lifelines of india

8/10/2019 Lifelines of India

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LIFELINES OF INDIAS CIVILISATION

In India, a river is a mini-cosmos in concept. Every river is a mother deity who spawns mythology, art,

dance, music, architecture, history and spirituality. Each one has a clear identity, appearance, value, style

and spirit just like a beautiful woman. In every age, diverse human communities have reinventedthemselves on river-banks with fascinating nuances.

Her shimmering gold-and-white garments dazzle like a thousand suns. The jewels in her crown shine like

the crescent moon. Her smiling face lights up the whole world. In her hands, she carries a pot of nectar, a

symbol of immortality. Her lotus-fresh presence brings a sense of purity and joy to all beings.. At first

glance, this reads like an over-the-top flowery description of a beautiful woman coined by some besotted

lover. But to those conversant with the fascinating river-lore of India, this is the mythical portrayal of the

River Ganga, written by Sage Valmiki, author of Indias immortal epic Ramayan. It describes the celestial

Ganga as she descends from the heavens to the earth to bring salvation to mankind. This story, known

asGangavataran, is such a fundamental tenet of Indian culture that it has held countless generations of

Indians in awe for millenniums. The Ganga, arguably the most picturised and written-about river in the

world, has been called the Mother of Indias Spirituality and has been immortalized in sculpture, art,

literature, poetry, music and dance.

Following her descent to the mortal world to sanctify human efforts to attain salvation, the Ganga is

perceived as mokshdayini, the Mother Goddess whose waters bring relief from sin, sorrow and suffering.

To wit, through the millenniums, the rivers banks have been hallowed by a galaxy of saints andseers who

either meditated or built great institutions of spiritual research and teachings on her embankments. Great

poetic works, including Tulsidas Ramcharit Manas, which continues to run in the veins of Indians for

centuries, were written alongside her tranquil flow in Varanasi. Great cities like Haridwar, Rishikesh,

Prayag and Varanasi were built on her banks and these have become famous centres of art, music, textile

weaving, literature and every other artistic endeavour apart from spiritual pursuits. Haridwar and Prayag

are the sites of gigantic Kumbh Melas, which celebrate the relentless search of human beings for

immortality through the mythical pot of nectar, a motif that repeats itself constantly in Indian mythology.

From Indias prehistoric ages, the Ganga, with her myriad tributaries, has not only been the harbinger of

rich harvests in Indias plains, but also the precious lifeline of Indias cultural heritage.

However, Ganga is not the only river in India to be given pride of place in the hearts of its millions. For

millenniums, Indians have worshipped seven holy rivers that crisscross the sub-continent, fertilising its

sprawling plains and watering its misty mountains and lush forests. These are the Ganga, the Yamuna, the

invisible Saraswati, the Narmada, the Godavari, the Kaveri and the Sindhu. Since the Sindhu now flows

through Pakistan, the Krishna has been added to the list of the sacred rivers of India. Each of these rivers

has a unique persona and quality attached to it. While the Ganga is shimmering white-and-gold and


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represents purity or salvation (Moksh), the Yamuna is blue like Krishna, who was born in Mathura, a holy

city on her banks. Like him, she represents romance (Shringar). The legendary Saraswati, white and

elegant like a swan, is now extinct and is called the river of knowledge (Vidya), being associated with

Brahma, the creator of the universe. The dark and elusive Narmada, rising in the Vindhya-Satpura range

in Central India, meets the Arabian Sea in Gujarat. With few, if any, tributaries, the Narmada is often

referred to as the virgin river associated with the quality of detachment and surrender (Vairagya). The

Godavari, rising in Gangadwar near Nasik in Maharashtra, flows eastwards to the Bay of Bengal. She is

the saffron river of devotion (Bhakti), sanctified by the presence of Ram, Sita and Lakshman, who spent

much of their exile years from Ayodhya in the forests along the river. Kaveri, the silvery river of wisdom

(Dnyan or Gyan), flows from the Sahyadri Hills in Karnataka to the Bay of Bengal through Tamil Nadu.

The Krishna, flowing from the Sahyadri Hills in Mahabaleshwar to the Bay of Bengal is green and

represents courage and valour (Shourya).

The quality and appearance associated each of these seven rivers have such a strong influence on theIndian psyche, that history, architecture, art, music and dance and even social movements show their

impact. Each river represents a specific colour and image and Indian scriptures weave innumerable

legends around them.

