The Ganges is the third largest river in the world by discharge. The Ganges is one of the most sacred rivers to Hindus. It is also a lifeline to millions of Indians who live along its course and depend on it for their daily needs. It is worshipped in Hinduism as the goddess Ganga.<br />The Ganga river is extensively mentioned in the Vedas, Puranas, and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha.<br />Lord Vishnu has appeared in ten different forms (the dashavataras) on Earth at different times. In each avatar, he helped rid the Earth of some great demon/difficulty. One such avatar was the Vamana avatar, where he came down to Earth in the guise of a dwarf brahmin.
