The Ganges (English pronunciation: /ˈɡændʒiːz/ GAN-jeez), also called the Ganga (Sanskrit: गङ्गा, Hindi: गंगा, Urdu: گنگاcode: ur is deprecated ; Ganga IPA: [ˈɡəŋɡaː] ( listen); Bengali: গঙ্গা Gonga), is the third largest river on the Indian subcontinent by discharge. The Ganges river is named after a Hindu goddess called Ganga. Geographers, Historians and Mythologists alike regard Ganges as the heart of Indian culture, tradition and living.