River Ganges - 2025 ACF Winter

Question

Pilgrimages to this location venerate the spots where four shards of a jar of ambrosia landed on Earth. (10[1])After a failed horse sacrifice, this location “descended from heaven” (10[1])when a cosmic serpent was slain by Indra. After Agni is not capable of bearing (-5[1])Shiva’s child, Kārtikeya is born in this (10[1])location. (-5[3])A city (10[1])near this location (-5[1])that houses genealogical (10[1])records of pilgrims dating to the (10[1])17th (10[1])century (10[2])is a popular site for cremation, (10[4]-5[1])as (10[1])its (10[1])holiness (10[8])is believed (10[1])to grant salvation. (10[6])At (10[1])times specified by the orbit (10[1])of Jupiter, adherents (10[1])at the Kumbh Mēlā (10[4])festival (10[4])immerse themselves (10[6])in (10[4])ghats (10[9])adjacent (10[2])to this (10[1])body (10[1])of water. (10[12])For 10 (10[1])points, (10[4])name this holiest river in (10[1])Hinduism, (10[1])which is also (10[1])India’s longest. ■END■ (10[6])

ANSWER: River Ganges [or Ganga; prompt on Prayāgrāja or Allahabad or Varanasi or Haridwāra or Ujjain or Nashik]

<Editors, Religion>

= Average correct buzz position

Summary


Northern California	Main	Y	5	100%	0%	0%	91.00
Southern California	Main	Y	6	100%	0%	17%	92.00
Eastern Canada	Main	Y	12	100%	0%	8%	81.58
Florida	Main	Y	6	100%	0%	0%	101.50
Great Lakes	Main	Y	7	100%	0%	0%	83.14
Lower Mid-Atlantic	Main	Y	8	100%	0%	13%	99.63
Upper Mid-Atlantic (1)	Main	Y	11	100%	0%	9%	87.73
Upper Mid-Atlantic (2)	Main	Y	5	100%	0%	0%	91.80
Lower Midwest	Main	Y	4	100%	0%	0%	89.00
Southeast	Main	Y	8	100%	0%	25%	95.50
UK	Main	Y	14	100%	0%	0%	88.79
Upstate NY	Main	Y	4	100%	0%	0%	95.75

