"Ganga (Sanskrit: गङ्गा or गंगा, romanized: Gaṅgā) is the personification of the river Ganges and is worshiped by Hindus as the goddess of purification and forgiveness. Known by many names, Ganga is often depicted as a beautiful fair woman, riding a divine creature called Makara. Some of the earliest mentions of Ganga are found in the Rigveda, where she is mentioned as the holiest of the rivers. Her stories mainly appear in post-Vedic texts such as Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas.
The Ramayana describes her to be the firstborn of Himavat, the personification of the Himalayas, and the sister of the mother goddess Parvati. However, other texts mention her origin from the preserver god Vishnu. Legends focus on her descent to Earth, which happened because of a royal-sage Bhagiratha, aided by the god Shiva. In the epic Mahabharata, Ganga is the mother of the warrior Bhishma from the Kuru king Shantanu." - (en.wikipedia.org 11.08.2021)
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