Alakanandā
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Of many rivers of India, Gaṅgā (Ganges) stands unparalleled and supreme with regard to holiness and the number of places of pilgrimage associated with it. Alakanandā is one of its important tributaries which joins it at an early stage. Taking its birth on the Indo-Tibetan border of Uttar Pradesh, it is joined by four rivers at four different places:
- Nandākinī at Nandaprayāga
- Piṇḍar at Karṇaprayāga
- Mandākinī at Rudraprayāga
- Bhāgīrathī at Devaprayāga
Here-after the rivers merged together go by the name Gaṅgā. The famous Viṣṇu temple at Badarīnātha is situated on the bank of Alakanandā.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore