Rivers Tapti, Sutlej,beas& chenab

Courtesy: Mr.Gopala krishnan

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NARMADA SINDHU KAVERI
GODAVRI NAMOSTHUTHAE 28

(To be concluded with series …. 30)
Dear friends
This is part 28 of the posting under the above title. I have covered all the
rivers told under the title already. I am continuing under the same title since
many members responded expressing the desire to post about other rivers also and
felt the title very impressive to them. This posting is about the rivers TAPTI .

Sincerely
Gopala Krishnan

1.Tapti River Introduction
The Tapti River is a river in central India, in Gujarat passing from Surat and
Songadh . It is one of the major rivers of peninsular India with a length of
around 724 km. It is one of only three rivers in peninsular India that run from
east to west - the others being the Narmada River and the Mahi River of
Pondichery state . We pass through Mahi on the way to Kannur from Calicut of
Kerala state!!
The river rises in the eastern Satpura Range of southern Madhya Pradesh state,
and flows westward, draining Madhya Pradesh's Nimar region, Maharashtra's
Kandesh and east Vidarbha regions in the northwest corner of the Deccan Plateau
and south Gujarat, before emptying into the Gulf of Cambay of the Arabian Sea,
in the Surat District of Gujarat.
The river, along with the northern parallel Narmada river, form the boundaries
between North and South India.( If I recollect this was toaught in middle school
classes)
The Western Ghats or Sahyadri range starts south of the Tapti River near the
border of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Tapti (Tapi) River empties into the Gulf
of Khambhat near the city of Surat in Gujarat.
2. Name- Mythology origin
The Tapti River originates in the Betul district from a place called Multai. The
Sanskrit name of Multai is Mulatapi, meaning origin of Tâpî Mâtâ or the Tapti
River.
Tapti is the daughter of Surya, the Sun God.( I knew about YAMI brother of
Yama , but Tapthi also daughter of SunGod is a new information to me )
The Tapi River in Thailand, was named after India's Tapti River in August 1915.
3.River basin and tributaries
The Tapti River basin encompasses an area of 65,145 km², which is nearly two
percent of the total area of India. The basin lies in the states of Maharashtra
(51,504 km²), Madhya Pradesh (9,804 km²) and Gujarat (3,837 km²).
The basin lies mostly in the northern and eastern districts Maharashtra state,
including Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, and
Nashik districts, but also includes the Betul and Burhanpur districts of Madhya
Pradesh and the Surat district of Gujarat.
4.List of tributaries
The principal tributaries of the Tapti River are the Purna River, Girna River,
Panzara River, Waghur River, Bori River and Aner River. Wikipedia list 42 more
rivers (Forty two rivers !!!) as other tributaries which include:
Shiva River in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra State
Arunavati River in Dhule district of Maharashtra state
Girna River in Nashik, Malegaon, Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra state. Joins
Tapti River at Kapileshwar at Dhule and Jalgaon Border
Purna River in Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra state
and Madhya Pradesh State. Joins Tapti River at Changdev in Jalgaon
Nala ganga and Viswa ganga rivers in Buldhana
Viswamithri and Umaa rivers in Akola
Chandra Bhaga and Khadu rivers in Amaravati
5.Some thing more about Poorna river

The word Purna means Complete. It is also equivalent to word 'Sampurna'

Purna River was also called as 'Payoshni' or 'Paisani'. ("Amrut") It is Sanskrit
word which means Ambrosia. Perhaps it was called as Payoshni/Paisani because it
flows through salt water belt but has very a good taste and is very
Hygenic.There are many rivers named as Purna

5.Places of interest
Major towns along the river include Multai, Betul and Burhanpur in Madhya
Pradesh, Bhusawal in Maharashtra and Surat in Gujarat.
Major crossings of the river include the road bridge Sawalde in Dhule for
National Highway 3 and the railway bridge at Bhusawal for the Bhusawal - Khandwa
section of the Central Railway. The river is dammed by Hatnur Dam in Jalgaon,
Maharashtra and Ukai Dam in Songadh, Gujarat.
Other important sites along the river include the Melghat Tiger Reserve in
Amravati district, part of Project Tiger, on the southeast bank along the Madhya
Pradesh and Maharashtra boundary. Historical landmarks include the Asirgarh
fortress near Burhanpur, also known as the "key to the Deccan", and the ancient
Temple of Changdeo Maharaj at Changdev in Jalgaon.
6.Sangam River Introduction
Sangam is the confluence of three of the holiest rivers in Hindu mythology -
Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. At the Sangam, the waters of the
Ganges and the Yamuna can be distinctly seen to merge into one. At Allahabad,
the meeting point of the rivers is believed to have great soul cleansing powers
and is a major pilgrimage site. It is even more holy because the invisible
Saraswati river is supposed to the join the Ganga and Yamuna at this point. It
is in Allahabad we perform the 1st phase of Gaya sraadha.
7.Legendry Saga:
According to mythology, the gods and demons once churned the oceans to retrieve
a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality - amrit -- after which a struggle
ensued between the two to wrest control of this pitcher. It is said that during
the scuffle, a few drops of amrit were spilled at places, making them hallowed
and sacred. The waters at the Sangam are believed to have received the amrit too
and a dip in these holy waters during the Kumbh is believed to cleanse and
purify the soul.
8.Religious Importance:
Brahma is said to have called this spot Tirth Raj, or 'King of Pilgrimage
sites'. The holy confluence draws pilgrims at all times, specially during the
Kumbh Mela time when loyal pilgrims gather here to offer their penances and seek
blessings.
It is believed that it is at the Sangam, that a few drops of the nectar 'Amrit
Bindu' fell making its waters truly spiritual and replete with soul-cleansing
powers as told earlier too.
9.Kumbha mela
During the month of Magha (Mid Jan to Mid Feb) hundreds of thousands of pilgrims
come to the bath at this holy confluence for the festival known as Magh Mela.
The most propitious time of all happens every 12 years when the massive Kumbh
Mela takes place. At this time the Sangam truly comes alive and attracts the
devout/tourists from all over the world. Millions of devotees bathe ritually in
the waters to break the eternal cycle of reincarnation.
In next posting I will continue with CHENAB,SUTLEJ and BEAS RIVERS

NARMADA SINDHU KAVERI
GODAVRI NAMOSTHUTHAE 29

(To be concluded with NEXT POSTING)

Dear friends
This is part 29 of the posting under the above title. I have covered all the rivers told under the title already. I am continuing under the same title since many members responded expressing the desire to post about other rivers also and felt the title very impressive to them. This posting is about the rivers CHENAB, SUT LAJ and BEAS rivers. Since I have proposed to conclude with next posting some briefing is adopted.

Sincerely
Gopala Krishnan
1.Chenab/Chandra bhaga river – introduction

The Chenab River is formed by the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers at Tandi located in the upper Himalayas in the Lahul and Spiti District of Himachal Pradesh, India. In its upper reaches it is also known as the Chandrabhaga. It flows through the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir into the plains of the Punjab, forming the boundary between the Rechna and Jech interfluves (Doabs in Persian). It is joined by the Jhelum River at Trimmu and then by the Ravi River Ahmedpur Sial. It then merges with the Sutlej River near Uch Sharif, Pakistan to form the Panjnad or the 'Five Rivers', the fifth being the Beas River that joins the Satluj near Ferozepur, India.

The Chenab then joins the Indus at Mithankot, Pakistan. The total length of the Chenab is approximately 960 kilometres. The waters of the Chenab are allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty.

2.History

The river was known to Indians in the Vedic period as Chandrabhaga also Ashkini or Iskmati and as Acesines to the Ancient Greeks. In 325 BC, Alexander the Great allegedly founded the town of Alexandria on the Indus (present day Uch Sharif or Mithankot or Chacharan in Pakistan) at the confluence of the Indus and the combined stream of Punjab rivers (currently known as the Panjnad River).

3. Conscious of Punjab

The Chenab has the same place in the consciousness of the people of the Punjab as, say, the Rhine holds for the Germans, or the Danube for the Austrians and the Hungarians. It is the iconic river around which Punjabi consciousness revolves, and plays a prominent part in the tale of Heer Ranjha, the Punjabi national epic and the legend of Sohni Mahiwal.

This river has been in the news of late due to the steps taken by the Indian government to build a number of hydropower dams along its length (in India) most notably the Baglihar hydel power project (expected time of completion 2008- no updating found). This is a result of the Indus Basin Project. These planned projects on Chenab have been hotly contested by Pakistan which says that India is breaking the terms and clauses of the Indus water treaty by storing and channelling the waters of this river, a claim totally rejected by the Indian government.

4.Bridges

Chenab is tributary to Indus River. The river is crossed in Jammu and Kashmir by the world's highest railway bridge.

5.SATLUJ RIVER
The Mighty Satluj River lies in the Ngari region of the Tibet, the Dauladhar range forms its Southern Range – the Uttarkashi Range making a part of Uttar Pradesh and the Shimla of Himachal Pradesh. Satluj River enters India through Shipki La – as high as 6, 608 mts from sea. The major tributaries to the Satluj River are the Indus Valley River – the main river of Pakistan.

6. Sutlej river cultivation

In India Satluj River makes an important source to cultivate various fruits and plants in the North Eastern Part. On both the sides of the river can be found crops of orchids, apricots, apples and grapes. It is the major source of providing life to many ornamental plants, which are grown in Indian Hill Stations – especially in the Northern India.

7. Major cities across Sutluj

Satluj crosses some of the major cities of India. Its course includes crossing - Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Solan, Mandi and Bilaspur districts. Some of the major tributaries of Satluj are viz. the Spiti, the Ropa, the Taiti, the Kashang, the Mulgaon, the Yula, the Wanger, the Throng and the Rupi as right bank tributaries, whereas the Tirung, the Gayathing, the Baspa, the Duling and the Soldang are left bank tributaries. Out of all these Baspa River, Spiti River, Nogli Khad and Soan River are the major Tributaries of Satluj River.

