[2] Gangavataran is based on the tales of the Puranas, a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts.
The film used special effects to show mythological miracles and fantasy scenes, credited to Babaraya Phalke, son of Dadasaheb.
Gangavataran depicted the Hindu deity Shiva, and the divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, Narada, played by Bandopant Dattatray Chitnis from Vadgaon Haveli, Karad and Suresh Pardesi respectively.
For absolution of his ancestor's sins Bhagiratha vows to bring the heavenly river (Ganga) to the Earth.
The production cost of this film was two and a half lakhs rupees in contemporary currency value (approximately US$65,000 in 2018 dollars).