The Ganges River is held sacred by Hindus and is worshipped in its personified form as the Goddess Ganga. The Ganga and its tributaries drain a large and fertile basin with an area of about one million square kilometers. The tributaries of Ganges are as follows -

A major river of the northern India, Yamuna River has a total length of about 1370 km. Also known as the `Jumna`, its source is at the Yamunotri glacier near Banderpoonch peaks, in the Mussourie range of the lower Himalayas at an elevation of about 6387 meters above mean sea level in district Uttarakashi, the Uttarakhand Himalaya This river, flows in a southerly direction through the Himalayan foothills, onto the northern Indian plain, and a series of valleys for about 200 Kms, along the Uttar Pradesh-Haryana state border. At this point, the Eastern and Western Yamuna canals are fed from the river.

One of the largest southern tributaries of the Ganges is the Son River of central India. The Son River originates in the state of Chhatisgarh in the east direction of the origin of Narmada River. It then flows in the north-northwest direction through Madhya Pradesh before turning in the east direction where it meets the Kaimur range. The river starts flowing in the parallel direction of the Kaimur range in the east-northeast direction through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and joins the Ganges just above Patna, the capital of Bihar.

The Mahananda River is a major confluent of the Ganges in eastern part of India. The river originates from the extreme north of West Bengal from the hills of Darjeeling. It then flows southwards through the fertile agricultural area in Bihar and enters West Bengal and flows past English Bazar. The river then flows in the southeast direction in to Bangladesh.

Kosi River, one of the main rivers in Bihar and a prominent tributary of the Ganges, originates in the Himalayas. Along with its tributaries the Kosi River traverses along parts of Tibet including the Mount Everest region and also one third of the eastern part of Nepal. The river has shifted its course from east to west about 120 kilometers in the last two hundred years.

The Gandak River is also known as the Kali Gandaki and Narayani after the confluence with Trisuli in Nepal. Gandak River is a tributary of the Ganga or Ganges River. It is one of the major rivers in Nepal and India. It is a north bank tributary of the Ganga in India. It rises at 7620 m in Tibet near the Nepal border and overlooks the Dhaulagiri peak. It is distinguished for the deep gorge across which it flows and for a large hydroelectric facility in Nepal. This river also provides water for a major Irrigation cum Hydroelectric power facility at the Indo-Nepal border at Valmikinagar. The river has a total catchment area of 46,300 sqkm out of which 7620 sqkm is located in India. The Gandaki River is mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.

Ghaghara River is also called the Gogra, Ghaghara or Ghagra, Nepali Kauriala or Manchu or the Karnali. However, the literal meaning of the river is ` holy water from the sacred mountain`, the term Karnali also means "Turquoise River" and is a trans-boundary perennial river that originates on the Tibetan plateau. The Karnali is called K`ung-ch`iao Ho in Chinese. This river near Manasarowar cuts through the Himalayas in Nepal on its way to the convergence with the Sarda River at Brahmaghat in India where it forms the Ghaghara River. The Ghaghara River is a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. It is the longest and largest river in Nepal with a length of around 507 km and one of the largest affluent of the Ganges.

The Mahakali River flows between the border of Nepal and India. This river forms the western international border between Nepal and India and it originates from the Greater Himalayas at Kalapaani. The river flows down from a height of 3600 m, in the Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand, India. Eventually, it joins with the Gori Ganga at Jauljibi area. This river again joins the Saryu River at Pancheshwar. The vicinity around Pancheshwar is called `Kali Kumaon`. Kalapani is located on Kailash Lake Mansarovar trek and it is said that at this place the Great Sage Vyasa meditated and the valley is called Vyasa valley. The river is named after the Goddess Kali and her temple is situated in Kalapaani near the Lipu-Lekh pass at the border between India and Tibet.