The adventurous and skilled King Bhagirath of the Isvaku dynasty was the son of King Dilip. Bhagirath’s ancestor King Sagar had performed an Ashvamedh yagya with a desire to win over the world. Lord Indra got scared with this yagya thinking that this yagya will take away his throne and so he stole the horse of the yagya and left it outside Sage Kapil’s ashram. King Sagar ordered his sixty thousand sons to get back the horse. All the sons wandered around in search of the horse. In the end, they saw the horse outside Sage Kapil’s ashram. Sagar’s sons thought Kapil to be the thief of the horse and insulted him. Sage Kapil was furious with this insult and reduced all sixty thousand sons to ashes.

Bhagirath’s grandfather Anshuman pleaded Kapil muni and came back to King Sagar with the horse. Anshuman and his son Dilip tried for the liberation of their ancestors who were reduced to ashes by Kapil Muni, but did not succeed. Then Dilip’s son Bhagirath pleaded Kapil for the liberation of his ancestors. Pleased with him, Kapil told him that his ancestors can be liberated only with the water of the holy river Ganga. So he should pray Lord Vishnu. Only he would be able to guide him and show him the right path to follow. Bhagirath observed deep penance to please lord Vishnu. Pleased with his penance, Lord Vishnu manifested and told Bhagirath to ask for a boon. Bhagirath said, “Lord, due to the curse of Sage Kapil my ancestors are wandering like goblins. Sage Kapil has said that if the holy river Ganga comes down to earth from the heaven and purifies my ancestors with her water, then only they will attain salvation. If you are pleased with my worship, please send Ganga to earth.”

So lord Vishnu ordered Ganga to go to earth in the form of a lady and liberate the sons of Sagar. Devi Ganga said, “lord, I will obey your order but when I go to earth, my current will be so strong that the earth will go into the under world (the sixth lower world according to Puranas). Please tell me the solution for this.” Then Vishnu requested Lord Shiva to find a way out of this. Shivji got ready and attained Ganga in to his matted hair before she came on to earth and then let loose a streak of his hair and let Ganga flow through this streak of hair.

As soon as Ganga reached earth, Bhagirath prayed and said, “O the most auspicious Devi Ganga! Please liberate my ancestors with your holy water.” Saying this, Bhagirath along with Ganga went to the place where King Sagar’s sixty thousand sons were burnt to ashes. Bhagirath’s ancestors were relieved with the touch of the holy water of Ganga and they attained salvation.

This way, only with King Bhagirath’s efforts, the holiest River Ganga came down to earth. That is why; Ganga is also called “Bhagirath.”