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 Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

n river in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

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 which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

, the major river of

Northern India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

and a river considered holy in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. 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 drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

, the Alaknanda is considered the source stream of the Ganges on account of its greater length and discharge; while, 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 and Bhagirath Kharak

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

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

Mana Mana may refer to: Religion and mythology * Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology * Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...

, meets with the Saraswati River, a right bank

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

, 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 Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by China's Xizang Autonomous Region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal to ...

, Tehri, and

Pauri Pauri is a town and a municipal board in Pauri Garhwal district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttarakhand. Pauri is the seat of the Divisional Commissioner of the Garhwal Division. Geography Pauri is located at . It i ...

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

Religious significance

In ancient Hindu texts, the Alaknanda river has been used synonymously with the Ganges river. In the

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...

, the Ganges river which surrounds the city of

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

divides into four and one of rivers is called Alaknanda, which flows south to India. Five rivers merge with the Alaknanda and are referred to as prayag or 'holy confluence of rivers' and are places of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

in Hinduism. These include Vishnuprayag, where the Alaknanda meets the Dhauliganga River, Nandaprayag, where it meets the Nandakini River, Karnaprayag, where it meets the Pindar River, Rudraprayag, where it meets the Mandakini River, and 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 f ...

and officially becomes the

.Kapadia, Harish (2001). ''Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya'', page 89. Stackpole Books. . The Alaknanda also flows through other important places of pilgrimage such as Badrinath and Joshimath.

Recreation

The Alaknanda river is known 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 ...

due to its high rafting grade.

Dams

There are 37

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

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

Gallery

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

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

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