8. Pshong Tong Valley

In the Himalayan Ranges too, the Satluj River has a large deep area. This area is known as Pshong – Tong. Pshong Tong is a called as the fruit Valley for the variety of fruits it bears. Apples, apricots, grapes, cherries – all of them fill the lush green grounds making them colourful.

Though there isn't much of Religious aspects related to Satluj River, still it is considered to have the waters of Satluj River in any of the Religious Functions.

9 Sutluj raffling

Adventures: Satluj is very famous for an exciting and thrilling adventure. Popular as it is, Rafting is one of the most sought after adventures of India. All the three places, which the river crosses – Zanzkar Valley, the Dauladhar Range and the Uttarkashi Range are famous for rafting. People from all over the country and also from outside countries come to enjoy this thrill. It s a thing one must go for.

10.Satluj tourism

Satluj River crosses places, which are at quite a height. These places are Snow cladded in the Winters (November – January end) and require a lot of woollens to be taken along. However the summers (February to May end) are the best months to be here. (Sometimes there can be snowfall in February too, so check out before planning a tour).

•Ranges like Dauladher and Zanzkar are not considered as Hill Stations. So you can expect more of open places and easy Hotel Reservations. Not less than any other Hill Stations, these are beautiful places to go to in the Spring Season.

Shimla and Uttarkashi however can be quite crowded in the springs and winters as these are very famous Hill Stations of India. Ask us for all the details.

11. Sutluj mouth
The Sutlej joins with the Beas River in Hari-Ke-Patan, Amritsar, Punjâb, India, and continues southwest into Pakistan to unite with the Chenab River, forming the Panjnad River south of ancient Multân. The Panjnad joins the Indus River at Mithankot. Indus then flows through a gorge near Sukkur, flows through the fertile plains region of Sindh, and terminates in the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Pakistan.
12. Bhakra Nangal Dam
The waters of the Sutlej are allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, and are mostly diverted to irrigation canals in India[1].
A huge, multipurpose Bhakra-Nangal Dam has been built on the Sutlej by the Indian government. There are several major hydroelectric projects on the Sutlej, e.g. the 1000MW Karcham-Wangtoo HEP. There has been a proposal to build a 214-kilometre (133 mi) long heavy freight canal, known as the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL), in India to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. However, the proposal met obstacles and was referred to the Supreme Court.
13 Sutluj Vedic Saraswathi relation

The Sutlej was known as Úutudri in the Vedic period. The Royal navy vessels named after it, is HMS Sutlej (1899).
There is substantial geologic evidence to indicate that prior to 1700 BC at the latest, Sutlej was an important tributary of the Ghaggar-Hakra River (possibly through the Saraswati river) rather than the Indus with various authors putting the redirection from 2500-2000 BCor 5000-3000 BC.
Geologists believe that tectonic activity created elevation changes which redirected the flow of Sutlej from the southeast to the southwest[
The mighty Saraswati then began to dry up, causing desertification of Cholistan and the eastern part of the modern state of Sindh. The desertification resulted in abandonment of numerous ancient human settlements along the banks of Saraswati[
There is some evidence that the high rate of erosion caused by the modern Sutlej River has influenced the local faulting and rapidly exhumed rocks above Rampur.This would be similar to, but on a much smaller scale then, the exhumation of rocks by the Indus River in Nanga Parbat, Pakistan. The Sutlej river also exposes a doubled inverted metamorphic gradient.
The source of the Sutlej is just west of Mt. Kailash in western Tibet. This is roadless area, and was first explored by kayak and raft by Russian and German teams in 2004.
The largest modern industrial city along the Sutlej banks is Ludhiana.Ludhiana is famous for its woolen items and Locks .
14 BEAS RIVER

The Beas River is the second easternmost of the rivers of the Punjab, a tributary of Indus River. The river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for some 470 km (290 miles) to the Sutlej River in western Punjab state.

15.Etymology
The river was also known as Arjikuja of the Vedas or Vipasa to the ancient Indians and the Hyphasis to the Ancient Greeks .
The present name Beas is thought to be a corruption of the older name and original name Vipasha in Sanskrit. The river got this name, Vi-pasha, the one who removed the bondage or pasha in Sanskrit), according to a ancient texts, the river was named after sage Vasistha.
16.Vasistha and Beas
Vasistha, tried to end his life due to the death of his 100 sons, by jumping into this river and tying himself. But as soon as the sage fell into the river, all the knots got untied and he did not die. The river is also referred to as Vipasha in Himachal, especially by the scholars.
It is, that Beas is a misnomer for Vayasa (exchange of B with V and always truncation of the last vowel is common in North Indian languages) is named after Veda Vyasa, the presiding patron of the river, he is said to have created it from its source lake, the Vyas Kund.
17.Geography
The Beas River marks the eastern-most border of Alexander's conquests in 326 BC. According to Kavyamimansa [3] of Rajasekhara, the kingdom-territories of of Gurjara-Pratihara monarch Mahipala I was extended till the upper course of the river Bias in the north-west.
The river begins at the Rohtang Pass in the state of Himachal Pradesh, merging with the Sutlej at Harike Pattan south of Amritsar in Punjab, India via Mandi. The Sutlej continues into Pakistani Punjab and joins the Chenab River at Uch to form the Panjnad River; the latter in turn joins the Indus River at Mithankot. The waters of the Ravi, Beas (Vipasha) and Sutlej (also known as Shathadru) rivers are allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan.
I am concluding the series with NEXT POSTING

NARMADA SINDHU KAVERI
GODAVRI NAMOSTHUTHAE 30

This is FINAL PART 30 of the posting under the above title. This posting is about the rivers Dudh Kosi, Meghna and a brief about Saptha Sindhu.

1.DUDH KOSI
Dudh Kosi (Milk River) is a river in eastern Nepal.I was attracted to the river by its very name.
1.1Course-Dudh kosi
The river begins just east of Gokyo Lakes and flows south to Namche Bazaar. There, it is joined by the Bhote Kosi, which drains the south and west of the Mount Everest massif. Continuing south, the Dudh Kosi exits Sagarmatha National Park and passes to the west of Lukla. The Lamding Khola joins the Dudh Kosi to the southwest of Surkya and continues its southerly course to Harkapur, where it joins the Sun Kosi river and forms the Kosi River.
1.2Kayaking
The river is having extreme white water on flow and hence the name. Normally it can't be used for watersports. The first kayak trip was made 1976 by a British expedition under the leadership of Mike Jones.
2. MEGHNA RIVER
The Meghna River is an important river in Bangladesh, one of the three that forms the Ganges Delta, the largest on earth fanning out to the Bay of Bengal. Being a part of the Surma-Meghna River System, Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh by the joining of different rivers originaing from the hilly regions of eastern India. The river meets Padma River in Chandpur District. The river ultimately flows into the Bay of Bengal in Bhola District.
2.1 Meghna widest river in Bangaladesh
The Meghna is the widest river among those that flow completely inside the boundaries of Bangladesh. At one point near Bhola, Meghna is 12 km wide. In its lower reaches this river follows almost a straight line in its path. Despite its very calm and quiet look, this river is the cause of many deaths every year. Several ferry sinkings in the past have killed hundreds, like the MV Salahuddin-2 and the MV Nasrin-1. Near Chandpur it is very dangerous.
The river's average depth is 1,012 feet (308 m) and maximum depth is 1,620 feet (490 m). In the origin of Hatiya and Bhola, the deepest point is the Meghna River Creek, it reaches 1,998 feet (609 m).
2.2 Course- Meghna river
The Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh by the joining of the Surma and Kushiyara rivers originating from the hilly regions of eastern India. Down to Chandpur, Meghna is hydrographically referred to as the Upper Meghna. After the Padma joins, it is referred to as the Lower Meghna.
Near Muladhuli in Barisal district, the Safipur River is an offshoot of the Surma that creates one of the main rivers in South Bengal. 1.5 km wide, this river is one of the widest in the country as well.
At Ghatalpur of Brahmanbaria District, the river Titas emerges from Meghna and after circling two large bends by 240 km, falls into the Meghna again near Nabinagar Upazila. Titas forms as a single stream but braids into two distinct streams which remain separate before re-joining the Meghna.
River Meghna from the bridge over the riverIn Daudkandi, Comilla, Meghna is joined by the great river GOMOTI( not Gomathi ), created by the combination of many streams. This river reinforces Meghna a lot and increases the waterflow considerably. The pair of bridges over Meghna and Gomoty are two of the country's largest bridges. The Dakatua River is also part of the river system in Comilla district.
2.3 Padma, Jamuna and Meghna combined flow
Meghna is reinforced by the Dhaleshwari before Chandpur as well. The name for the largest distributary of the Ganges in Bangladesh is the Padma River. When the Padma joins with the Jamuna River, the largest distributary of the Brahmaputra, and they join with the Meghna in Chandpur District, the result in Bangladesh is called the Lower Meghna. When the brown and hazy water of the Padma mix with the clear water of the Upper Meghna, the two streams do not mix but flow in parallel down to the sea - making half of the river clear and the other half brown. This peculiarity of the river is always a great attraction for people. ( I was attracted to write about Meghna on account of it)
After Chandpur, when the river has the combined flow of the Padma and Jamuna it moves down to the Bay of Bengal in an almost straight line. In her course from Chandpur to Bay of Bengal, the Meghna braids into a number of little rivers including the Pagli, Katalia, Dhonagoda, Matlab and Udhamodi. All of these rivers flow out from the Meghna and rejoin again at points downstream.
Near Bhola, just before flowing into the Bay of Bengal, the river divides into two main streams in the Ganges delta and separates an island from both sides of the mainland. The western stream is called Ilsha and the eastern one is called Bamni.
3. SAPTHA SINDHU
Rivers, such as the Sapta Sindhu ("seven rivers"), play a prominent part in the hymns of the Rigveda, and consequently in early Vedic religion.
3.1 Sapta Sindhu details
The Sapta Sindhu are a group of seven chief rivers of uncertain or fluctuating identification (the number seven is of greater importance than the exact members of the group, compare the Saptarishi, and also the seven seas.
It is unclear how exactly the seven rivers were intended to be enumerated. They are often referred as located in the Punjab region in northwestern India / northern Pakistan. If Sarasvati's membership is taken for granted, and the five major rivers of the Punjab are included (Sutudri, Parusni, Asikni, Vitasta, Vipas all tributaries of Sindhu), one river is missing.Perhaps Arjikiya or Sushoma also may be among it . In RV 10.64.8 and RV 10.75.1, three groups of seven rivers are referred .
3.2 Geography of the Rigveda
Identification of Rigvedic rivers is the single most important way of establishing the geography of the early Vedic civilization. Rivers with certain identifications stretch from eastern Afghanistan to the western Gangetic plain, clustering in the Punjab. Some river names appear to go back to common Indo-Iranian rivers, with cognate river names in Avestan, notably the Sarasvati and the Sarayu.
A number of names can be shown to have been re-applied to other rivers as the center of Vedic culture moved. It is only possible to establish a clear picture for the latest phase of the Rigveda, thanks to the Nadistuti sukta which contains a geographically ordered list of rivers. The most prominent river of the Rigveda is the Sarasvati, next to the Indus in the late Rigveda. The reason for this is mostly ascribed to the movement of Vedic Aryans from out of their early seats in Gandhara and eastern Afghanistan into the Indus valley.
Dear readers
I am completing my posting under the head Narmada Sindhu Kaveri Godavari Namosthuthae with this.
I TAKE THIS OCCASION TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE THANKS TO THE MODERATORS OF FOUR YAHOO GROUPS THATHA PATTI, US BRHAMINS, IYER 123 AND PATTARS FOR PUBLISHING MY POSTINGS .
I have replied all the members who have responded on reading my postings. If any body is not responded, it is because I have not received their mail. A few members like Saikrishnan has furnished added information.
A LOT OF MEMBERS HAVE SEND APPRECIATIONS ON READING MY POSTINGS. I THANK ONE AND ALL WHO ENCOURAGED ME MUCH .
Undoubtedly I too have enriched my knowledge by making out these postings.
Sincerely
Gopala krishnan 2-5-2010
(CONCLUDED)

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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

 Every moment, thank God

River Jhelum

courtesy : Mr.Gopala Krishnan

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1.INTRODUCTION

I still have a recollection of my Geographic Question answering in my standard VIII, -Name one of the rivers flowing through India and Pakistan and I answered as Jhelum. Later once I read about Rig Veda, I learnt Jhelum has a reference in it.

It is the largest and most western of the five rivers of Punjab, and passes through Jhelum District. It is a tributary of the Chenab River and has a total length of about 774 kilometres.

2.Reference in Srimaha Bhagavatham
The river Jhelum is called Vitastâ in the Rigveda and Hydaspes by the ancient Greeks. The Vitasta is mentioned as one of the major rivers by the holy scriptures of the Indo-Aryans — the Rigveda. It has been speculated that the Vitastâ must have been one of the seven rivers (sapta-sindhu) mentioned so many times in the Rigveda. The name survives as Vyeth in Kashmiri. According to the Srimaha Bhagavatam, the Vitastâ is one of the many transcendental rivers flowing through the land of Bharata, or ancient India.

3. Historical references

The river was regarded as a God by the ancient Greeks. They called it Hydaspes a Titan descended God. It is not clear whether they named the river after the god, or whether the god Hydaspes was named after the river.

Alexander the Great and his army crossed the Jhelum in BC 326 at the Battle of the Hydaspes River where he defeated the Indian king, Porus. According to Arrian (Anabasis, 29), Alexander built a city "on the spot whence he started to cross the river Hydaspes", which he named Bukephala to honour his famous horse Bukephalus. It is thought that ancient Bukephala was near the site of modern Jhelum City.
4. Sage Kashyapa and Verinag city in Kashimir

Verinag is situated at a distance of approximately 80 km from Srinagar in Kashmir. Reached through the link road, it is located at a height of 1,876 m. It is believed that the Verinag spring in Kashmir is the chief source of the river Jhelum. There is an octagonal base at the spring, surrounded by a covered passage.

Considered to be the chief source of the River Jhelum, often Verinag is termed as the lifeline of the province of Jammu and Kashmir; the beautiful region of Verinag is indeed one of the best options of a weekend getaway from Srinagar. A tour to Verinag reveals the secret of the source of the River Jhelum, a spring after which the region itself has been named.

The Verinag Spring is named after Nila Nag, the son of sage Kashyapa, to whom, goes the credit of establishing the territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The spring, which was originally shaped in a circular form was given a change of shape during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1620, when he gave orders to renovate the spring in the Mughal traditional shape of an octagon. Today, picturesque in its settings and surrounded by tall Pine trees, the Verinag Spring is characterized by waters, which are calm and sparklingly clear. Besides a glimpse of the Verinag Spring, a tour to Verinag is made even more special by the sight of several varieties of colourful flowers, gently swaying to the rhythm of the cool, mountain air.

The easiest way of reaching Verinag is by air. The nearest airport is at the Badgam District around 80 kms away from the village of Verinag. The nearest railhead to Verinag is at Jammu from where it takes an approximate time of around an hour to reach Verinag. Verinag is well connected to a number of other regions of Jammu and Kashmir. There are a number of well-maintained roads, which lead to Verinag.

5. Course of Jhelum River

The river Jhelum rises from a spring at Verinag situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the southeastern part of the valley of Kashmir in India. It flows through Srinagar and the Wular Lake before entering Pakistan through a deep narrow gorge.

The Kishenganga (Neelum) River, the largest tributary of the Jhelum, joins it, at Domel Muzaffarabad.

Another tributary to Jhelum River is the Kunhar River of the Kaghan valley. Kunhar River also connects with Pakistan and Pakistan-held Kashmir on Kohala Bridge east of Circle Bakote.

Jhelum is then joined by another tributary the Poonch River, and flows into the Mangla Dam reservoir in the district of Mirpur. The Jhelum enters the Punjab in the Jhelum District. From there, it flows through the plains of Pakistan's Punjab, forming the boundary between the Chaj and Sindh Sagar Doabs. It ends in a confluence with the river Chenab at Trimmu in District Jhang. The Chenab merges with the Sutlej to form the Panjnad River, which joins the Indus River at Mithankot. (Dear friends, I am adding all these details so that at one time any friend refers to these places, it will not be totally unfamiliar)

6. Dams, canals and barrages.

The waters of the Jhelum are allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty. Water control structures are being built as a result of the Indus Basin Project, including the following:

Mangla Dam, completed in 1967, is one of the largest earth fill dams in the world, with a storage capacity of 5.9 million acre-feet (7.3 km³)

Rasul Barrage, constructed in 1967, has a maximum flow of 850,000 ft³/s (24,000 m³/s).

Trimmu Barrage, constructed in 1939 some 90 km from Mari Shah Sakhira town, at the confluence with the Chenab, has maximum discharge capacity of 645,000 ft³/s (18,000 m³/s).

Victoria Bridge at Harahpur Constructed in 1933 Approximate 5 km from malakwal near Chak nizam Village. Its length is 1 km mainly used by Pakistan Railways but there is a passage for light vehicle (motor cycle, cycle and by boot at both side).
The Upper Jhelum Canal runs from Mangla to the Chenab. Another The Rasul-Qadirabad Link Canal runs from the Rasul barrage to the Chenab.
The Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal runs from the Chashma Barrage on the Indus River to the Jhelum river downstream of Rasul Barrage. This is 40 km away from Mari Shah Sakhira town.

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

 Every moment, thank God

River Bhagirathi

Courtesy : Mr.Gopala Krishnan

=========================

 

1.Introduction

Many of our iyer girls are named Bhaagirathi or Bhaagirathi Ammal, shortened to Bhagi and called sometimes. However there are Bhageeratha Iyers also. I could meet one Mr. Bhageeratha iyer from Trivandrum, if I recollect, in charge of Kalmandapam (Chennai) telephone exchange in 75's. Other Hindu communities too have name like Bhaagirathi Amma and Bhageerathan Nair as well as Bhagi.

It comes to me the painting of king Bhageeratha doing penance by Raja Ravi varma. This picture in which river Ganga is shown as Goddess with back ground of flowing water descending was adorning in one of the walls of my Pandalam samooha matam on those days. Though we say Bhagirathi is another name for Ganga actually it is a tributary of Ganga as we read through.

I have to mention also about word Bhageeratha Prayatnam a commonly used word for achieving some thing by very hard work in Malayalam as well as Tamil. I feel getting a suitable bride for a boy with in our community today is felt by many as an achievement by Bhageeratha prayatnam. Let me proceed with river Bhagirathi

2. Bhagirathi – origin

Bhagirathi is a turbulent Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India that is the source stream of the Ganges—the major river of the Gangetic plain of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism.

2.Etymology

The word "Bhagirathi" (Sanskrit, literally, "caused by Bhagiratha") refers to a mythological Sagar Dynasty prince Bhagiratha , who, to gain the release his 60,000 great-grand fathers from the curse of saint Kapila, brought the goddess Ganga in the form of the river Ganges, from the heavens to the earth. Though all elders may well know for the sake of youngsters and kids let me just brief the story.

