In Hindu mythology, Ganga is the goddess that personifies India's most sacred and purifying of rivers, the Ganges. She was born from the toe of Vishnu and originally flowed through heaven, however she would later fall to the earth. Often considered to be the sister of Parvati, through different legends she has been claimed to be the consort of either Shiva, Vishnu, or Agni. It is believed that bathing in her sacred waters can wash away sin and that continued ritualistic bathing will earn a person a place in heaven. She is commonly represented as a beautiful woman with her lower half that of a fish or sea serpent riding on the back of the monster Makara. She is also credited for helping in the creation of the god of war, Kartikeya.
The legend of Ganga's descent to earth starts with her birth. She originally sprang forth from the toe of Vishnu and ran thoughout the heavens offering her waters to the devas. Meanwhile on earth, the king Saghara prayed and performed penances desperately for sons until his two wives fell pregnant. They had many sons and Saghara was filled with joy, so some time later he decided to offer the gods a sacrifice in thanks in the form of two fine horses. However, the horses were stolen, so Saghara's sons went out to search for the animals. They came to believe that the horses may be hidden underground, so they began to dig deep into the earth. Their excavations continued for a long time until they became too large, and in anger Vishnu turned them all to dust. Saghara learned that only if the sacred waters of the holy river Ganges flowed to earth and his sons ashes be placed there in could they go to heaven, so Saghara's grandson, the sage Bhagirathi performed powerful penances. Eventually Brahma agreed to allow the river to fall to the earth, but Ganga became angered, not wishing to leave the heavens. As it was an order, Ganga agreed to flow to the earth, but swore that she would flood the entire world and destroy all of humanity. To prevent this, Shiva stood on the spot where she fell and upon hitting his head, her streams were divided into seven rivers, which are now the Ganges and its tributaries. She is also known as "Ganga Zumba".
"The personification of the Ganges river. Originally from the heavens, she came to earth to clean the souls of the people as a result of the prayers of Bhagiratha."
