In winter, ducks and snipes migrate south across the high Himalayas, settling in large numbers in water-covered areas. The Ganges River is extremely important to the people of India as most people living on its banks use it for daily needs such as bathing and fishing. The river flows through 29 cities with populations of more than 100,000, 23 cities with populations between 50,000 and 100,000, and approximately 48 towns. On the banks of the Ganges are India's largest pilgrimage sites such as Rishikesh, Haridwar, Varanasi, Allahabad and Calcutta, visited by millions of people. from every corner of the world to quench their thirst for knowledge and liberation. Along the Ganges and the banks of its tributaries lie countless archaeological sites, national heritage sites and world heritage sites such as the Nanda Devi Wildlife Sanctuary, the Valley of Flowers National Park and the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. In Hinduism the Ganges River is the most sacred river and is revered as the goddess Ganga. The ritual bathing in the Ganges was and is an important part of the Hindu pilgrimage and the ashes of the cremated are often scattered on her