3.Mythology- Bhagirathy -The River From Heaven

According to the Indian mythology King Sagar had 60,000 sons. He defeated all the asuras in the earth and wanted to perform an Ashwamedha Yagya to declare his supremacy. For this as per the norms prevalent for Aswamedha yaga, he sent his horse across the earth accompanied by his sons

The King of Heaven, Lord Indra feared the power of King Sagar and desired to stop him. Indra stole the aswamedha horse and tied it to the ashram of Sage Kapil. When the 60,000 sons saw the horse in Kapil's ashram they got furious and started to attack the hermitage. Sage Kapil was in deep meditation and on hearing the disturbance he opened his eyes in anger and all the 60,000 sons of King Sagar were reduced to ashes, except for prince Asamanjas. His son was king Anshuman.
Slightly makku persons we call Asamanju. Do king Asamanju was a makku? There was a Tamil film named "Pareekshaikku neramachhu" acted by Late Sivaji Ganesan and Sujatha and YG Mahendra as the asamanju son…. Many may think of it now.

Anshuman the grandson of King Sagar brought the horse back from the Sage and asked for his forgiveness. Sage Kapil told him that the sons could be brought to life only if Ganga is brought from heaven to earth. Neither Anshuman nor his son Dilip could be successful in this task. But Dilip's son, Bhagiratha was determined to get this task done. SO EARLIER TO KING BHAGIRATHA HIS GRAND FATHER KING ANSHUMAN AND FATHER KING DILIP MADE PRAYERS TO BRING BHAGEERATHI TO EARTH.

King Bhageeratha started meditating intensely for several years and finally Ganga got pleased and descended to the earth. To prevent the earth from flooding, Lord Shiva received Ganga on his matted locks. King Bhagiratha then worshipped Lord Shiva and Shiva blessed him and released Ganga from his locks in seven streams. The water of Ganga touched the ashes of Sagar sons who rose to the their eternal rest in heaven. As I stated earlier Ganga is referred as Bhageerathi also.

The seven tributaries of Ganga are Bhagirathi, Janhvi, Bhilangana, Mandakini, Rishiganga, Saraswati and Alaknanda, which merge into Ganga at Devprayag.

The rock on which King Bhagiratha is believed to have meditated, is called Bhagiratha Shila and is located near the temple of Ganga.

4.Course of Bhagirathi

The headwaters of the Bhagirathi are formed at Gaumukh at an elevation of 3.9 KMs at the foot of the Gangotri glacier and Khatling glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya. It is then joined by its tributaries; these are, in order from the source:

1.The Kedar Ganga at Gangotri 2.The Jadh Ganga at Bhaironghati 3.The Kakora Gad and Jalandhari Gad near Harsil 4.The Asi Ganganear Uttarkashi and finally 5.The Bhilangna near Old Tehri . The first three tributaries meet Bhageerathi at an elevation above 2.5 KMs and the later two at an elevation about 1 KM. We have excellent bathing ghats on Bhagirathi at Gangothri. I have also stayed in a Hotel by name Gangothri near Bangalore majestic bus stand .

The Bhilangna itself rises at the foot of the Khatling Glacier at an elevation of 3.7Kms and approximately 50 km south of Gaumukh.

Bhagirathi flows from its source for 205 km before meeting the Alaknanda River at an elevation of 475 m in the town of Devprayag. I hope many may recollect Malayalam Doordarsan TV channel newsreader by name Alaka Nanda. I did never know when she appeared first on News channels, Alakananda was the name of a river at all. It is a very strange name among women of Kerala.

Downstream of this confluence, considered holy by Hindus, the river is known as the Ganga or Ganges River. The controversial Tehri dam lies at the confluence of the Bhâgirathi and the Bhilangna near Tehri.

5. Dams across Bhagirathi

Really while updating from wikipedia my datas, I was astonished to read other than two dams existing another 16 are under construction/ planning across Bhagirathi River .
5.1 Tehri Dam

Tehri Dam is the primary dam of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd., a major hydroelectric project cantered near Tehri Town. Located on the Bhagirathi River, the principal tributary of the sacred River Ganges, the Tehri Dam has a height of 855 feet making it the 5th tallest dam in the world.

5.1.1 Tehri dam - Overview

The dam's intended capabilities include a power generation capacity of 2400 MW, provision of irrigation to an area of 270,000 hectares, irrigation stabilization to an area of 600,000 hectares, and a supply of 270 million gallons of drinking water per day to the industrialized areas of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. There is another smaller dam 14 km downstream at Koteshwar that will produce 400 MW of electricity, and is still considered part of the TDP hydroelectric plan.

5.1.2 Issues raised by Environmental organizations

The Tehri Dam has been an object of active protestation by environmental organizations and local people of the region. In addition to the human rights concerns, the project has spurred concerns about the environmental consequences of locating a large dam in the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan foothills. There are further concerns regarding the dam's geological stability. The Tehri dam is located in the Central Himalayan Seismic Gap, a major geologic fault zone. This region was the site of a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in October 1991, with an epicenter 500 km from the location of the dam. Dam proponents claim that the complex is designed to withstand an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude, but some seismologists say that earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.5 or more could occur in this region. Were such a catastrophe to occur, the potentially resulting dam-break would submerge numerous towns downstream, whose populations total near half a million.

The relocation of more than 100,000 people from the area has led to protracted legal battles over resettlement rights, and ultimately resulted in the project's delayed completion.

Since 2005 as such filling of the reservoir has led to a reduced flow of Bhagirathi water from the normal 1000 ft³/s to a mere 2 ft³/s. This reduction has been central to local protest against the dam, since the Bhagirathi is considered part of the sacred Ganges whose waters are crucial to Hindu mythology.

At some points during the year, the tampering with Bhagirathi waters means this tributary stops flowing. This has created resentment among many Hindus, as the sanctity of the Ganges has been greatly compromised for the generation of electricity. In spite of concerns and protestation, operation of the Tehri Dam continues, and the complex generated its first unit of electricity in June 2006.

Dear members, many among us are interested in these type of details as a lot of information is provided like a spoon-feeding as a member mentioned in his response. These are all interesting for me also. ( Not interested can simply delete)

5.2 Maneri Bali Dam

Another dam under operation is Maneri Bali dam
It is 78 metres height, produce 90 KW power.

6. Dams under construction and planning

The dams under construction are Lohari nagar Pala, Pala maneri, Koteshwar and Kotibel.
The dams proposed are at Kamoli, Gangothri, Jhat Ganga, Bhairong ghati, Harsil, Bhilagana etc. At some places more than a Dam is proposed.
knr
--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

 Every moment, thank God

River yamuna

Courtesy: Mr.Gopala Krishnan

=========================

 

Since I have read very early about Tajmahal is on the bank of Yamuna in Agra I
was very specific to observe Yamuna on my first visit to Tajmahal in 1993 near
Tajmahal.

Yamuna is also known to me due to Triveni Sangamam at Allahabad where it merges
to Ganga and Saraswathi (under water) where I had my first phase of Pithru
Theertha sraddaha, which ended with Gaya sraadha in 2004.

2. Yamuna daughter of Sun God

In Hindu mythology, Yamuna is the daughter of Sun God, Soorya , and sister of
Yama, the God of Death, hence also known as Yami and according to popular
legends, bathing in its sacred waters frees one from the torments of death.

3. Yamunotri temple and Markandeya theertha

Just like the Ganges, the Yamuna too is highly venerated in Hinduism and
worshipped as goddess Yamuna, throughout its course. I am told the first
iconography was of Ganga and Yamuna on the entry pillars of temples.

The Yamunotri temple on the river is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna. Yamunotri
temple is one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism, and part of the Chota Char
Dham Yatra circuit. Also standing close to the temple, on its 13 km trek route,
that follows the right bank of the river, lies the Markendeya Tirtha, where it
is told the sage Markandeya wrote the Markandeya Purana

4. Yamuna- tributary river of the Ganges

The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges (Ganga) in northern
India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height 6,387 metres., on the
southwestern slopes of Banderpooch peaks, in the Lower Himalayas, in the
Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, north of Haridwar.
It travels a total length of 1,376 kilometres and has a drainage system of
366,223 km2, 40.2% of the entire Ganga Basin, before merging with the Ganges at
Triveni Sangam, Allahabad. Allahabad is the site for the Kumbha Mela every
twelve years and our first phase of theertha sraddha finally ending with Gaya
sraadha.

5. Yamuna Path and main tributaries

Yamuna crosses several states, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing
by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi, and meets several of its tributaries on the
way, including Tons, its largest and longest tributary, Chambal, which has its
own large basin, followed by Sindh, the Betwa, and Ken.

Most importantly it creates the highly fertile alluvial, 'Yamuna-Ganga Doab'
region between itself and the Ganges in the Indo-Gangetic plain

Nearly 57 million people depend on the Yamuna waters. With an annual flow of
about 10,000 cubic metres (cum) and usage of 4,400 cum (of which irrigation
constitutes 96 per cent), the river accounts for more than 70 per cent of
Delhi's water supplies.

An important part of its early catchments area totalling 2,320 km² lies in
Himachal Pradesh, and an important tributary draining the Upper Catchment Area
is the Tons, Yamuna's largest and longest tributary, which rises from the
Hari-ki-dun valley and holds water more than the main stream, which it merges
after Kalsi near Dehradun.

The entire drainage system of the river stretches all the way between
Giri-Sutlej catchments in Himachal and Yamuna-Bhilangna catchments in Garhwal,
indeed the southern ridge of Shimla is also drained into this system.

Other tributaries in the region are the Giri, Rishi Ganga, Kunta, Hanuman Ganga
and Bata tributaries, which drain the Upper Catchment Area of the vast Yamuna
basin of seemen .

