The '''Alaknanda''' is a [[Himalaya]]n river in the [[India]]n state of [[Uttarakhand]] and one of the two [[headstream]]s of the [[Ganges]], the major river of [[Northern India]] and the [[holy river]] of [[Hinduism]]. In [[hydrology]], the Alaknanda is considered the [[headstream|source stream]] of the Ganges on account of its greater length and discharge;<ref>{{cite book|title=India through the ages|url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page= [https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/65 65]|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref> however, in Hindu tradition and culture, the other headstream, the [[Bhagirathi River|Bhagirathi]], is considered the source stream.