The Yamuna is deeply entrenched in the wonderful saga of the birth and childhood of Krishna. Krishna

was born in Mathura, a holy city on the banks of the Yamuna and taken across the raging river on a rain-

stormy night to Gokul, to be raised by his foster parents Nand and Yashoda. Here, in the pastoral

ambience of fragrant gardens and bowers, he grew up as the divine child among cowherds and milkmaids.

He romanced with the milkmaids in his Raas Leela on moonlit nights on the banks of the Yamuna and

gamboled in her dark waters every day of his life. Yamuna, having touched the blue-toned Krishna, herself

became blue in colour in all her portrayals. So also, Krishna being the epitome of romance and love,

Yamuna became the river of romance. She was named as his consort in Madhurabhakti a religious cult

concurrent with Sufism. Both philosophies decree that a devotee has only to raise the veil of ignorance to

face divinity. The veiled Yamuna, clad in blue and purple robes and carrying lotuses in her hands, became

the Maharani of Krishna, the beloved devotee of his wondrous miracles in Gokul. Through the ages, the

portrayals of Yamuna, including a huge number of miniature paintings, showed a distinct Sufi influence.

As the Maharani of Krishna, she became the eternal bride. Even today, thousands of years later, pilgrims

and devotees who trek to Yamunotri the origin of the river in the Himalayas offer her bridal finerieswith chunris, bangles, tikas and other ornaments.

As she descends into the plains in Himachal Pradesh, Paonta Sahib, the Gurudwara built by Guru Gobind

Singh, stands majestically on her banks. Here, legend says, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, lost his paonta or

anklet in the river while bathing. Nearby, the Tons River, joining the Yamuna, creates the romantic

spectacle of Sahasradhara, where a thousand streams dance down the rocky landscape to create a visual


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wonder. Further down her flow, the awesome Taj Mahal, the worlds most resplendent monument, stands

on the banks of the Yamuna as a testimony to her romantic personality. The Yamuna merges into the

Ganga in Prayag.

The Saraswati, confluencing with the Ganga and Yamuna in Prayag, has been extinct for ages, though she

continues to live in the hearts of Indians. Ever since India attained Independence, teams of archeological

researchers have made relentless efforts to excavate several regions of India to find its now-barren bed.

Various experts have wagered the guess that she flowed westward from the Himalayas and emptied into

the Arabian Sea in Gujarat. Yet, those who wish to seek knowledge and find her origin continue the search

for the elusive river. Today, only a roaring torrent named Saraswati can be seen in Mana village near

Badrinath in the Himalayas, where she meets the Alaknanda at Keshav Prayag.

The Ganga, the Yamuna and the Saraswati represent the trinity of divinities in Indian culture. Saraswati is

Brahma, the creator; Yamuna is Vishnu, the sustainer and Ganga is Shiva, the destroyer. But most

important, this divine trinity is seen as one in the confluence of the three rivers at Prayag.

The Narmada has been named the most beautiful river of India by Western travellers like Bill Aitken in

his book The Seven Sacred Rivers. Deep, dark and mysterious, the Narmada flows from Amarkantak in

the central mountain ranges of India to the Arabian Sea. The forests on her banks are dotted with quaint

temple-heritage cities and tribal villages. The river, symbolizing detachment (Vairagya) and surrender,

attracts devotees who do the Parikrama of circumambulation of its flow from its origin to its emptying in

the sea and back a distance of 917 kilometres. Pilgrims need more than a year to complete this journey

on foot. Describing the dense riverside landscape, they record that on silent nights, as they lie down in the

forest groves, they often hear miraculous strains of flutes resonating in the stillness. This music is caused

by the wind rushing through holes made by birds in the clumps of bamboos which line the river in some

areas. On the banks of the Narmada are heritage cities like Mandu, where the tragic love story of the

Hindu dancing girl-turned-queen Rani Roopmati and her Muslim poet-emperor husband Baz Bahadur

unfolded. Legend says that Roopmati gave up her life by drinking poison rather than be abducted by the

kings lustful enemies. On Narmadas banks too, stands Maheshwar, the beautiful city built by Rani

Ahilayabai, the celebrated Maharani of Indore, who repaired thousands of temples across India, giving up

her royal wealth.

The Godavari, rising in Gangadwar near Nashik, represents devotion and its traditional colour: saffron.