5.1 Assan Bird sanctuaries

Thereafter the river descends on to the plains of Doon Valley, at Dak Pathar
near Dehradun. Here through a weir dam, the water is diverted into a canal for
power generation, little further down where Yamuna is met by the Assan River,
lies the Assan barrage, which hosts a Bird Sanctuary as well.
5.2 Yamuna nagar dam

After passing the Sikh pilgrimage town of Paonta Sahib, it reaches Tajewala in
Yamuna Nagar district, of Haryana, where a dam built in 1873, is the originating
place of two important canals, the Western Yamuna Canal and Eastern Yamuna
Canal, which irrigate the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. I do recollecting
seen a railway station by name Yamuna nagar ( Route I do not recollect now)

The Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) crosses Yamuna Nagar, Karnal and Panipat before
reaching the Haiderpur treatment plant, which supplies part of municipal water
supply to Delhi, further it also receives wastewater from Yamuna Nagar and
Panipat cities.

Yamuna is replenished again after this by seasonal streams and groundwater
accrual, in fact during the dry season, it remains dry in many stretches from
Tajewala till Delhi, where it enters near Pella village after traversing 224 km.

6. Yamuna Boarder river between Haryana and UP
The Yamuna also creates natural state borders between the Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand states, and further down between the state of Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh.

7. Basmathi rice

Along with Ganga to which run almost parallel after it touches the Indo-Gangetic
plain, the largest alluvial fertile plain in the world, it creates the
Ganga-Yamuna Doab region spread across 69,000 km2, one-third of the entire
plain, and today known for its agricultural outputs, prominent among them is the
cultivation of Basmati Rice. The plain itself supports one-third of India's
population through its farming

May I continue with PRAYAG (Allahabad Triveni ) in my NEXT POSTING?

NARMADA SINDHU KAVERI
GODAVRI NAMOSTHUTHAE 24

I am continuing under the same title since many members responded expressing the desire to post about other rivers also and felt the title very impressive. This is 3RD and final part of the posting about River YAMUNA.

18. Yamuna through history- Pataliputhra

The importance of the Ganga-Yamuna river basin, and the Doab region as traditional the seat of power, can be derived from the fact, in much of early history of India, most of great empires, which ruled over majority of India, until the Chalukyas King, Vinayaditya, were based in the highly fertile Ganga-Yamuna basin, including the Magadha (ca 600 BC), Maurya Empire (321-185 BC), Sunga Empire (185-73 BCE), Kushan Empire (1st–3rd centuries CE), Gupta Empire (280–550 CE), and many had their capitals here, in cities like Pataliputra or Mathura. These rivers were revered throughout these kingdoms that flourished on their banks, in fact ever since the period of Chandragupta II (r. 375-415 CE), statues both Ganga and Yamuna became common throughout the Gupta Empire.

Further to the South, images of Ganga and Yamuna are found amidst shrines of the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas (753–982), as well as on their royal seals, and prior to them, the Chola Empire too added the river into their architectural motifs. The Three River Goddess shrine, next of famous Kailash rock-cut Temple at Ellora, built by Rashtrakuta King, Govinda III, shows Ganga flanked by the Yamuna and Saraswati.

19. Krishna –Mythology

The goddess of the river, also known as Yami, is the sister of Yama, god of death, and the daughter of Surya, the Sun god, and his wife Samjñā. The river Yamuna is also connected to the religious beliefs surrounding Krishna, the Krishnaism, and various stories connected with Him are found in Hindu mythology, especially the Puranas, like that of Kaliya Mardanam, the subduing of Kaliya, a poisonous Nāga snake, which had inhabited the river and terrorized the people of Vraja.

20. Yamuna water Management

The stretch of the river form its origin to Okhla in Delhi is called "Upper Yamuna". A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed amongst the five basin states, namely Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarankhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi, on 12 May, 1994 for sharing of the water of Upper Yamuna. This led to the formation of Upper Yamuna River Board under Ministry of Water Resources, whose primary functions are regulation of the allocation of available flows amongst the beneficiary states, maintaining hydro-meteorological data for the basin; over viewing plans for watershed management; monitoring and reviewing the progress of all projects up to and including Okhla barrage etc.

20.1 Flood warning arrangement

Flood forecasting systems are established at Poanta Sahib, where Tons, Pawar and Giri tributaries meet, followed by Tajewala, Kalanaur, Haryana and Mawai before Delhi, the river take 60 hours to travel from Tajewala to Delhi, thus allowing a two-day advance flood warning period The Central Water Commission started flood-forecasting services in 1958 with the setting up of its first forecasting station on Yamuna at Delhi Railway Bridge.

21. Geography and Wildlife

River Yamuna has a rich flora and fauna around it and shelters various wild animals. The catchments area of the river, especially till its touches the plains, is replete with Alpine, semi alpine, temperate and sub-tropical vegetation, and vast areas are under forest cover, and supports extensive animal life.

Yamuna is the frontier of the Asian Elephant. West of the Yamuna, there are no elephants to be found over 900 km of the western Himalayas and their foothills. The forests of the lower Yamuna offer ideal corridors for elephant movement.

The principal forests to be found here are of sal , khair (acacia) , and sissoo (rosewood) trees, and the Chir Pine forests of the Shivalik Hills.

21. Yamuna more sacred than Ganges?
There are some evidences indicating Yamuna was a tributary of the Sarasvati river in the ancient past. It changed its course to east following a tectonic event in north India and became a tributary of the Ganges instead.

Yamuna according to Hindu Mythology is considered to be more sacred than Ganges since Lord Krishna use to play nears the Yamuna.

22. Yamuna –Pollution

There are some very important points worth mentioning about pollution control measures and as such I am just briefing them.

The water of Yamuna is of "reasonably good quality" through its length from Yamunotri in the Himalayas to Wazirabad in Delhi, about 375 km. The pollution starts from Wazirabad , where the discharge of wastewater through 15 drains between Wazirabad barrage and Okhla barrage renders the river more polluted .

The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909 mentions, the waters of Yamuna distinguishable as "clear blue" as compared to silt-ridden yellow of the Ganges. However, due to high density population growth, rapid industrialization, today Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, especially around New Delhi, the capital of India, which dumps about 58% of its waste into the river.

Though numerous attempts have been made to clean it, the efforts have proven not much effective . The Government of India has spent nearly $500 million to clean up the river, the river continues to be polluted with garbage while most sewage treatment facilities are under funded or malfunctioning.

The main reason being , the water in this river remains stagnant for almost 9 months in a year aggravating the situation. Delhi alone contributes around 3,296 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage in the river. The government of India over the next five years has prepared plans to rebuild and repair the sewage system and the drains that empty into the river. To address river pollution, certain measures of cleaning river have been taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India (GOI) in 12 towns of Haryana, 8 towns of Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi under an action plan (Yamuna Action Plan-YAP) which is being implemented since 1993 by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is participating in the Yamuna Action Plan in 15 of the above 21 towns (excluding 6 towns of Haryana included later on the direction of Supreme Court of India) with soft loan assistance of 17.773 billion Japanese Yen (equivalent to about Rs. 700 crore INR) while GOI is providing the funds for the remaining 6 towns added later. The Indian government's plans to repair sewage lines are predicted to improve the water quality of the river 90% by the year 2010.

However in 2009, the Union government admitted to the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament), the failure of Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and Yamuna Action Plan (YAP), saying that "rivers Ganga and Yamuna are no cleaner now than two decades ago" despite spending over Rs 1,700 crore to control pollution.

According to a CSE official these plans adopted the Thames model, which based on a centralized sewage treatment system, this meant that huge sum of money and a 24-hr power supply were needed to manage the treatment plants, while only 8-hr power supply was available, contributing to their failure.

In August 2009, he Delhi Jal Board (DJB) initiated its plan for resuscitating the Yamuna's 22-km stretch in Delhi by constructing interceptor sewers, at the cost of about Rs 1,800 crore.

The cities of Delhi, Mathura and Agra lie on its banks. The river passes through Dehra dun.

19. Yamuna -Irrigation

The importance of Yamuna in the Indo-Gangetic Plains is enhanced by its many canals, some dating back to as early as 14th century

The Tughlaq dynasty built the Nahr-i-Bahisht (Paradise), parallel to the river and it was later renovated and extended by the Mughals in the first half of seventeenth century, by engineer Ali Mardan Khan, starting from Benawas where the river enters the plains and terminating near the Mughal capital, Shahjahanabad, the present city of Delhi .

As the Yamuna enters the Northern plains near Dak Pathar at a height of 790 meters, two canals namely, the Eastern and Western Yamuna Canals commence from the Assan barrage about 11 kilometers from Dak Pathar in Doon Valley, the canals irrigate vast tracts of lands in the region, then it passes Delhi to Agra.

20 Tajmahal

Yamuna feeds the Agra Canal built in 1874, which starts from Okhla barrage beyond the Nizamuddin bridge, and the high land between the Khari-Nadi and the Yamuna and before joining the Banganga river about 20 miles below Agra. Thus during the summer season, the stretch above Agra resembles a minor stream. We have our Tajmahal in Agra on the banks of Yamuna.

21.Sutlej-Yamuna Link

A heavy freight canal, known as the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL), is being built ( No updating I could receive about completion) westwards from near its headwaters through the Punjab region near an ancient caravan route and highlands pass to the navigable parts of the Sutlej-Indus watershed. This will connect the entire Ganges, which flows to the east coast of the subcontinent, with points west (via Pakistan).

When completed, the SYL will allow shipping from India's east coast to the west coast and the Arabian sea, drastically shortening shipping distances and creating important commercial links for north-central India's large population. The canal starts near Palla village near Delhi. Though Haryana has completed Punjab is against its construction, and the state legislature passed the "Punjab Termination of Agreement Act 2004", which declared earlier agreements null and void .

