The Alaknanda is a

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

n river in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

and one of the two headstreams of the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

, the major river of

Northern India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

and the holy river of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. In

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is call ...

, the Alaknanda is considered the source stream of the Ganges on account of its greater length and discharge; however, in Hindu tradition and culture, the other headstream, the Bhagirathi, is considered the source stream.

Course

The Alaknanda rises at the confluence and foot of the

Satopanth Mount Satopanth (7084m) is one of the prominent peaks of the Garhwal range of Himalayas that fall in the Indian subcontinent and also the second highest peak in Gangotri National Park. Location glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

s in Uttarakhand. From its origin, it travels to the village of Mana, meets with the

Saraswati River The Sarasvati River () is a deified river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda. As a physical river, ...

, a right bank tributary, and continues downstream through narrow valleys. It reaches the Badrinath valley, arrives at Hanumanchatti, and meets with the Ghrit Ganga, a right bank tributary. From Hanumanchatti, the river goes to Pandukeshwar and flows through wide valleys and steep terrains. At Vishnuprayag it meets Dhauliganga, a left bank tributary, and travels west to the town of Joshimath. From Joshimath, the Alaknanda crosses the Main Central Thrust near Helang. It then meets with Birahi Ganga, a left bank tributary at Birahi. The river reaches the town of Nandprayag and joins with the Nandakini River, a left bank tributary. At Karanprayag, the Pindar River, a left bank tributary, meets with the Alaknanda River. At Rudraprayag, it meets with the Mandakini River, a right bank tributary. As the Alaknanda flows past Rudraprayag, it enters a wide valley near Srinagar, Garhwal. At Devprayag the Alaknanda River converges with the Bhagirathi River and travels onward as the Ganges River. The Alaknanda contributes a significantly larger portion to the flow of the Ganges than the Bhagirathi. The Alaknanda system drains parts of Chamoli, Tehri, and

Pauri Pauri is a town and a municipal board in Pauri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Pauri is the seat of the Divisional Commissioner of the Garhwal Division. Geography Pauri is located at . It is located 1,765 meters above sea ...

districts.Singh Negi, Sharad (1995). ''Uttarakhand: Land and People'', page 6. MD Publications Pvt Ltd. .

Religious significance

The Alaknanda River is of special interest to the pilgrims who visit the important pilgrimage places in Uttarakhand. The Ganges as Alaknanda rises in the southern Himalayas on the Indian side of the

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

border. On the Satopanth Glacier up from Alaknanda's origin at its snout, the triangular Lake

Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...

Rishi Ganga River meet Alaknanda Badrinath, one of the holy destinations for Hindus in India is located near to the bank of the Alaknanda River. This place is surrounded by two mountain ranges of Nar and Narayan on either sides and Neelkanth peak located at the back of Narayan range. #Govindgath :. LaxmanGanga meet Alaknanda Panch Prayag Several rivers in the Garhwal region merge with the Alaknanda at places called prayag or 'holy confluence of rivers'. These are:Kapadia, Harish (2001). ''Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya'', page 89. Stackpole Books. . # Vishnuprayag, where the Alaknanda is met by the Dhauliganga River # Nandaprayag, where it is met by the

Nandakini Nandakini is a river and is one of the six main tributaries of the Ganges. Originating in the glaciers below Nanda Ghunti on the Nanda Devi Sanctuary The Nanda Devi National Park or Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, established in 1982 is a n ...

River # Karnaprayag, where it is met by the Pindar River # Rudraprayag, where it is met by the Mandakini River # Devprayag, where it meets the

Bhagirathi River The Bhāgīrathī (Pron: /ˌbʌgɪˈɹɑːθɪ/) is a turbulent Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In the Hindu ...

and officially becomes the

Recreation

The Alaknanda river is among the best for river

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

in the world due to its high rafting grade.

Dams

There are 37

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

dams in operation, under construction or planned to harness the energy of the Alaknanda river and its tributaries and generate electricity.Hydroelectric Projects on Alaknanda River Basin
by South Asia Network on Dams Rivers and People, www.sandrp.in There are 23 other proposed projects in the Alaknanda river basin through which the power-potential of the Alaknanda and its tributaries can be harnessed. The proposed 23 hydel-projects are as follows - # Alaknanda (

) (300 MW) # Bagoli (72 MW) # Bowla Nandprayag (132 MW) # Chuni Semi (60 MW) # Deodi (60 MW) # Devsari Dam (255 MW) #

Gaurikund Gauri Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage site and base camp for trek to Kedarnath Temple, in Uttarakhand, India.Page 224, Hill Resorts of U.P. Himalaya: A Geographical Study, By Nutan Tyagi, Published 1991 by Indus Publishing, It is situated at an ...

(18.6 MW) # Gohana Tal (60 MW) # Jelam Tamak (60 MW) # Karnaprayag (160 MW) # Lakshmanganga (4.4 MW) # Lata Tapovan (310 MW) # Maleri Jelam (55 MW) # Nandprayag Langasu (141 MW) # Padli Dam (27 MW) # Phata-Byung (10.8 MW) # Rambara (24 MW) # Rishiganga I (70 MW) # Rishiganga II (35 MW) # Tamak Lata (280 MW) # Urgam II (3.8 MW) # Utyasu Dam (860 MW) # Vishnugad Pipalkoti (444 MW)

Towns along the Alaknanda River

As the river flows, the towns along its banks are

, Vishnuprayag, Joshimath, Chamoli, Nandaprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag,

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...

and Devprayag. At each town with suffix prayag, Alaknanda meets another river.

Photo gallery

Image: Rudraprayag - Confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini.JPG, Rudraprayag -

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of Alaknanda and Mandakini Image:Alaknanda near Srinagar.JPG, Alaknanda river near the town of Srinagar in Uttarakhand Image: Devprayag - Confluence of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda.JPG, Alaknanda joins Bhagirathi at Devprayag to form the

References

External links

Alaknanda River
'' Britannica.com''
Prayags
at ''GMVN'' {{Authority control Rivers of Uttarakhand Tributaries of the Ganges Geography of Chamoli district Rafting Adventure tourism in India Rudraprayag district Pauri Garhwal district Rivers of India