On her banks are several legendary monuments dedicated to Ram, Sita and Lakshman in addition to the

Jyotirlinga temple of Trimbakeshwar. Nasik is also the site of the Kumbha Mela, which has been named

the biggest bathing festival on earth! The Godavari brings fertility to the plains of peninsular India and is

worshipped as the symbol of single-minded devotion to divinity.


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The silvery Kaveri flows through the scenic forested slopes of the Sahyadri and Nilgiri ranges. The river of

wisdom, she is referred to as the Dakshina Ganga or the Ganga of the South. Sanctified by presence of

Adi Shankaracharya, the greatest philosopher-seer of India, the Kaveri is the blessing of South India as

she originates in Talaikaveri and flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to empty into the Bay of

Bengal. Through the past ages, the banks of the Kaveri have attracted great poets, writers, saints and

philosophers who have sought to interpret the many-splendoured culture and spiritual wisdom of India.

Finally, the River Krishna, symbolizing valour, rises in the boulder-strewn, verdant hills of

Mahabaleshwar, and flows through Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, bringing plentitude to her basin,

before meeting the Bay of Bengal in the east. Krishna, through the eyes of her undulating green waters,

has witnessed many epoch-making chapters of Indias history. The earliest historical reference to this

river is as Kannavenna, the southern boundary of the MauryanSamrat Ashokas vast empire in 236 B.C.

With a strategy of peace, non-violence and unparalled valour, Ashoka ruled his great empire to become

one of the worlds tallest grand monarchs. The Vijayanagar Empire flourished on her banks in the 13thcentury and unfolded a golden era of Indias history. From the 17th century, the Marathas, led by

Chhatrapati Shivaji, fought many a battle to free India from the clutches of the Moghuls. The Peshwas of

Maharashtra built grand monuments and temples on her banks, which even today attract a procession of

Bollywood producers to exploit the locations!

Rivers have been the lifelines of Indias ancient, pulsating, throbbing civilization. They have brought

prosperity, culture, style, colour, values, wisdom, devotion, knowledge, romance, wonder and above all, a

priceless spiritual heritage to the people of India for thousands of years!

King kavera performed tapasya because he wished to help people. Pleased with him,

Shiva appeared and blessed him with a daughter who would fulfil his wish. He named

her Kaveri and married her to Sage Agastya. A demon, named Shoorapadma, wanted

to trouble people so he prevented rain from reaching the earth. Kaveri prayed to the

gods to help the people. One day, Sage Agastya went to a lake for a bath. Since he

could not leave Kaveri alone in the ashram, he turned her into water and put her in

his kamandala, the utensil for carrying holy water. As he entered the lake, he left the

kamandala on the bank. Meanwhile, Ganesha took the form of a crow and

overturned the kamadala. The water was released and Kaveri became a river. She

helped the suffering people by providing them with water.

Bagmati River


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It is also called Bagvati in Vishnu Purana. The Svayambu and the Vardha Purana call

it the Vagmati. It is called Bachamati in Buddhist literature, because it was created by

the word uttered by Buddha Krakuchhanda when the latter visited Nepal with his

disciples from the Gaud-desa. Vdana mentions a river Vaggumuda which flowed to

the east of the Vajji territory. This Vaggamuda seems to be the Vagamati of the

present time. Baghavati, the name given to this river by Vidyapati seems to have

some connection with the word Vyaghra (tiger). Tigers are found in abundance on its

banks in the Nepalease Terai.

Bhima River

The Bhima River is also called Punya Damini Bhima. In South India, people give

regards to the Bhima River the same way as they do to Ganga. The Bhima River

originates from the Sahyadri hills. According to the legends, when Lord Shankar

came near Bhima Shankar mountain after killing the demon Tripursur, he found that

the Ayodhyas saintly king Bhimak wasunder penance at that place. King Bhimakbegged for the blessings of Lord Shankar so that a pious river might originate from

the sweat of Lord Shankar. Lord Shankar gave the desired blessings and accordingly,

a river originated from his sweat. On the name of king Bhimak, this river was called

as Bhima River. The river joins Krishna at Kurugadi in district Raipur, which is 25

km away from Gulbarg. Ajyotirling (glorified symbol of Lord Shiva) namely, Bhima

Shankar, and a religious place, namely Pandarpur, are located on the banks of this

river.

