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Long long time ago there was a king named Raajaa Sagar. He wanted to do 100 Ashwamedh Yagya. He had completed 99 Yagya but when he did the 100th one and sent his horse in the world. His 60,000 sons took it around, Indra stole it out of jealousy and ran away. His sons woke up and followed them.

Indra took the horse in Paataal Lok, and there he found Kapil Muni meditating, so he tied it with a tree in his Aashram and ran away from there. Sagar's 60,000 sons came running after it and found it tied in the Rishi's Aashram. They thought that the Rishi was the thief. After stealing the horse he had tied it with a tree and now he was posing himself as a Rishi. They wanted to arrest him that Muni burned them with a glance of his eye only.

Now Raajaa had a very dear grandson named Anshumaan. Raajaa sent him to look for the horse. He followed his uncles' footprints and arrived in Kapil Muni's Aashram. He greeted Muni and saw the heap of ashes lying there nearby. He politely pleased Muni. Kapil Muni got pleased with his humility, returned his horse and told him that heap of ashes was of his uncles. On asking how they could be liberated, Kapil Muni said - "Only Gangaa Jal can give your uncles Mukti."

Anshumaan returned to his kingdom with the horse. Raajaa Sagar had no time to take up this task. First Anshumaan, then his son Dileep did very intense Tap to bring Gangaa on Earth but could not succeed in bringing her on Earth. Then Anshumaan's grandson Bhageerath also did an intensive Tap and was able to bring Gangaa on Earth. But how to bring her on Earth? Gangaa said - "I will be happy to come on Prithvi, but the problem is who is going to bear my force of falling on Earth? Because when I will fall on Earth, the force of my water wll be so much that I will enter the Earth and go to Paataal and your mission will be unsuccessful." Bhageerath said, "Rudra will bear you."

Then Bhageerath pleased Shankar Jee with his Tap and Shankar Jee got ready to bear her on his head. Gangaa fell on Shiv Jee's head with her full force, but got lost in Shiv Jee's Jataa (matted hair). Then Bhageerath pleased Shankar Jee again to release Gangaa, so Shiv Jee loosened his one flock of hair and a thin stream of Gangaa came out of his head slowly. Gangaa asked Bhageerath, "Now where to go?" So Bhageerath led her to the place where his ancestors' ashes were there and her waters gave Mukti to them. 

This incident is associated to an island which is called Sagar island (the present Gangaa Saagar - this island appears in the sea only for three days on Makar Sankraanti. Many people go there and take bath but return before three days. Whoever stays there is never found because after three days it sinks in the sea.) On Makar Sankraanti this island becomes a sacred place (Teerth Sthaan).

That is why Shiv's one of many names is Gangaadhar, because he bore Gangaa on his head.

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