Buzzes

Player	Team	Opponent	Buzz Position	Value
Uday Bhardwaj	McGill B	Toronto A	17	10
Shourjo Ganguli	OSU C	OSU D	27	10
Ishan Joshi	Toronto Metropolitan	Toronto F	42	-5
Owen Arneson	Missouri A	WashU B	49	10
Elle Lee	Virginia A	Clemson B	50	-5
Kapil Nathan	UAB A	Alabama A	50	-5
Alex Thomas	Georgia Tech C	Vanderbilt A	50	-5
Andy Yu	Maryland A	George Mason B	52	10
Srikar Venkatesan	Penn A	NYU A	55	-5
Simon Zimmerman	OSU A	OSU B	58	10
Charlie Lowman	Imperial A	Birmingham A	64	10
Aditya Shivaswamy	Johns Hopkins A	VCU A	65	10
Taaj Rai	George Washington A	Georgetown B	66	10
Rayhana Amjad	Edinburgh A	Cambridge A	66	10
Aatreyo Bhattacharyya	Berkeley C	Stanford C	72	10
Siddhant Kumar	Edinburgh B	Warwick B	72	10
Abhinav Rachakonda	UCLA A	Claremont Scripps	72	10
Karthik Krishnamurthy	USC	UCLA D	72	-5
Aarav Vasanthan	Rutgers C	Rutgers B	72	10
Niru Shakya	Melbourne A	UF D	73	10
Albert Nyang	LSE A	Manchester A	74	10
Alina Moore	Tennessee B	Virginia B	75	10
Pranaav Senthilkumar	Cornell-DII	RIT B	75	10
Amir Dolansky	Toronto H	Toronto C	75	10
Brendan Bridle	Queen's A	Toronto I	75	10
Adam Zhang	UCI	UCSD Vices and Virtues	75	10
Eva Mandelbaum	Guelph A	Western Ontario	75	10
Jack Lewis	Bruin A	Auburn B	75	10
Arhith Dharanendra	Georgia Tech D	Huntsville B	75	10
Yusuf Baig	McMaster A	Ottawa	77	10
Vayun Krishna	Georgetown A	Maryland C	80	10
Tobias Smerdon	Toronto K	Toronto B	80	10
Matthew Sumanen	Georgia Tech A	Vanderbilt B	80	10
Elliot Cosnett	Oxford A	Southampton A	80	10
Michael Xu	McMaster C	Toronto E	80	10
Christina Popov	Queen's B	McGill C	80	10
Vedh Ramesh	Penn B	Johns Hopkins C	81	10
Ariel Faeder	Pitt A	MSU A	86	10
Arvin Boraghi	Cambridge B	Durham A	89	10
Josh Xu	UCLA B	Claremont Pitzer	93	10
Ben Hellman	Swarthmore A	Columbia B	93	10
Will Hollister	Lehigh A	Rowan A	93	10
Brodie Henry	Auburn A	Mississippi State A	93	10
Vivian Malouf	Berkeley A	Berkeley B	94	10
Tanay Bodducherla	Berkeley E	Stanford A	94	10
Zachary Foster	City St George's A	Imperial B	94	10
Omkar Marathe	Columbia A	Lehigh B	94	10
Ryan Sun	Berkeley D	Stanford B	96	10
Jai Spicer	Roanoke	Virginia Tech A	96	10
Andrew Amygdalos	CWRU A	CWRU B	96	10
Abdelrahman Elsisi	Sheffield A	Warwick A	96	10
Rahul Jogadhenu	UCLA C	UCSD Two Running Violet V Forms	96	10
Stuart Chandler-Baas	Carleton	Guelph B	96	10
John McQueen	South Carolina B	Tusculum	97	10
Gregory Stone	ESF	Rochester	97	10
Matt Sheldon	Oxford B	Sheffield B	97	10
Dmitri Anh-Minh Tran	UCSB	UCSD What Hath God Wrought	97	10
Alex Wyrick	Tennessee A	South Carolina A	98	10
Matthew Bucek	George Mason A	Catholic University	98	10
Owen Linder	Binghamton A	RIT A	98	10
Shiva Tegulla	UCF A	UF B	98	10
Kevin Flanagan	Bristol A	Cambridge C	98	10
Nameer Qadir	Toronto D	Waterloo	98	10
Asher Lyons	Maryland D	NYU B	98	10
Sayan Chandaroy	UMBC A	Notre Dame E	98	10
June Yin	WashU A	Missouri B	98	10
Vinu Harihar	Berkeley F	UCSC	99	10
Aaryan Tomar	Georgia Tech B	Alabama B	99	10
Eoin Neale	Lancaster A	Sheffield C	101	10
Alex Dzurick	William Woods	WashU C	102	10
Ben Lanahan	Clemson A	James Madison	104	10
Nathan Redford	Liberty A	Liberty C	104	10
Ilyas Choukri	Virginia Tech B	NC State	104	10
Aidan Ross	George Washington B	George Mason C	104	10
Gus Vanskike	Maryland B	Johns Hopkins B	104	10
Juan Landaeta	FSU	ERAU A	104	10
Simone Green	Kenyon B	Kenyon A	104	10
Mohit Nair	CWRU D	Pitt C	104	10
Ben Tibbles	Sewanee A	Huntsville A	104	10
Jaz the Mononymous	Southampton B	Durham B	104	10
Phillip Jordan	Imperial C	Cambridge D	104	10
Jacob Taylor	Bristol B	Manchester B	104	10
Mateo Acosta	FIU	UF A	106	10
Hafsa Shaikh	Toronto G	Toronto J	107	10
Arjun Saulnier	CWRU C	MSU B	107	10
Austin Guo	Princeton A	Columbia C	107	10
Thomas Thatcher	Truman State	WashU D	107	10
Yanis Vencatachellum	ERAU B	USF	112	10
Ariyan Miah	Binghamton B	Syracuse	113	10
Jeevan Iyadurai	UF E	UCF B	116	10
Gannon Rice	Clemson B	Virginia A	119	10
Jacob Hardin-Bernhardt	NYU A	Penn A	119	10
Krishay Garg	UCLA D	USC	119	10
Imtiaz Kidwai	Toronto F	Toronto Metropolitan	119	10
Jackson McDonald	Alabama A	UAB A	119	10
Truman Hill	Vanderbilt A	Georgia Tech C	119	10

Northern California

Main

100%

91.00

Southern California

Main

100%

17%

92.00

Eastern Canada

Main

100%

81.58

Florida

Main

100%

101.50

Great Lakes

Main

100%

83.14

Lower Mid-Atlantic

Main

100%

13%

99.63

Upper Mid-Atlantic (1)

Main

100%

87.73

Upper Mid-Atlantic (2)