Brahmaputra River

Brahmaputra River originates from the Mansarovar near Kailash range and is also

known as Mahanad. Worth noting is the fact that the Brahmaputra River has a male

name whereas all other majors rivers of India have female names. According to

legends, Brahmaputra is the son of Lord Brahma. It is said that Shantanu, a famous

ancient sage began a long meditation in an ashram in this area along with his

beautiful wife Amodha. Amodha was so beautiful that Lord Brahma himself became

enchanted by the beauty of Amodha and requested her to make love with him. But

Amodha did not accept the Brahmas proposal. However, by that time Lord Brahma

had become so excited that his semen discharged at that place. When Shantanu came

to know about this, he inseminated the Brahmas semen in the womb of Amodha.Subsequently, Amodha gave birth to a son and he was called Brahmaputra. The tank

near the ashram of sage Shantanu is known as the Brahmkund. Another legend is

that because Brahmaputra is the largest river in India, it carries a male name.

Chambal River


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The ancient name of Chambal River was Charmanvati, meaning the river on whose

banks leather is dried. In the ancient times, large scale Yagya (prayer meetings in

which also involve offerings to please God) used to be organized on the banks of this

river and in these Yagyas animals were slaughtered and offered. According to

Mahabharata, the color of river water would become red due to the flow of blood of

the sacrificed animals and the skins of these animals were dried on the banks of the

rivers. In due course of time, this river became famous as the river of chamda (skin)

and was named as Charmanvati.

Chandan River

It was also known by the name of Malini and Chandana. It is known as Chamba

in the Buddhist literature. According to the Kshetra Samasa, this river is called

Sulakshini or Chandravati. According to the Jinavitasa, this river is named

Aranyavaha or the torrent through the wilderness.

Gandak River

In the Muzaffarpur District of Bihar, this river is known as

the Narayani and Saligramini. Ramayana mentions this river under the name

of Kalimahi. The river is said to have been formed from the sweat of the cheeks

of Vishnu when he performed austerities near its source.Artemidoras speaks of a

certain affluent of the Ganga as breeding crocodiles and dolphins. He named

it Oidenes. At the present time, Gandak is the only tributary of Ganga which breeds

crocodiles. The Puranic tale of Gajehrajeha (fight between the elephant and

crocodiles) is said to have taken place at its junction with the Ganga. Therefore,Oidenes of Artemedoros is no other than the Gandak.

Ganga River

The Ganga River has been considered as the most sacred river of India in Puranas.

The word Ganga is considered as a synonym of pure and holy water. That is why the

word is attached with the names of many other rivers in Central and South India.

According to a mythological legend, Lord Brahma collected the sweat of Lord

Vishnus feet and created Ganga. Being touched by two members of the Trimurti

(Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh), Ganga became very holy. The other synonyms of

Ganga are Vishnu Padee (as the river is said to have originated from the feet of LordVishnu),Mandakini, Devnadi, Sursari, Tripathga, Jahanvi, Bhagirathi, etc. As

mentioned inMahabharat, when Bhishm was about to die,Arjuna was said to have

extracted groundwater, namely, Patalganga, by shooting an arrow which made a hole

in the ground and created a fountain.

The description of Ganga is available in Rigveda also. Several legends are famous

about the origin of Ganga. It is said that the Ganga has originated from foots of Lord


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Vishnu. According to the second legend, Ganga was the daughter of mountain

kingHimalaya. As per Devi Bhagwat, Ganga has been called the wife of Lord Vishnu.

According toMahabharat, Ganga was the wife of King Shantanu as well as the

mother ofBhishm.

According to a legend in the Ramayana, Sagara, the king of Ayodhya who had sixty

thousand sons, once performed Ashvamegh yagya (a ritual for the good of his

kingdom and to demonstrate his supremacy). During the rituals, the horse which is

an integral parts of the ritual, was stolen by the jealous Indra and placed in the

ashram (hermitage) of saint Kapila. Sagara sent all his sons all over the earth to

search for the horse. They found it in the nether world, in the ashram of saint Kapila.

Assuming that the sage had stolen the horse, they hurled insults at him and

interrupted his meditation. The saint became very angry and burnt all sixty thousand

boys to death by the fire from his eyes. Since the final rites of these boys could not be

performed, their souls continued to wander as ghosts. After many generations,

Bhagiratha a descendant of Sagara, learnt about the fate of his ancestors and hevowed to bring Ganga to Earth so that her holy water could be used to liberate the

souls of his ancestors and release them to heaven.