 

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

 Every moment, thank God

River Krishna

Courtesy :Sri.Gopala Krishnan

========================

1.Introduction
Krishna is a very known name as of Lord Krishna But Krishnaa is also the name
of Droupadi or Panchali also. There are many Brahmin girls named either as
Krishna ammal or simply Krishna. Krishna kumari is a very familiar name in
Kerala among other communities. While Krishna iyer or Gopala Krishnan is named
after Lord Krishna Krishnammal and krishnaa are named after River Krishna. There
is a long interacting conversation between Krishna, LOrd and Krishna (
Droupadi) in Mahabharatha. Let us see in to details of Krishna River
2. Krishna origin and flow
The Krishna River is one of the longest rivers of India (about 1300 km in
length). It originates at Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra, passes through Sangli and
meets the sea in the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh. The
Krishna River flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh.
The traditional source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a statue of a
cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Mahabaleshwar.
3. Tunga bhadra
Its most important tributary is the Tungabhadra River, which itself is formed by
the Tunga and Bhadra rivers that originate in the Western Ghats. Tungabhadra is
known to me more because of Tungabhadra dam studied in primary classes.
4. Major tributaries of Krishna
Other tributaries include the Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha, Ghataprabha, Yerla,
Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga rivers.
5. Nagarjuna sagar dam
Two big dams have been constructed on the river, one at Srisailam and the other
at Nagarjuna Hill. The latter called Nagarjuna Sagar is considered to be the
largest earth dam in the world with a natural reservoir spanning tens of square
kilometres. Probably Nagarjuna comes more familiar due to Nagarjuna Ayurvedic
products at Thodupuzha.
6. Temples along the river
Temples like Ganapati Temple of Sangli, Sangameshwar Shiva Temple at Haripur and
Ramling Temple are located on the banks of river Krishna near Sangli. Out of
these, Ganapati Temple of Sangli is one of the most beautiful temples of Lord
Ganesha.
Popular pilgrim spots like Audumber and Narsobawadi are located on the banks of
river Krishna near Sangli in Maharashtra state. Popular pilgrim spots like
Audumber and Narsobawadi are located on the banks of river Krishna near Sangli
in Maharashtra state. Kudalasangama is located near Bagalkot, in Karnataka which
is an Aikya linga of Basaveshwara. Srisailam, one of the twelve jyotirlingas,
has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva.sangameswra swamy temple (seen only during
summer) is situated near atm
Vijayawada on the left bank of the river has a famous temple situated on
Indrakeeladri mountain dedicated to Goddess Kanaka Durga.
7.Why Sangameswara?
Three tributaries meet Krishna river near Sangli. Warana river meets Krishna
river near Sangli at Haripur. This spot is also known as Sangameshwar.
Panchaganga river meets Krishna river at Narsobawadi near Sangli. These places
are considered among the holiest in Hindu mythology. It is said that Lord
Dattatraya spent some of his days at Audumber on the banks of river Krishna.
8. Other names of 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 colour.

9Krishna River- river of three states

Flowing through the three states Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh it
covers an approximate area of 1300 kms. In India, the river waters are
transparent, light, stimulating, light, appetizing and sweet. They are drank,
prayed, poured and used for various purposes. However the properties of river
waters differ according to the areas in which they flow. The waters of the
rivers nearing the sands and stone are pure; those coming from Himalayas are
sweet as nectar; those flowing east from the Vindhyas are supposed to produce
rheumatism, those flowing towards west are supposed to cure phlegm; those
flowing though north cure digestive problems and those flowing towards west tend
to excite bile.

10. Krishna-High tide river

River Krishna is supposed to be one of the most furious rivers of India.
Contributing to its furiousness is the River Tungbhadra, which is supposed to be
full of high tides. The Krishna River becomes furious especially between the
months of June and August. Other Rivers which contribute to the furiousness are
Koyna, Bhima, Kundali, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Yelra, Warna, Dindi, Musi, and
Dudhganga River. Ecologically, this is one of the disastrous rivers in the
world, in that it causes heavy soil erosion during the monsoon season. It flows
fast and furious, often reaching depths of over 75 feet (23 m). Ironically,
there is a saying in Marathi (language of Maharashtra) "sunt vaahate
Krishnamaai" which means "quiet flows Krishna". This term is also used to
describe how a person should be, as quiet as Krishna. But, in reality, Krishna
causes a high degree of erosion between June and August. During this time,
Krishna takes fertile soil from Maharashtra, Karnataka and western Andhra
Pradesh towards the delta region.

11. Krishna river-Mythology

As per the legend Krishna River is the Avatar of Lord Vishnu. This condition of
Lord Vishnu is because of curse of Savitri whom he enchantised by transforming
himself as her husband.

The two rivers Veena and Koyana are supposed to be Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati.
The four other rivers, viz: Koyana, Venna, Savitri and Gayatri, come out from
the bull's mouth apart from Krishna and they all travel some distance before
merging into Krishna.

12 .Black soils of Krishna

Most of the soil found around the banks of Krishna River are black soils, red
soils, latarite soils, alluvium, mixed soils, red and black soils and saline and
alkaline soils. Out of these the black soil is especially used in various
Ayurvedic Medications to treat various skin diseases ( New information to me).

13.Historical kingdoms along Krishna river

Krishna river rises at Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra in the west and meets the Bay
of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh, on the east coast. It also flows
through the state of Karnataka. The delta of the river is one of the most
fertile regions in Bharat and Krishna delta was the home to ancient Satavahana
and Ikshvaku sun dynasty kings.

The international Kalachakra festival was celebrated in the presence of Dalai
Lama in Amaravati, the capital of imperial Satavahanas who held sway over South
India for 400 years and a great seat of Buddhist learning and wisdom.

I will continue further in my NEXT POSTING.

-----------

NARMADA SINDHU KAVERI
GODAVRI NAMOSTHUTHAE 21

14 Current cities along Krishna River

Sangli is the largest city on the river Krishna in Maharashtra state while Vijayawada is the largest city on the River Krishna.

15.Tributaries details

Its most important tributary is the Tungabhadra River, which is formed by the Tunga River and Bhadra River that originate in the Western Ghats. Other tributaries include the Koyna River, Bhima River (and its tributaries such as the Kundali River feeding into the Upper Bhima River Basin), Malaprabha River, Ghataprabha River, Yerla River, Warna River, Dindi River, Musi River and Dudhganga River.

The rivers Koyna River, Vasna, Panchganga River, Dudhganga, Ghataprabha River, Malaprabha River and Tungabhadra River join Krishna from the right bank; while the Yerla River, Musi River, Maneru and Bhima rivers join the Krishna from the
left bank.

Three tributaries meet Krishna River near Sangli. Warana River meets Krishna River near Sangli at Haripur. This spot is also known as Sangameshwar. Panchganga River meets Krishna River at Narsobawadi near Sangli. These places are very holy.

16. Lord Dattatreya

It is said that Lord Dattatraya spent some of his days at Audumber on the banks of river Krishna. Temples like Dattadeva temple, which is very dear to the people of Maharashtra is located on the banks of Krishna at Narasoba Waadi and Audumber near Sangli.

Sangameswaram of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh is a famous pilgrim centre for Hindus where Tungabhadra and Bhavanasi rivers join Krishna. sangameswaram temple is now drowned in the Srisailam reservoir and visible for devotees only during summer when the reservoir's water level comes down

17. Krishna Bridges

17.1 Irwin Bridge, Sangli –

This is one of the oldest, historic and largest bridges built on river Krishna during the British rule. This Bridge is built of Red coloured stone and has two passages to climb down in the middle of the bridge and view the river water. The Ex Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Late Shri Vasantdada Patil who led the freedom struggle in Western Maharashtra himself jumped into river Krishna from Irwin Bridge when he was chased by the British army.

17.2 Ankali Bridge, Sangli –

This is also one of the oldest bridges built during the British rule. This bridge connects Maharashtra to Karnataka state.

18.Chathrapathi sivaji and river Krishna

There are many popular temples on Krishna River & Wai is also one of the popular & ancient city located on this holy river. There is a big 7 constructions called " Ghat" on his banks.

There is " Krushnabai Utsav" celebrated for 1–2 months during January to February on these ghats. This utsav is celebrated because it is said that, Krushnabai gave Victory to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj against The Aphajhal Khan. This celebration is more than 350 years old. There is a big Ganpati mandir constructed in 1764 & it is so popular.

19.Dams

There are many dams constructed across the Krishna river. Some of them are 1. Basava Sagar Dam 2 Almatti Dam 3. Srisailam Dam 4. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam 5. Prakasham Barrage 6. Jurala Dam 7. Dhom Dam 8. narayanpur dam 9.Amar DAM

20.Krishna Basin

Krishna Basin extends over an area of 258,948 km² which is nearly 8% of total geographical area of the country. The basin lies in the states of Andhra Pradesh (113,271 km²), Karnataka (76,252 km²) and Maharashtra (69,425 km²).

Krishna river rises in the Western Ghats at an elevation of about 1337 m just north of Mahabaleshwar, about 64 km from the Arabian Sea and flows for about 1400 km and outfalls into the Bay of Bengal. The principal tributaries joining
Krishna are the Ghataprabha, the Malaprabha, the Bhima, the Tungabhadra and the Musi as told earlier.

Most part of this basin comprises rolling and undulating country except the western border which is formed by an unbroken line of ranges of the Western Ghats. The important soil types found in the basin are black soils, red soils, literate and lateritic soils, alluvium, mixed soils, red and black soils and saline and alkaline soils.

An average annual surface water potential of 78.1 km³ has been assessed in this basin. Out of this, 58.0 km³ is utilisable water. Culturable area in the basin is about 203,000 km², which is 10.4% of the total culturable area of the country.

21.Floods

In 2009 October Heavy Floods occurred, isolating 350 villages and leaving millions homeless which are never seen in over 1000 years and resulted in heavy damage to Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Guntur, Krishna and Nalagonda Districts.

Entire Kurnool city is surrounded by 10 feet water for nearly 3 days. With water inflow of 1.11 million Cusec at the Prakasam Barriage, which is surpassed previous record of 1.08 Million Cusec recorded in the year 1903.

