Ganges (BBC TV series)

Infobox nature documentary
bgcolour =
show_name = Ganges


caption = Series title card
picture_format = 16:9 (anamorphic)
audio_format = Stereo
runtime = 50 minutes
creator = BBC Natural History Unit
developer =
producer =
executive_producer = Ian Gray
presented =
narrated = Sudha Bhuchar
music = Barnaby Taylor
country = United Kingdom
language = English
network =
first_run = BBC Two
first_aired = 3 August
last_aired = 17 August 2007
num_episodes = 3
website =
imdb_id =
tv_com_id =

"Ganges" is a nature documentary series for television on the natural history of the River Ganges in India and Bangladesh. As well as the variety of animals and habitats that are to be found along the river’s 2,510 km (1,557 mi) reach, the programmes also feature the cultures, traditions and religions of the very large human population that it supports. For Hindus, the Ganges is a sacred river and a place of pilgrimage, a deep influence on their religion and culture as well as being their lifeblood. Over the course of three episodes, the series is presented as a journey from the source of the river in the high Himalaya to its delta at the Bay of Bengal.

"Ganges" is narrated by Sudha Bhuchar and produced by the BBC Natural History Unit, in association with the Travel Channel and France 3. The series producer is Ian Gray. It was first broadcast on BBC Two in August 2007 and formed part of the BBC’s “India and Pakistan ‘07” season, marking the 60th anniversary of independence from British rule and the partitioning of India and Pakistan.

The format was previously used by the BBC for earlier documentary series on the world's major river systems, including "Congo" (2001) and "Nile" (2004).

Episodes

1. Daughter of the Mountains

The first episode begins at the Gangotri Glacier in the Indian Himalaya, regarded as the true source of the Ganges, and follows the river 150 miles downstream through the mountain valleys to the edge of the north Indian floodplain and the holy city of Haridwar.

2. River of Life

Beyond the mountains, the fast-flowing river slows and spreads out over the plains, forming a marshy grassland known as the Terai. Animals featured include the rare Indian rhinoceros and Ganges river dolphin, but on these polluted and crowded waters their future is certain.

3. Waterland

The Ganges eventually flows into the Brahmaputra and drains into the Bay of Bengal via a huge delta. In the coastal mangroves of the Sundarbans the locals share an uneasy existence with tigers.