Most visitors to Devprayag stop at the roadside viewpoint, take a photograph of the confluence, and drive on. That photograph is worth taking — the meeting of the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi, where the Ganga officially begins, is one of the most visually striking sights in the Garhwal Himalaya. But there is another way to see it, and it involves walking.
Where the Ganga begins
Devprayag sits at an elevation of roughly 830 metres in the Tehri Garhwal district, about 73 kilometres from Rishikesh on the Badrinath highway. It is the last and most sacred of the Panch Prayag — the five confluences of the Alaknanda river as it flows south-west through Uttarakhand. The other four, in descending order, are Vishnuprayag (where the Alaknanda meets the Dhauliganga), Nandaprayag (the Nandakini), Karnaprayag (the Pindar), and Rudraprayag (the Mandakini).
At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi — flowing down from Gaumukh glacier near Gangotri — meets the Alaknanda, which carries glacial meltwater from the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers above Badrinath. From this point forward, the combined river is called the Ganga.
The two rivers are visually distinct at their meeting point. The Bhagirathi typically runs a clear blue-green, while the Alaknanda is more grey-brown, carrying heavier glacial silt. The two colours remain separate for several hundred metres downstream before they mix completely.
The old suspension bridge
The suspension bridge at Devprayag is a pedestrian crossing downstream from the main confluence viewpoint. To reach it, you walk down through the old town rather than staying on the highway. The old town itself is worth the detour — a tight cluster of stone and whitewashed buildings clinging to the hillside above the rivers, connected by lanes too narrow for vehicles.
The bridge is an iron suspension structure spanning the river on wire cables. From the bridge, you look down at the confluence from almost directly above rather than from the side. The perspective is different from the roadside viewpoint — less composed, more immediate. You see the two colours of water meeting below you, and you feel the movement of the bridge underfoot.
The bridge is used daily by residents crossing between the two sides of town. It is a functional piece of infrastructure, not a tourist attraction, which is part of what makes it worth visiting.
Raghunath temple and the old town
The Raghunath temple sits in the upper part of the old town, built of massive stone slabs in a pyramidal form and topped with a white cupola. It is dedicated to Lord Rama (Raghunath) and is one of the 108 Divya Desams — temples sacred to Vaishnavism. The temple finds mention in four of the eighteen Puranas: the Padma Purana, Matsya Purana, Kurma Purana, and Agni Purana.
The temple's age is debated — local tradition holds it to be ancient, while historical accounts suggest significant construction and restoration over the centuries, including rebuilding after earthquake damage in 1893.
Visiting Devprayag
If you are driving the Rishikesh-Badrinath route, Devprayag is an easy stop. Twenty to thirty minutes is enough to walk down to the confluence viewpoint, through the old town lanes, and across the bridge. If you want to find the bridge, ask any local for the purana pul — the old bridge. The town is small enough that you will not get lost.
The best time to see the confluence colours distinctly is between October and February, when both rivers run at lower volume and the Bhagirathi's blue-green is at its most vivid against the Alaknanda's grey.
Most Char Dham pilgrims pass through Devprayag without stopping, or stop only briefly at the roadside. The old town and the bridge are worth your legs and fifteen minutes of walking. You will see the place where the Ganga begins from the best vantage point available — directly above it.