22.From my friend and group member Sri Saikrishnan

I think it is very appropriate to add the following interesting information sent to me by Sri Sai Krishnan about Krishna river is added now.

It is recorded that most of the problems in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra are due to this river- not only geographically, but also politically. Near Bagalkot in Karnataka is the famous Almati Dam. The height of this dam is the cause of bitter fight between Karnataka and AP. Similarly, the utilisation of the river in Maharashtra under the Upper Krishna Project, is a source of friction between Karnataka and Maharashtra ( of course, you will find the name of Karnataka in all river disputes, be it Krishna or Kaveri!!). One of the off shoots of the Bagalkot project is the total submersion of the old Bagalkot town with all its historic charms. The disappearance of this holy town is resented bythe Veerashaivas as this town is closely linked to the Saint Basaveshwara.

Tungabhadra is also another river giving periodical warnings. Last year's total devastation of Mantralaya must still be fresh in the minds of everyone. This river which is the confluence of two contributing rivers- Tunga and Bhadra- has lot of historical and pilgrim sites on its banks. The mighty Vijayanagar Kingdom ( Hampi ) Mantralayam on the banks of Tungabhadra. Sringeri ( Tunga banks ) and Bhadravathi ( Badra banks ) are some of the important places. Most of the well known Dasar Namas in Kannada were composed either on the banks of Tungabhadra or Krishna.

 

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

 Every moment, thank God

River Brahmaputra

Courtesy : Sri.Gopala Krishnan

==========================

1.Introduction
I have learnt in middle school classes about Brahma Putra River as a river in
North India. Normally rivers are considered female but Brahma Putra is
considered as male. How the river was called Brahma puthra or as a male river
was beyond my thinking at that time. Unlike other rivers there are many legends
associated with Brahma puthra.
Brahma puthra river flows through three countries – born in Tibet, flowing
through India and then on to Bangladesh. It has many names - Tsangpo in Tibet,
Lohit or Brahmaputra in India and Jamuna (not to be confused with Yamuna of
India) in Bangladesh.
2. Brahma puthra in Kalika purana
There are many mythological stories about Brahmaputhra. The most popular and
sacred one is about the river's birth in 'Kalika Purana'. It describes how
Parasurama, got rid of his sin of killing his mother Renuka with an axe (or
Parashu) by taking bath in the sacred waters of Brahma puthra. Obeying the
order from his father Jamadagni, Parasurama killed his own mother by severing
her head with an axe. The story of Jamadagni and Renuka I have already posted a
few times... As a result of this nefarious act, the axe got stuck to his hand
and he was unable to take it off his hand. (For me a new information)
On advice from sages, Parasurama started on a pilgrimage and ultimately reached
the place, which is presently known as Parashuram Kunda (about 25 km north of
Tezu in Lohit district in Arunachal Pradesh).
According to the legend the mighty river was confined to a Kund or a small lake
surrounded by hills at that time. Parasurama cut down the hills on one side to
release the sacred water for the benefit of the common people. By this act,
Parasurama's axe came out of his hand to his great relief and he knew that he
had been exonerated from his sin.
3.The Brahmaputhra and Assam:
The Brahmaputhra is also called as 'Luhit' or 'Burha Luit' in Assam. It is
derived from the word 'Lohit' means 'blood' in Assamese. This name is believed
to be related to the story of Parashuram described above.
4. Brahma Puthra- son of Lord Brahma
As the very name indicates, Brahmaputhra means the son of Lord Brahma. In
mythological times, Amogha wife of Sage Shantanu had a child by Brahma the
creator of the Universe. The child took the form of water. Shantanu placed the
child right in the middle of the four great mountains – Kailash, Gandhamadana,
Jarudhi and Sambwartakka. He grew into a great lake, the Brahmakunda. It was
this Brahma Kunda opened on one side by Parasurama.
5. Legend from Tibet
The Tibetans believe that long before human occupation, the Chang Tan plateau
was covered by the waters of a great lake. A Bodhisattva (an enlightened being)
decided the waters had to flow to help people who occupy the region. So he cut
an outlet through the Himalayas for the Tsangpo or `Great River'.
The mountains, gorges and jungles through which the Tsangpo flows in Tibet are
considered extremely holy. Ancient Tibetan scrolls written by sages, speaks of
sanctuaries or beyuls deep in the Himalayas. Here ageing is slowed down and,
animals and plants have miraculous powers. The Tibetans believe that in this
area, perhaps through one of the waterfalls at the bottom of the world's deepest
gorge, is the doorway to paradise on Earth, Shangri-la.
6. Balarama and Brahma puthra river
Balarama, Krishna's brother committed the sin of killing many Brahmins. To wash
of his sins, he went on a pilgrimage and visited the confluence of the rivers
Brahmaputra and Laskshya. He used his plough to get them to flow and meet yet
another river the Dhaleshwari. As this was the place where the plough stopped,
it was called Langalbandh.
The Lohit or Luit or Lauhitya joins the Brahmaputra and the Brahmaputra itself
is called by these names in parts of North Eastern India. From India, the
Brahmaputra enters Bangladesh.
7.Slightly different version of Parasurama Legend
Slightly different version of sage Parasurama legend goes on to add that
Parashurama used a plough to further furrow the soft soil to make a path for the
waters to flow to the plains. Tired he stopped at a place near Sonargaon. Here
his plough or `Langal' came to a standstill or `bandh', and this place got
called Langalbandh. This is considered to be a very holy place to round of a
pilgrimage with a dip in the Brahmaputra..
8. Ganga turn down Brahma puthra's love .
Brahmaputra in due time desired to marry Ganga. To test his love Ganga took on
the form of an old woman. When Brahmaputra came he did not recognize Ganga
appearing as old woman. Ganga got angry and turned down the love of Brhama
putra. Later however Ganga allowed the Jamuna (Not Yamuna) to join her.Jamuna
is the name of Brahma puthra in Bangaladesh.
One more legend of associating Krishna and Brahma puthra is there. Wait for NEXT
POSTING to read it and further details of Brhama puthra.
------------

NARMADA SINDHU KAVERI
GODAVRI NAMOSTHUTHAE 18

9. Lord Krishna and Brahma puthra- Blood-soaked city Tezpur
Tezpur in Assam is a historic town on the northern banks of Brahmaputra. Legend
goes that it used to be called Sonitpur. Banasura a descendent of Prahalada and
son of Onam Mahabali ruled here. He had a beautiful daughter Usha. Not wanting
her to marry someone he did not approve off, he kept her isolated in a palace.
She had among her friends the minister's daughter Chitralekha who had some
magical powers. ( There is another version she was an apsaras)
Usha once dreamt of a handsome young man and some how fell in love with him.
Chitralekha helped her by drawing his image from Usha's narration of personality
from the dream she saw. Then Usha helped her by identifying him as Krishna's son
Aniruddha. Later, Chitralekha carried away Aniruddha while he was sleeping in
the Palace . Once Aniruddha was smuggled into Usha's Palace, they two fell in
love with each other and got married in Gandharva style .
Banasura discovered this and tied up Aniruddha. Krishna hearing of this came
to rescue him. Banasura was a great devotee of Shiva. He prayed to Lord Siva.
A huge battle began between Lord Krishna and Banasura. Shiva fought with
Krishna, just as many other equals fight each other. Eventually many died and
the whole city is drenched in blood. Banasura's arms were cut off and he retired
to the Himalayas. Krishna returned to Dwaraka with Usha and Aniruddha. It was an
equal war ( There is a differnet version Krishna spared the life of Banasura at
the desire of Lord Siva which some how I feel less appropriate)
That is how the name Tezpur comes - from `Teza' + `Pura' or `Blood' + `City'.
10 Course of Brahmaputhra
The river Brahmaputhra is one of the major rivers in the world. It originates
from Mansarovar near Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, flows via Tibet, China,
India and Bangladesh and empties in to Bay of Bengal. The total length it
travels from Himalayans to the Bay is about 2900 Km.
In Tibet Brahmaputhra is known as 'Tsangpo'. It follows the great Himalayans in
its course till India with an average height of 4000 meters. It enters India in
Arunachal Pradesh where it is called 'Siang'. It then flows down to the plains
of Assam, where it is called Dibang. It joins with other two giant rivers,
Dibang and Lohit.
There are many tributaries, which joins Brahmaputhra on both northern and
southern bank of the river in Assam. With all its tributaries, the river creates
the fertile Brahmaputhra Valley of Assam. After Assam Brahmaputhra enters
Bangladesh where it flows for 240 kms to meet Ganges. While in Bangaladesh the
river is called Jamuna there and finally empties into the Bay of Bangal. The
Brahmaputhra River is the lifeline of the all the people living in Assam and
Bangladesh.
11.Some interesting facts about Brahmaputhra:
1. In the Tibet and Himalayan region, Brahmaputhra flows at an average height of
400 meters for 13000 kms. This is highest for any major river in the world.
2. The mighty Brahmaputhra is supposed to be on of the most powerful river in
the world. Based upon the flow rate, Brahmaputhra is the fifth strongest river
in the world.
3. The Brahmaputra is one of those very few major rivers in the world, which
exhibit 'tidal bore'. It means incoming tides form waves that travel up the
river against the direction of the current. This is what called a true 'tidal
wave' in geography. This is one of the reasons behind Brahmaputhra's enormous
strength. (New information about tidal wave of Brahma puthra)
4. 'Majuli', the largest island created by a river also resides in the
Brahmaputra. This river island is situated in Assam and around 100 km in length.
5. The Brahmaputhra along with Ganges create the largest delta in the world,
Sundarban in Bangladesh.
6. The average width of Brahmaputra is close to 10 km in plains, which is on the
widest in the world.
7. Where Brahmaputhra enters India is till date on the most remote and
adventurous part of the world. The river flows rapidly down to the plains from a
height of 4000 meters in this region. This unknown region had trapped
imagination of British for many decades in 19th century until it was discovered.
12. Brahma Puthra and Assam
The river Brahmaputra and its fertile valley is the lifeline of Assam. It's is
the symbol of power and greatness for the people of Assam. Majuli, the river
island of Assam is the art, culture and religious capital of Assam till date.
But equally Brahmaputra has been destructing Assam every year with it's
devastating flood after 1950s. The flood issue is becoming the most concerned
threat to the economy of the state. The flood also affects wildlife of Assam
like Kaziranga National Park, which is the habitat of the endangered One Horned
Rhino.
I have studied Chirapunji in Assam is having highest rainfall. I am not sure the
rain goes as small stream in to Brahmaputhra there. Learned members can
enlighten me.
I will continue and conclude Brahmaputhra in NEXT POSTING.
===========

