practices, and won the favour of Brahma and Shiva.

Sage Jahnu later released the water out of his left ear after Bhagiratha explained his mission for Ganga's descent.

Her sculptures are found in Patan Durbar Square[17][18] and Gokarneshwar Mahadev temple is a municipality in Kathmandu District in the Bagmati Province.

[citation needed] Ganga is invoked with Hindu deities Shiva, Bhumi, Surya and Chandra in Thailand's royal Triyampawai ceremony.

The four sacred pools of Suphan Buri Province have waters from the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers and are used for rituals.