Bhagirathi II, III, and I (left to right,
6512m, 6454m, 6856m), from the West
The highest peak of the Bhagirathi Group forms a complex and
topographically complicated massif. Bhagirathi Parbat has three major peaks.
It stands at and dominates
the end of the valley leading up to Gaumukh which is the end of the
Gangotri Glacier and the source of the river Ganga. The upper part of
the river Ganga is also called Bhagirathi, and both the mountain and
the river are named after King Bhagirath. This King is said to have
forced the Goddess Ganga to descend from the heavens in the form of a
raging torrent in response to Bhagirath's 'intense and determined
austerities'.
(Photo and text credit: Hugo Velthuijsen)
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