On the drive from Rishikesh to Badrinath, the road follows the Alaknanda river and its tributaries upstream for most of the journey. Along the way, you pass through five sacred confluences — the Panch Prayag — where different Himalayan rivers merge into the Alaknanda, which eventually becomes the Ganga.
The word "prayag" comes from Sanskrit, meaning a place where rivers meet. In Hindu tradition, a confluence is considered sacred — a place where bathing is believed to carry spiritual merit, where the last rites (shraddha) are performed, and where the river itself is worshipped. While the most famous prayag is at Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), where the Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati meet, the five prayags of Garhwal are considered next in order of sanctity.
You pass through all five on the way to Badrinath, in reverse order of the river's flow. Here they are, as you encounter them driving north from Rishikesh.
1. Devprayag — where the Ganga is born
Rivers: Bhagirathi + Alaknanda = Ganga
Altitude: 830 metres (2,723 feet)
District: Tehri Garhwal
Distance from Rishikesh: approximately 70 km
This is the most significant of the five prayags and the one you reach first. Devprayag is where the Bhagirathi — flowing from Gaumukh glacier near Gangotri — meets the Alaknanda, which flows down from Badrinath. At this precise point, the combined river officially takes the name Ganga.
You can see the confluence from the road above, and the colour difference between the two rivers is visible even from a distance. The Bhagirathi tends to run clearer and greener; the Alaknanda carries more sediment and appears muddier, especially during and after monsoon.
The town has an ancient Raghunath Temple (dedicated to Lord Rama) on a rock promontory between the two rivers. According to tradition, the sage Deva Sharma performed prolonged meditation here, and the town takes its name from him. Devprayag has been a pilgrimage site for centuries and is mentioned in multiple Puranic texts.
If you have time, the walk down the stone steps to the sangam (confluence point) is worth the detour. The ghats are narrow and the water is cold and fast-moving — this is not a gentle bathing ghat, but a powerful meeting of rivers.
2. Rudraprayag — where Mandakini meets Alaknanda
Rivers: Mandakini + Alaknanda
Altitude: 895 metres (2,936 feet)
District: Rudraprayag
Distance from Rishikesh: approximately 140 km
The Mandakini river flows down from the Kedarnath valley, and at Rudraprayag it joins the Alaknanda. This is the point where the Kedarnath route branches off from the Badrinath route — if you are doing the Do Dham yatra, this is where the road forks.
The town is named after Lord Shiva (Rudra). According to legend, the sage Narada performed intense penance here to learn the art of music, and Lord Shiva appeared as Rudra and taught him the veena. There is a small Rudranath temple at the confluence point that commemorates this story.
Rudraprayag is also a practical landmark on the journey. It is the district headquarters, has reliable fuel stations, ATMs, and is the last substantial town before the road narrows as you head toward Badrinath. Many travellers stop here for a meal break.
The confluence is visible from the bridge that crosses the Mandakini. In clear weather, you can see the two rivers coming together from quite a distance upstream.
3. Karnaprayag — where Pindar meets Alaknanda
Rivers: Pindar + Alaknanda
Altitude: 1,451 metres (4,760 feet)
District: Chamoli
Distance from Rishikesh: approximately 170 km
The Pindar river originates from the Pindari Glacier (at the base of Nanda Devi) and joins the Alaknanda at Karnaprayag. The town sits at a natural crossroads — the road to Gwaldam and Kumaon branches off here.
The name comes from Karna, the warrior from the Mahabharata. According to local tradition, Karna performed severe penance and sun worship (surya upasana) at this confluence to earn the celestial armour (kavach) and earrings (kundala) from his father, the sun god Surya. There is a small Karna temple on the riverbank, and an Uma Devi temple (dedicated to Parvati) on the hill above the town.
Karnaprayag is a relatively quiet town compared to Rudraprayag. The confluence is visible from the road, and you can walk down to the ghats. The Pindar is significantly smaller than the Alaknanda here, and the merging of the two rivers is a gentle affair compared to the more dramatic confluences at Devprayag and Rudraprayag.
4. Nandaprayag — where Nandakini meets Alaknanda
Rivers: Nandakini + Alaknanda
Altitude: 1,610 metres (5,282 feet)
District: Chamoli
Distance from Rishikesh: approximately 190 km
The Nandakini river originates from the glaciers of Nanda Ghunti peak, near the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. It joins the Alaknanda at Nandaprayag, a small town on the main highway.
The name derives from King Nanda, who, according to the Bhagavata Purana, performed a grand yajna (fire ritual) at this spot to appease the gods. In another version of the legend, King Nanda performed penance here to please Lord Vishnu, who appeared as a child to bless him.
Nandaprayag is the smallest and quietest of the five prayags. Most travellers pass through without stopping, which is understandable given the pace of the journey, but the confluence is visible from the road and the setting is peaceful. The Nandakini is a smaller river — swift but narrow — and its meeting with the larger Alaknanda is gentle.
If you do stop, there are basic tea stalls and a small temple at the confluence point. The town also marks the start of the stretch toward Pipalkoti and the higher reaches of the Badrinath road, where the landscape begins to change noticeably — the valley narrows, the vegetation thins, and the road starts to climb more steeply.
5. Vishnuprayag — where Dhauliganga meets Alaknanda
Rivers: Dhauliganga + Alaknanda
Altitude: 1,372 metres (4,500 feet)
District: Chamoli
Distance from Rishikesh: approximately 255 km (near Joshimath)
The Dhauliganga river flows from the Niti Pass area on the Indo-Tibetan border and meets the Alaknanda at Vishnuprayag, just below Joshimath. This is the last of the five prayags on the road to Badrinath, and the closest to the shrine.
The confluence is named after Lord Vishnu. According to the Skanda Purana, the sage Narada advised Lord Vishnu to perform penance at this spot. The Vishnu temple at the confluence is ancient, though the current structure has been rebuilt multiple times due to floods and earthquakes.
Vishnuprayag sits in a deep, narrow gorge, and the confluence is dramatic — the Dhauliganga comes rushing in from a side valley to join the Alaknanda in a churning, noisy meeting of waters. There is a hydropower dam at the site (the Vishnuprayag Hydroelectric Project), which has altered the natural flow, but the setting remains impressive.
From Vishnuprayag, the road climbs steeply to Joshimath (1,875 metres), and then continues upward through Govindghat and Pandukeshwar to Badrinath at 3,133 metres. You have passed through all five confluences, and the Alaknanda you have been following since Devprayag is now a smaller, faster mountain river heading toward its source.
Seeing them on your drive
All five prayags are on the main NH-7 highway from Rishikesh to Badrinath. You will pass through each town naturally as you drive. The entire drive from Rishikesh to Badrinath takes 10-12 hours in good conditions, and the five confluences are spaced along the first two-thirds of the route.
If you are making the drive in a single day, you will likely only stop at one or two. We would suggest Devprayag (for the most dramatic visual of the Ganga's birth) and Rudraprayag (a natural meal-break point with the road fork).
If you are taking two days with an overnight in Joshimath or Pipalkoti — which is what we recommend — you have time to stop at three or four of them. The walks down to the ghats at each confluence take 15-30 minutes and are worth the effort, particularly in the early morning when the light on the water is best and the ghats are uncrowded.
Each confluence is a reminder that the Ganga is not a single river but a gathering of many Himalayan streams, each with its own origin, its own glacier, its own valley. By the time the river reaches Devprayag and takes the name Ganga, it carries water from an enormous catchment of peaks and glaciers across Garhwal. The five prayags are the visible evidence of that gathering.