Sacred Rivers Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Ganges River

Starting in the mountains of the Himalayas, the Ganges River runs through the Indian plains, partly through Bangladesh) before flowing into the Bay of Bengal taking a winding 2,500 kilometre course and passing through the city of Varanasi (depicted). In the Hindu religion, no water is more sacred than the Ganges, and countless people dip into its water to perform rituals on the daily believing it to be the embodiment of purity in its truest form.

The Ganges symbolizes both life and death in India as it's been an important waterway for agriculture and irrigation and, in many cases, burial. Today, it's a destination for pilgrimage that sees millions dip into its waters every year.

Answer: The River Jordan

Flowing north to south and creating the border between Jordan (and the Golan Heights) and Israel (and West Bank) in the Middle East, the River Jordan was, at one point, the primary source of water for people in both nations. In the Bible, the River Jordan bears multiple reasons for significance, the first being that it was a site of baptism for not only Jesus Christ (by John the Baptist), but for being the point of crossing into the Promised Land as the slaves fled from Egypt.

Answer: Yamuna

A tributary of the Ganges, the Yamuna River is one of the most famous rivers of India if only by association, since it runs directly next to the world-famous Taj Mahal. The goddess Yamuna, of the Hindu faith, is the personification of the river and is considered the Goddess of Life while her sister, Yama, is the Goddess of Death. Followers of the Hindu faith who make pilgrimage to the Yamuna River often bathe in it to wash away their sins.

Answer: Vilcamayo River

Also known as the Urubamba River downstream, the Vilcamayo River cuts through the Sacred Valley that includes the City of Cusco and Macchu Picchu. It would have to figure, the river is very high in the Andes; it's actually one of the headwaters of the Amazon before it cuts into Brazil to the east. To this day, relics and statues can be found along the shores of the Vilcamayo indicating its importance in their culture; it was so important to agriculture and survival in the mountains, far from the sea as the Incans were, that structures were created during the height of its civilization, to transport its waters up the peaks.

Answer: Osun River

Passing by the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove in Nigeria, this river is considered the embodiment of the goddess Osun, one of the hundreds of deities of the local Yoruba-based religions. Osun is particularly interesting because she was one of many Goddesses who also appears in cultures found in the Caribbean (particularly in Santeria) and South America, having been brought over by the slave trade.

In Nigeria, the river bearing her name is a site of sanctity and pilgrimage; the Sacred Grove is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing numerous art installations frequently being restored by locals.

Answer: Whanganui River

Believed to be created by a teardrop made by the M?ori deity, Ranginui, the Whanganui River is considered a waterway of ancestral importance and, in 2017, was said by the New Zealand government to be considered a legal person (not unlike the way the Indian High Courts consider the Ganges and the Yamuna to be legal people).

The M?ori have lived on this river's shores for centuries, and the legal change to its status was made in an attempt to protect it from degradation.

Answer: Bagmati River

The Bagmati is a unique, sacred river for followers of both Hinduism and Buddhism in the Nepalese capital. Home to numerous temples and burial sites, the Bagmati is where, according to Hindu custom, the body can be cremated at Pashupatinath Temple, but not before being washed in the river three times. Doing so will allow the deceased to end the cycle of reincarnation, be purified, and be laid to rest.

Answer: Columbia River

The Bridge of the Gods was a natural land bridge created by the Bonneville Slide nearly one thousand years ago and has, since then, been washed away by the Columbia River; a cantilever bridge was built on the same river near the Washington/Oregon border, opening in 1926.

Many Native American populations of the area have been known to tell stories of the creation of the landforms in this region, claiming that they were created due to intense fights between ancestors and gods, often over beautiful women.

Besides this, the river was a major artery for survival and has been used for millennia for fishing, trading, and regional navigation.

Answer: Zuni River

Running alongside the Zuni Indian Reservation in Arizona, the Zuni River runs ninety miles through Apache County and acts as one key element of the region (which includes mountains, a salt lake, and the villages around them). The tribal lands here are integral to life for the locals who, still practicing, make a pilgrimage to where the Zuni meets the Little Colorado once every four years.

It's their spiritual connection to the land that keeps them coming back, ensuring they keep in touch with their past while giving back to the natural wonders that have helped them survive in a harsh landscape.

Answer: Yellow River

Considered today to be a cradle of civilization, the Yellow River has changed over the millennia humankind has been on this Earth. Because of its importance, the waterway has also featured prominently in ancient stories, myths, and legends, having allegedly been drained by giants, fed by heavenly mountain waters, and been the cause of plenty of strife; the Yellow River is very much prone to flooding just as much as it's integral to agriculture and life across nine Chinese provinces from west to east.