King Bhagirath left his kingdom to meditate and prey the Ganga River who was

residing in the heavens to descends to the earth. Ganga could come down to the earth

only after Lord Brahma (the Supreme God) permitted her to do so. Accordingly,

Bhagirath prayed at a place in Uttarkashi where the Gangotri temple is situated these

days. He prayed to Lord Brahma for a thousand years, requesting him to permit

Goddess Ganga to come down to earth from heaven because only Ganga could

release his ancestors souls and allow them to go to heaven. On account of deepdevotion of Bhagirath, ultimately Lord Brahma was pleased with him and granted

his wish. But He told Bhagirath to pray to Lord Shiva, who alone could sustain the

huge force of descent of Ganga. Accordingly, King Bhagirath prayed to Lord Shiva

who, after some time, agreed to hold Ganga in his hair.

Accordingly, Ganga descended from heavens on Lord Shivas head and was soon

trapped in his thick locks. In the process, the river water got further purified. One the

request of King Bhagirath, Lord Shiva opened one of the locks and the river reached

the Earth. It is said that Ganga followed the chariot of Bhagirath to the place where

the ashes of his ancestors were lying and released them from the curse. Alert reader

will notice that this legend is a simple description of the hydrologic cycle. PerhapsKing Bhagirath was an ancient civil engineer or a hydrologist!

Since Bhagirath brought Ganga to Earth, one headwater stream of Ganga is known as

Bhagirathi. Further, the Hindi term Bhagirath prayas describes valiant efforts or

difficult achievements of a person.

Ganga is also known by another name: Jahnavi. According to a different

mythological story, when Ganga came down to earth long time ago, her fast moving


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waters created turbulence and destroyed crops in the fields. She also disturbed the

meditation of a saint named Jahnu. Now, Jahnu was so much angry that he drank up

all the water Ganga. This made the Devtas (semi-Gods) very sad and they prayed to

Jahnu to release Ganga so that she could proceed on her mission. After their

persistent prayers, Jahnu was pleased and he released Ganga water through his ears.

On account of this, Ganga came to known by the name Jahnavi (daughter of Jahnu)

also.

Kumbh Mela which is the largest religious gathering on Earth (attended by more

than 80 lakh devotees) takes place after every 12 years at two places on the banks of

Ganga River

Ghaghara River

The name Ghaghara seems to have originated from the Sanskrit word Ghaghara a

gurgling sound of water. Flow of this river used to produce this kind of sound.

Godavari River

Godavari is the largest river in Peninsular India and third largest in India. Godavari

is held in reverence as Vridha Ganga or DakshinGanga. Holy places are located

on the banks of the river at Nasik and Bhadrachalam.

Hooghly RiverShahjahan (the mughal king of Delhi) permitted the Portuguese to do trading in

Bengal and they built a church in Bengal in 1590. The grass that grew around the

Church wasHugla, and hence the name given to nearby river became Ogolin. With

the passage of time, it became Oglee and eventuallyHooghly.

Indus River

In Rig Veda, the deitified Sindhu is praised in many verses. Although some

historians believe that the word Sindhu means a sea, the widely held view

is that it refers to the Indus River. Therefore, Sindhu may be taken to mean

the Indus River which is described as donor of gifts and owner of fertile

fields. Our country came to be called Hindustan or India; these words are

derived from the name Indus or Sindhu. The Sindhprovince of Pakistan

derives its name from this river. Its name also figures in the nationalanthem of India. In the valley of this river rose the Indus Valley

Civilization, which is the most ancient and highly developed civilization of

this planet. A unique feature of this civilization is that it still survives

despite numerous setbacks. Many web-sites


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(e.g.,www.harappa.com,www.archaeolink.com) and books contain detailed

information about the Indus Valley Civilization.

Kaveri River

The Kaveri is known to devout Hindus as Dakshina Ganga, orthe Ganges of the south, and the whole of its course is holy ground.

According to the legend a girl named Vishnumaya or Lopamudra, the

daughter ofBrahma was born on earth.Her divine father permitted her to

be regarded as the child of Kavera-muni, a mortal. In order to obtain

beatitude for her adoptive father, she resolved to become a river whose

waters should purify all sin. Hence it is said that even the holy Ganges

resorts underground once in the year to the source of the Cauvery, to purge

herself from the pollution contracted from the crowd of sinners who havebathed in her waters.

