Tourism  Adventure Sports River Rafting Uttarakhand Rishikesh
The Ganga |
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Place |
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Rishikesh, Uttaranchal |
Best time for Rafting |
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Mid September to End-April |
Starting Points |
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Tehri, Rudraprayag, Srinagar, Devprayag,
Kaudiyala |
Highest grade |
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Grade IV |
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Ganga or the Ganges is held in high esteem in Hindu ethics and is regarded
as the holiest of all rivers. Ganga Devi venerated as a goddess finds
mention in the holy book of the Hindus the Bhagavat Gita, the Puranas
and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Hindus believe that a dip in the
holy Ganges redeems them of all sins. The perennial river traces its source
from the Bhagirathi river which originates from the Gangotri glacier at
Gaumukh (14000ft) located between the Bhagirathi and the Shivling peaks
of the Himalayas in northern Uttaranchal.
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Untitled Document
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 The Bhagirathi
gushes through a small opening from under the glacier formed of sheer
icy walls 500 metres high on two sides and rock on one side. The Bhagirathi
joins with the Alakananda at the sacred town of Devprayag to form the
Ganga. From Devprayag the Ganga flows some 1,550 miles to the Bay of
Bengal and the vast Sundarbans Delta in West Bengal, passing and giving
life to some of the most populous cities of India, including Kanpur,
Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and Kolkata. Ganga joins with the Brahmaputra
near Dacca, the capital of Bangladesh, to form the river Padma.
The Ganga and its tributaries such as Bhagirathi, Alakananda and Mandakini,
offers one of the most popular and adventurous river rafting expeditions
in the country. Ganga is full of surprises with its diversities for
the rafter, at some places it is calm and tranquil; while at others
it is equally turbulent and rapid. The best time to capture the thrill
of the Himalayan white waters is from February to April, and September
to December. Rishikesh near Shivpuri forms the base from where one can
participate in one of the many expeditions through the Ganga. Vehicles
can be hired from Rishikesh to the various starting points. There are
calm paced runs suitable for the amateur as well as expert professionals
with rapids as high as grade IV to V. The river runs through picturesque
surroundings with thick forested slopes of oak, pine, fir etc, occasional
villages with its terraced fields and sandy beaches at intervals suitable
for stop overs in between runs. Wild life can be sighted at a distance
along with Ashrams and spiritual retreats overlooking the river.
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Rudraprayag to Rishikesh : One of the popular but strenuous runs
is the 150km run from Rudraprayag to Rishikesh. Rudraprayag is situated
at the confluence of the Alakananda and the glossy dark Mandakini rivers,
two of the main tributaries of the Ganga. The starting point is situated
a little further from the main town of Rudraprayag. It is a four hour
run from Rudraprayag to the town of Srinagar through calm stretches, a
series of rapids, boiling whirlpools and freezing temperatures. It is
dangerous when the water level is low, because sharp rocks at the surface
can rip a raft apart. The stretch from Srinagar to Devprayag where the
Bhagirathi and the Alakananda rivers meet and create the Ganga, is rough.
Between the thrashing rapids there are long stretches of flat water. From
Devprayag to Kaudiyala is another four hours calm ride where rapids are
scarce. From Kaudiyala, the stretch to Shivpuri which takes 5-6 hrs of
rafting and on to Rishikesh is a fairly demanding one, with the grade
IV rapid called 'The Wall' at Byasi and the less graded huge thrashing
waves of rapids like the Roller Coaster (grade III), Clubhouse and the
Golf Course, 4km below Shivpuri village. The stretch around 70km from
Devprayag to Shivpuri is multigraded, but near the last sign post ahead
of Rishikesh the Ganga turns calm. The expedition takes about four or
five days depending on the pace. The run is picturesque through the
densely forested Himalayan foothills. There are regular buses to Rudraprayag
from Rishikesh and Haridwar.
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