River Ganga
We, the Indians firmly believe that taking a holy dip in river Ganga can purify our sins but that is possible only if the Ganga will remain neat and clean. But the fact is, the River Ganga needs an immediate plan for its cleanliness and perhaps it will take as much effort as Bhagirathi did when he brought it to Earth.
We all accept that River Ganga acts as lifeline for millions of Indians on its banks right from Ganga’s origin Gomukh, in Himalayas from where River Bhagirithi (Ganga) begins its journey passing through large parts of Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The River Ganga provides irrigation to millions of people in these states providing food and other facilities to millions of people of this country. 
There are hundreds of cities on the banks of Ganga besides thousands of villages entirely dependent on the water of this river therefore, need to keep the river clean and free from pollution is all the more important. But the fact is we have totally ignored this important aspect despite knowing it fully well that we cannot survive without fixing our priorities toward the cleanliness of the all the rivers in the country especially the River Ganga which is crying for survival. 

Religious Background of Ganga
According to the religious texts of India the Puranas Bhagirath the great king who brought River Ganga to earth by his hard work for the purpose of salvation of 60,000 ancestors turned into ashes by Sage Kapila. According to Puranas the River Ganga had asked a question from Bhagirathi about who will control her speed when coming down to earth from heaven. 
At the suggestion of Brhma the king Bhagirathi sat for meditation and pleased Lord Shiva who agreed to control the speed of River Ganga in his hair, popularly known as Shiva-Jata. As the story goes Ganga could not come out of Lord Shva’s Hair for years until Bhagirathi again requested Shiva to release ganga from his hair and let her free in Bindusar Tank made by Brahama. From here onwards Ganga divided into seven streams and flowed over the ashes of ancestors of Bhagirathi to finally provide them Moksha.     

Article Posted By : suny  On March 11, 2015lView All Articles

Suny

Article Source :

http://www.veethi.com/articles/ganga--the-religious-and-social-values-article-3456.htm

Keywords :
River , Ganga , Lord Shiva , Religious , Bhagirathi , Speed , Control , Ancestors