Main

100%

91.80

Lower Midwest

Main

100%

89.00

Southeast

Main

100%

25%

95.50

Main

100%

88.79

Upstate NY

Main

100%

95.75

Player

Team

Opponent

Buzz Position

Value

Uday Bhardwaj

McGill B

Toronto A

Shourjo Ganguli

OSU C

OSU D

Ishan Joshi

Toronto Metropolitan

Toronto F

-5

Owen Arneson

Missouri A

WashU B

Elle Lee

Virginia A

Clemson B

-5

Kapil Nathan

UAB A

Alabama A

-5

Alex Thomas

Georgia Tech C

Vanderbilt A

-5

Andy Yu

Maryland A

George Mason B

Srikar Venkatesan

Penn A

NYU A

-5

Simon Zimmerman

OSU A

OSU B

Charlie Lowman

Imperial A

Birmingham A

Aditya Shivaswamy

Johns Hopkins A

VCU A

Taaj Rai

George Washington A

Georgetown B

Rayhana Amjad

Edinburgh A

Cambridge A

Aatreyo Bhattacharyya

Berkeley C

Stanford C

Siddhant Kumar

Edinburgh B

Warwick B

Abhinav Rachakonda

UCLA A

Claremont Scripps

Karthik Krishnamurthy

USC

UCLA D

-5

Aarav Vasanthan

Rutgers C

Rutgers B

Niru Shakya

Melbourne A

UF D

Albert Nyang

LSE A

Manchester A

Alina Moore

Tennessee B

Virginia B

Pranaav Senthilkumar

Cornell-DII

RIT B

Amir Dolansky

Toronto H

Toronto C

Brendan Bridle

Queen's A

Toronto I

Adam Zhang

UCI

UCSD Vices and Virtues

Eva Mandelbaum

Guelph A

Western Ontario

Jack Lewis

Bruin A

Auburn B

Arhith Dharanendra

Georgia Tech D

Huntsville B

Yusuf Baig

McMaster A

Ottawa

Vayun Krishna

Georgetown A

Maryland C

Tobias Smerdon

Toronto K

Toronto B

Matthew Sumanen

Georgia Tech A

Vanderbilt B

Elliot Cosnett

Oxford A

Southampton A

Michael Xu

McMaster C

Toronto E

Christina Popov

Queen's B

McGill C

Vedh Ramesh

Penn B

Johns Hopkins C

Ariel Faeder

Pitt A

MSU A

Arvin Boraghi

Cambridge B

Durham A

Josh Xu

UCLA B

Claremont Pitzer

Ben Hellman

Swarthmore A

Columbia B

Will Hollister

Lehigh A

Rowan A

Brodie Henry

Auburn A

Mississippi State A

Vivian Malouf

Berkeley A

Berkeley B

Tanay Bodducherla

Berkeley E

Stanford A

Zachary Foster

City St George's A

Imperial B

Omkar Marathe

Columbia A

Lehigh B

Ryan Sun

Berkeley D

Stanford B

Jai Spicer

Roanoke

Virginia Tech A

Andrew Amygdalos

CWRU A

CWRU B

Abdelrahman Elsisi

Sheffield A

Warwick A

Rahul Jogadhenu

UCLA C

UCSD Two Running Violet V Forms

Stuart Chandler-Baas

Carleton

Guelph B

John McQueen

South Carolina B

Tusculum

Gregory Stone

ESF

Rochester

Matt Sheldon

Oxford B

Sheffield B

Dmitri Anh-Minh Tran

UCSB

UCSD What Hath God Wrought

Alex Wyrick

Tennessee A

South Carolina A

Matthew Bucek

George Mason A

Catholic University

Owen Linder

Binghamton A

RIT A

Shiva Tegulla

UCF A

UF B

Kevin Flanagan

Bristol A

Cambridge C

Nameer Qadir

Toronto D

Waterloo

Asher Lyons

Maryland D

NYU B

Sayan Chandaroy

UMBC A

Notre Dame E

June Yin

WashU A

Missouri B

Vinu Harihar

Berkeley F

UCSC

Aaryan Tomar

Georgia Tech B

Alabama B

Eoin Neale

Lancaster A

Sheffield C

101

Alex Dzurick

William Woods

WashU C

102

Ben Lanahan

Clemson A

James Madison

104

Nathan Redford

Liberty A

Liberty C

104

Ilyas Choukri

Virginia Tech B

NC State

104

Aidan Ross

George Washington B

George Mason C

104

Gus Vanskike

Maryland B

Johns Hopkins B

104

Juan Landaeta

FSU

ERAU A

104

Simone Green

Kenyon B

Kenyon A

104

Mohit Nair

CWRU D

Pitt C

104

Ben Tibbles

Sewanee A

Huntsville A

104

Jaz the Mononymous

Southampton B

Durham B

104

Phillip Jordan

Imperial C

Cambridge D

104

Jacob Taylor

Bristol B

Manchester B

104

Mateo Acosta

FIU

UF A

106

Hafsa Shaikh

Toronto G

Toronto J

107

Arjun Saulnier

CWRU C

MSU B

107

Austin Guo

Princeton A

Columbia C

107

Thomas Thatcher

Truman State

WashU D

107

Yanis Vencatachellum

ERAU B

USF

112

Ariyan Miah

Binghamton B

Syracuse

113

Jeevan Iyadurai

UF E

UCF B

116

Gannon Rice

Clemson B

Virginia A

119

Jacob Hardin-Bernhardt

NYU A

Penn A

119

Krishay Garg

UCLA D

USC

119

Imtiaz Kidwai

Toronto F

Toronto Metropolitan

119

Jackson McDonald

Alabama A

UAB A

119

Truman Hill

Vanderbilt A

Georgia Tech C

119