The Ganges River is held sacred by Hindus and is worshipped in its personified form as the Goddess Ganga. The river rises in the southern Great Himalayas on the Indian side and originates as Bhagirathi from the Gangotri glacier in the Uttarakashi district of Uttarakhand. The Bhagirathi is joined by the Alakananda River at Devaprayag and from there the river is called Ganga The tributaries of Ganga River drain a large and fertile basin with an area of about one million square kilometres. The tributaries of Ganga River which are mentioned below:

Yamuna River
Yamuna River, also known as the Jamuna, is a major river of the northern India and also one of the largest tributaries of Ganga River. The Yamuna River has a total length of about 1,376 km (855 mi). The Yamuna`s source is at the Yamunotri glacier near Banderpoonch peaks, in the Mussoorie range of the lower Himalayas at an elevation of about 6387 meters above sea level in the Uttarakashi district. This river, flows in a southerly direction through the Himalayan foothills, onto the northern Indian plain, and a series of valleys for about 200 km, along the Uttar Pradesh-Haryana state border. At this point, the Eastern and Western Yamuna canals are fed from the river.

Son River
One of the largest southern tributaries of Ganga River is the Son River of central India. The Son River originates in the state of Chhattisgarh from the east direction of the origin of Narmada River. It then flows in the north-northwest direction through the Amarkantak Plateau in 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.

Mahananda River
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. The river then flows in the southeast direction in to Bangladesh and is one of the prime tributaries of Ganga River.

Kosi River
Kosi River, one of the main rivers in Bihar and another of the prominent tributaries of Ganga River, originates in the Himalayas. It consists of seven streams and known as Saptakoshi in Nepal. The main tributaries of this river are Arun, Tamur & Sun Koshi. It was formerly known as Sorrow of Bihar. 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 km in the last 200 years.

Gandak River
Gandak is also known as the Kali Gandaki River and Narayani after the confluence with Trisuli in Nepal. The Gandak River is one of the tributaries of Ganga River. It is one of the major rivers in Nepal and India. It is a north bank tributary of the Ganga in India. The river rises at 7620 m in Tibet near the Nepal border and overlooks the Dhaulagiri. 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 Gandak River has a total catchment area of 46,300 sq. km out of which 7620 sq. km is located in India. The Gandaki River is mentioned in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata.

Ghaghara River
Ghaghara River, also called the Gogra or Ghagra, Nepali Kauriala or Manchu or the Karnali, literally means `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. In Chinese, the word Karnali is called K`ung-ch`iao Ho. 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.

Mahakali River
River Mahakali flows between the border of Nepal and India and forms the western international border between the two countries. The river originates from the Greater Himalayas at Kalapaani. The river flows down from a height of 3600 m, in the Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand. Eventually, it joins with the Gori Ganga at Jauljibi area and eventually 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 Mahakali 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.

Gomti River
Another of the tributaries of Ganga River, the Gomti River remains one of the major rivers in this country in terms of its religious values and sacredness. The river originates from Gomat Taal, which was formerly known as Fulhaar Jheel near Mando Tanda in the east of Philbhit District in Uttar Pradesh. The river extends for about 900 km through Uttar Pradesh and meets the Ganga River near Saidpur, Kaithi in Ghazipur.