Ganga

The river goddess who fell from heaven at Bhagiratha's plea to redeem Sagara's sixty thousand sons and was caught in Shiva's matted hair so her force would not shatter the earth; the sage Jahnu drank her and let her out again. The Bhagavata makes her flow from Vishnu's foot; the Ramayana makes her Himavat's elder daughter and Parvati's sister. She carries Shiva's seed in the Kartikeya story and her water is carried to his shrines in the Kanwar pilgrimage.