The way in which the Ganga reaches this earth is elaborately explained in the Fifth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. It is also said to appear as a huge watery pillar from a glacier high in the Himalayas. Based on this information one would think it to be one of the world’s largest rivers. But the Ganges is listed as the 36th largest river in the world, with a length of 1557 miles or 2506 kilometers. The top eleven rivers in descending order of length are: Nile, Amazon, Mississippi, Yangtze, Ob (Russia), Huang Ho (yellow), Yenisei (Russia), Parana (Confluence of Paranaiba and Grande rivers), Irtish (Russia), Zaire, and Heilong (Amur).