The Alaknanda rises at the confluence and foot of the
Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak
glaciers in Uttarakhand. From its origin, it travels to the village of
Mana, meets with the
Saraswati River, a left bank
tributary at Keshav Prayag and continues downstream through narrow valleys. It reaches the Badrinath valley, arrives at Hanumanchatti, and meets with the Ghrit Ganga, a right bank tributary. From Hanumanchatti, the river goes to
Pandukeshwar and flows through wide valleys and steep terrains. At
Vishnuprayag it meets
Dhauliganga, a left bank tributary, and travels west to the town of
Joshimath. From Joshimath, the Alaknanda crosses the
Main Central Thrust near Helang. It then meets with Birahi Ganga, a left bank tributary at Birahi. The river reaches the town of
Nandprayag and joins with the
Nandakini River, a left bank tributary. At
Karanprayag, the
Pindar River, a left bank tributary, meets with the Alaknanda River. At
Rudraprayag, it meets with the
Mandakini River, a right bank tributary. As the Alaknanda flows past Rudraprayag, it enters a wide valley near
Srinagar, Garhwal. At
Devprayag the Alaknanda River converges with the Bhagirathi River and travels onward as the Ganges River. The Alaknanda contributes a significantly larger portion to the flow of the Ganges than the Bhagirathi. ==Religious significance==