Confluence Of The Mandakiini And Alaknanda Rivers At Rudraprayag, In Uttarkhand, India Editorial Image

The Mandakini River, shown at the top of the picture, merges with the Alakananda River shown at the bottom. These rivers have a glacial origin in the Western Himalayan Mountain Range of Garhwal District, in the state of Uttarkhand. The Alakananda subsequently continues to flow as the river Ganges, or Ganga, the sacred river to all Hindus. The confluence, or Sangam, of these two rivers is considered holy and a Temple to Lord Shiva, in his Rudra form, known as Rudranath, has been built here. The picture shot on July 23, 2007, shows a footbridge, or Jhula, over the Mandakini. A viewing platform at the bottom of the stairway, at the rivers’ confluence and a rock known as Narad Shila, are also seen in the photo. All these were washed away in the 2013 floods and landslides, that struck this Himalayan region leaving the entire landscape changed.