Kosi River

The Kosi River is a notorious river in the Ganga basin for changing its course. The

river can be compared with the rivers of China which suddenly wash away large

tracts of land. Cunningham identified this river with the Tista. According to

Ramayana the river was named after Kausiki who was the sister of the sage

Vishvamitra. Like her brother, she was a lady of short temper.

Krishna River

Krishna is a mighty east flowing river of peninsular India. It is the same river as

Krsnavena in the Puranas or Krsnaveni in the Yoginitantra. It is also known as

Kanhapenna in Jatakas and Kanhapena in the Hathigumpha inscription of

Kharavela. The word Krishna also indicates dark color.

Lohit River

In the Assamese language, Lohit River is known as Luit. The word Luit comes from a

Sanskrit word Lohitya meaning red river. When the red soil of this region would get

eroded by the rain water and flow in the river, the river water would turn red and

this gave the river its name. According to a legend, Ram who was the grandson of

Maharshi Bhrangu and the son of Rishi Jagdagni, was a bright and obedient child.

Once Renuka, the wife of Rishi Jagdagni, came to the banks of the river to fetch

water. There she saw Chitrataka, a gandharva (semigod) playing with his wives.

Seeing this, Renukas mind also got enamoured. When Rishi Jagdagni came to know

about it, he was very angry and he ordered his son to kill his mother. The obedient
http://www.harappa.com/http://www.harappa.com/http://www.harappa.com/http://www.harappa.com/


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son chopped his mothers head by a parshu (sharp axe) but the parshu got stuck to

his hands. He tried many things, including long pilgrimages, but the parshu could

not be removed. It finally came off when he took a bath in the Lohit River. In this

process, Ram came to be known as Parshuram and the river which became red due to

the blood of his mother was known as the Lohit River.

Mahanadi River

The literal meaning of Mahanadi River is large size river. The originating place of

Mahanadi River, which is called as holy Ganga in Chhatisgarh and Orrisa is located

near the Ashram ofMaharshi Shrangi. It is said that once all the sages of this area

came at this place for taking holy bath inMahakumbh. The Maharshi was under

meditation and penance at that time. The sages waited for several days to draw the

attention of the Maharshi but the Maharshis meditation was not disrupted.

Thereafter, the sages went for the holy bath. While returning after the bath, all the

sages brought some holy water with them. Finding that Maharshi Shrangi was still inthe meditation, they filled the Maharshis kamandal (vessel) with water, and

returned to their native places. After some time, when the meditation of the

Maharshi Shrangi was disrupted, the water of the kamandal fell down on the ground

with the stroke of his hand. This water began to flow towards east and was converted

into a stream. This stream was called as Mahanadi which is said to fulfill the desires

of millions of people.

Mahi River

In Vayu Purana, this river is also known as Mahati. The name of the river seems to be

derived from the lake from which it springs. This is often called the Mau or Mahu as

well as the Menda. According to one legend, the Mahi is the daughter of the Earth

and sweat of Indrdyumna, the King of Ujjain.

Narmada River

Narmada is also known as Narbada (Nerbudda). It is also called Reva. The name

Reva has been mentioned in Puranas which has probably been derived from the

Sanskrit root rev to hop owing to the leaping of the stream down its rocky bed.

The Narmada River is also known by a few other names such as: Daksinaganga

mentioned in Skanda Purana, Indija, Purvaganga, Mekaladrija, Mekalasutra orMekalakanyaka (Amarakosa) and Somabhava. There are many legends regarding the

origin of the Narmada. According to the one recorded by Beglar, Narmada was the

name of the beautiful daughter of a shepherd living at the Amarkantaka. She used to

carry her fathers breakfast to him in the fields where he tended his cattle. On her

way to and back from her father, the girl used to spend some time daily in a Yogins

(a person who practices Yoga) company whose ashram was by the road side. After


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sometime, the girl killed herself for some unexplained reasons. One day the Yogin,

while in act of drinking bhang (a kind of drink), heard about the death of the poor

girl. The cup of bhang stuck to his mouth and he died. A stream of water issued from

his throat which is the Narmada River.

Another version is that the girl, finding herself pregnant with a child, committed

suicide by throwing herself over the falls of Kapiladhara, and the river in which she

died was named after her. According to another legend, the Narmada River sprang

from the body of Lord Shiva.

