Alaknanda! Salutes to you mother... Originating from Shivling Peak's North-Eastern heavenly range Alkapuri's Satopanth peak, Alaknanda emerges from the lakes Himnad and Satopanth. At the top, in the beginning she is called Vishnuganga. Gradually, her siblings and streams of Ganga namely Laxman Ganga, Dhauli Ganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini, Nabalika, Bhagirathi and such rivers meet her and merge with Alaknanda on her way. Due to density and volume of waters she capicitates with her, due to her wide and torrential flows, Alaknanda is Uttarakhand's one of the main rivers, alongwith her elder sibling Bhagirathi.

 
Photo by: Saurabh Misra

Alaknanda, on religious and spiritual accounts, tops once again. Panch Prayags, the five famous confluences starting from foothills, namely Dev Prayag, Rudra Prayag, Karna Prayag, Nand Prayag and finally Vishnu Prayag just before Badrinath, all these holy places dot on Alaknanda itinerary. One of the holiest Shrines, Badrinath or the Badri Vishal itself is based on the Alaknanda bank.

Other than these confluences, Srinagar is another holy place which is blessed by Alaknanda!