River worship in India originates with the holy river Ganga. It is believed that a dip in this river can cleanse you of all your sins (what the Kumbh Mela is basically about). The practical reason is that the water of the Ganges is so pure that it will not rot even if you keep it stored in a bottle for years. Despite the pollution that man has inflicted on this holy river, she has managed to retain its cleansing properties. This practical reason leads to the spiritual ritual of dipping in the river to clean one’s sins. 

The reason for people to worship rivers does not end there. River water provides for irrigation, the banks have very fertile lands and this leads to a lot of people having a means of livelihood. Farmers and fishermen are highly benefitted from the presence of rivers around their areas of cultivation. The worship that these people do is out of gratitude that they can feed the mouths at their homes. 

Another aspect is that of the germicidal properties of the river Ganges. People dip in it to be rid of a lot of skin diseases which are otherwise difficult to cure. This chemical property brings faith in the river for a lot more people. 

It is not just the Ganges but all the rivers in India are considered to be equally sacred. There are some major Rivers in India like Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Mahanadi and Brahmaputra; Punjab - the land of five great rivers has Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. They provide livelihood to so many people across the country. Nature worship was the main form of worship for most – be it trees, stones or whichever form of nature that people wished to pray to. On that same vein, rivers too were worshipped by people and it has remained a tradition that people have not given up. 

Rivers also provide for commercial means of livelihood while conducting boating or launch services across rivers, water sports or such other activities. One can realize the extent to which living in the vicinity of a river can provide various types of employment to all people. Some such means may be modern but the others which have been going on for generations make people grateful for their opportunities in life. River worship may have mythological or spiritual reasons but essentially is a mark of respect for all that people are thankful for to these rivers and have learned to pay their homage through generations.