Pennar River

The Pennar or the Uttara Pinakini is one of the major rivers of Indian peninsula

flowing east and draining into Bay of Bengal. It is locally known as Penneru; it is

also called Henne which means Penna in Telugu language. The name Pinakini is

associated with Pinaka the bow of Siva or Nandeeswara, the presiding deity of

Nandi hills, the place of origin of the river.

Pun-Pun River

This river is mentioned in the Vayu and the Padma Puranas in connection with Gaya

Mahatmya as the Punah-punah (again and again) of which Pun-Pun is the colloquial

form. The river might have been called by this name because it was frequently in

spate. The Puranas interpret the word Punahpuna in a spiritual sense, i.e., sins are

removed again and again by offering oblations to the Pitras (forefathers) in the river.

Sarayu River

According to the Buddhist literature, the Sarayu or Sarju River is spelt as Sarabh.

Cunningham, in one of his maps, identified the Sarju with the Solomattis River

mentioned by Megasthenes. Ptolemy names a river Sarobes which is identified by all

scholars with the Sarayu.

Sipra River

The Sipra River is also called Ksipra (Markandeya). It flows in the State of Madhya

Pradesh. The river is famous for the sanctity associated with it. According to the

legend, the river has originated from the blood ofLord Vishnu. In the time of Mughal

King Akbar (15th century), it was believed that the river used to flow with milk.

Probably this means that the region where it flowed was very prosperous.

Sindh River

In Vishnu Purana, the Dasarna River in Sindh has been identified as Sindhu River.

The Sindh River is generally believed to be identical with

the Kali Sindh River.Mahabharat refers to it as Daksinasindh. TheMeghdoot refers

to Kalisindh as Sindh. In Varaha Purana the Kalisindh River has been called

as Sindhupurana.


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Sone River

It has another name inAmarkosha where it is calledHiranyavaha because either its

sand was of golden colour or because the river carried gold dust in its flow. In Hindi,

gold is called Swarna or Sona which changes to Sone with the passage of time.

Subarnarekha River

Subarnarekha was earlier known as Hiranyarekha. Both these words mean a golden

streak. The name shows that the river brought gold in its flow and this belief still

persists among the local people.

Tapi River

Also known by the name Tapti, Tapi was a daughter of Sun. Ptolemy named

it Nanagouna. It is believed that Tapi rises from the sacred tank of Multai (Mulatapi,

i.e., the source of Tapi). The Tapi has its name derived from tapa, heat andaccording to local Brahmanas, it was created by the Sun to protect himself from his

own warmth.

Teesta River

The literal meaning of the word Teesta is Trishna (desire) which never ends. In the

Pali language, Teesta is called as Tanda. The legend of the Teesta River is mentioned

in Kalika Purana. Among the other rivers of northern India,

Teesta River is also called as the younger daughter of Himalaya. There is a legend

about it in Kalika Purana. It is said that once Lord Shiva became pleased from the

hard penance of the demons and gave them blessings. That particular demon was thedevotee of Lord Shiva but he did not like Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva.

Parvati took this as an insult to her. As a result, a war started between the demon and

Parvati. The demon was injured in the war and he was feeling thirsty. He requested

Lord Shiva to save his life by quenching his thirst. Lord Shiva became pleased and

from his inspiration, a stream of nectar like milky water started flowing from the

Parvatis breast. This stream wascalled as Teesta River and this river is fulfilling the

desires of the people even today

Tungabgadra River

Tungabhadra is a famous river of South India. It is also called Dhatri (midwife) ofVedas. While the Vedas were written in saptsindhav or the country of seven rivers,

their bhashya was written on the banks of Tungabhadra.

There is a legend about the origin of Tungabhadra River in Skand Purana. It is

mentioned that once Lord Barah (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who brought the

Earth out of the pool of water after the great deluge) was resting at Barah Parvat.

Suddenly, from his two front teeth, water started dropping. This water was converted


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into two streams. The stream originated from the left tooth was called as Tunga and

the stream originated from the right tooth was called as Bhadra.

The Tunga and Bhadra rivers are known as the sisters and they join together at

Kundly and flow as the Tungabhadra River. Tungabhadra finally joins Krishna

River, which is called as mother of these rivers. Its water is considered to be the best

drinkable water in the world.

Yamuna River

The Yamuna River is regarded as sister of Yama, the God of death. Bana in his

epic Kadambari calls the Yamuna River as Kalindi, because its water appears to be

dark. People believe that those who take bath in the waters of this river become free

from the fear of death.

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