NARMADA SINDHU KAVERI
GODAVRI NAMOSTHUTHAE 19

13. Preserve Brahmaputra River:
The Brahmaputhra is the least polluted of all other major rivers of India. Most
of the pollutions are created by Oil Industries of Assam and wastes of cities
like Guwahati (Petroleum is obtained from the oil wells of Dig jam in Assam, I
have studied in my primary classes. I think the "shell" company is having their
product from here (Previous Burma shell). The pollution concern around Guwahati
is increasing day by day, and it's high time to stop it now or we will have to
pay the consequences soon!
14. Upper course of Brahma Puthra was known in 1884 only
Brahma Puthra's upper course was long unknown, and its identity with the Yarlung
Tsangpo was only established by exploration in 1884-86.
15. Brahama puthra course in Bangaladesh
As told earlier Brahma puthra merges with the Ganges to form a vast delta in
Bangaldesh. About 1,800 miles (2,900 km) long, the river is an important source
for irrigation and transportation. Actually it is deviding in to two at
Bangaldesh and and later again merges.
The much larger branch continues due south as the Jamuna (Jomuna) and flows into
the Lower Ganges (Ganges locally called Padma,) while the older branch curves
southeast as the lower Brahmaputra (Bromhoputro) and flows into the Meghna. Both
paths eventually reconverge near Chandpur in Bangladesh and flow out into the
Bay of Bengal.
However, Before 250 years ago it was the actual Brahmaputra river in Bangladesh
passes through the Jamalpur and Mymensingh district,a serious earthquake led its
in present flow. Fed by the waters of the Ganges and Brahmaputra, this river
system forms the Ganges Delta, the largest river delta in the world
16. Sunderbans Delta
In Bangladesh the river merges with the Ganges and splits into two: the Padma
and Meghna River. When it merges with the Ganges it forms the world's largest
delta, the Sunderbans. The Sunderbans is known for tigers, crocodiles and
mangroves. While most rivers on the Indian subcontinent have female names, this
river has a rare male name, as it means "son of Brahma" in Sanskrit (putra means
"son").
17. Navigation
This river is often called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river. The average depth of river
is 124 feet (38 m) and maximum depth is 380 feet (120 m).
The Brahmaputra is navigable for most of its length. The lower part reaches are
sacred to Hindus. The river is prone to catastrophic flooding in spring when the
Himalayan snows melt. It is also one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit
a tidal bore as told earlier.
17.1 Assam Bengal Navigation
Assam Bengal Navigation is an Indo-British joint venture, with offices in
Guwahati and the UK. In 2003 ABN pioneered long-distance river cruising in India
with our unique cruises on the River Brahmaputra in Assam, and in 2007 we were
also the first to run cruises on the River Hugli between Kolkata and the
Ganges.
We were awarded the Indian National Tourism Award for Innovation in 2004-5.
Experience counts for everything here, and our expertise in the field of river
cruising on both waterways is unrivalled.
17.2 Assam Cruises (Cruises meaning-Enjoyment ride in ship with out aim as per
Lipco dictionary)
Wildlife and wilderness are the main features of a cruise in Assam on the vast
Brahmaputhra River – the riverbed is often 20 or 30 km across, an empty
world of sand spits and water with marvelous bird life and the occasional
Gangetic Dolphin. The cruises here also give access to a number of India's
National Parks, including Kaziranga, perhaps the finest of all, and Manas, a
Project Tiger reserve on the Bhutan border.
17.3 Bengal cruses.
The waterways of the old Bengal Presidency now lie in the Indian states of Bihar
and West Bengal, and in independent Bangladesh. Here in the north of the
region the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputhra meet head to head and then flow out
to the sea through the world's largest delta. The rivers meet the sea
through a maze of low-lying mangrove-covered islands, the famous Sunder bans,
and home of the Royal Bengal Tiger.
18.Co-operation on the Brahmaputhra
No mention about any dam across the river is available in India.
The waters of the River Brahmaputra are shared by China, India and Bangladesh.
In recent years, there has been speculation about China building a dam at the
Great Bend, with a view to divert the waters to the North of the country. This
has been denied by the Government, as well as experts.Customary Law offers
relief to the lower riparian countries
At the Kathmandu Workshop of Strategic Foresight Group in August 2009 on Water
Security in the Himalayan Region, which on a rare occasion brought together
leading hydrologists from the Basin countries, the Chinese scientists argued
that it was not feasible for China to undertake such a diversion.
In a subsequent meeting of the scientists at Dhaka, 25 leading experts from the
Basin countries issued a Dhaka Declaration on Water Security calling for
exchange of information in low flow period, and other means of collaboration.
Even though the UN Convention on Trans-boundary Water of 1997 does not prevent
any of the Basin countries from building a dam, Customary Law offers relief to
the lower riparian countries. Also, there is in fact potential for China, India
and Bangladesh to develop hydroelectricity projects and transboundary water
navigation. They can also collaborate to reduce emissions of aerosol in the
region which can help to sustain the glaciers that feed the River( All
inforation from Wiki pedia)

 

knr
--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

 Every moment, thank God

River Mahanadhi

Courtesy:Sri.Gopala Krishnan

========================

Mahanadi (means Great River) is a river in East Central India. It drains an area of around 132,100 km2 and has a total course of 885 km.
Mahananadi River is the lifeline of Chattisgarh. Flowing from the Eastern Ghats to the Bay of Bengal through Cuttack, in the eastern Orissa State. Rising from the highlands of Chattisgarh, it flows through Orissa to reach The Bay Of Bengal.

2. Mythology- Mahanadi

Like all other rivers, the Mahanadi too is revered one. It plays a major role in peoples life and is part of all the major religious functions and festivals. The water of Mahananadi is considered to be auspicious for any occasion - be it good or bad. It is thought that the water of Mahananadi has the power of converting bad into good. (Limited mythology information only I could gather)

3. Geographic details

Mahanadi River is about 885 kms long, running through Central India. Rising from Central Chattisgarh, it passes through Eastern Ghats Mountains and ends at Bay of Bengal, near Cuttack, Orissa. It forms a Delta at the Bay of Bengal. In the rainy season it carries an immense amount of water, up to 51,000 cubic meters per second especially at the Naraj gorge.

The river current is very high, the Rivers Tel and Hasdo contribute as the main tributaries to the Mahanadi River.

4. Hirakud dam

The Hirakud Dam, the Worlds Highest Dam is constructed on Mahanadi. There is a high Gandhi Tower for the introspection of the Dam. As this Dam is the lifeline of Orissa, Mahanadi contributes a lot in fertilizing the chief crops – oilseed, rice and sugarcane.

The Hirakud Dam is also the main source of running Hydroelectric Plant at Sambalpur. Though the river flows at high speed, still in the months July to February, one can navigate the river on boat. (In any case one should not go very near Bay of Bengal, the point where Mahanadi merges in the Sea).
The Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa share the drainage of the Mahanadi.

5. Source of Mahanadi
Like many other seasonal Indian rivers, the Mahanadi too is a combination of many mountain streams and thus its precise source is impossible to pinpoint. However its farthest headwaters lie 6 km from Pharisiya village 442 m above sea level south of Nagri town in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh. The hills here are an extension of the Eastern Ghats and are a source of many other streams which then go on to join the Mahanadi.
For the first 80 km of its course, the Mahanadi flows in a northerly direction and drains the eastern portions of Raipur district. It is a rather narrow river at this stage, the total length of its valley not exceeding 500-600 metres. It then enters the old Bilaspur district where it is joined by its first major tributary, the Seonath
6. Maha nadi Middle Course
After being joined by the Seonath, the river flows in an easterly direction through the remaining part of its journey. It is joined by the Jonk and Hasdeo rivers here before entering into Orissa after covering about half of its total length. Near the city of Sambalpur, it is dammed by the largest earthen dam in the world, the Hirakud Dam.
( About Hiirakud dam I have studied in my 7-8 th standards as Dams created under 1st/ 2nd five yer plan started our first PM Jawharlal Nehru. But still Mahanadi do not come to my remeberance to have studied… )
A composite structure of earth, concrete and masonry, the dam measures 2.4 km including dykes. It spans two hills; the Lamdungri on the left and the Chandili Dunguri on the right. It also forms the biggest artificial lake in Asia, with a reservoir holding 743 km² at full capacity, with a shoreline of over 640 km.
Before the construction of the dam in 1953, the Mahanadi was about a mile wide at Sambalpur and carried massive amounts of silt, especially during the monsoon. Today, it is a rather tame river after the dam and is joined by the Ib, Ong, Tel and other minor streams. It then skirts the boundaries of the Baudh district and forces a tortuous way between ridges and ledges in a series of rapids until it reaches Dholpur, Orissa. The rapids end here and the river rolls towards the Eastern Ghats, forcing its way through them via the 64 km long Satkosia Gorge. Dense forests cover the hills flanking the river here. The river enters the Orissa plains at Naraj, about 11 km from Cuttack, where it pours down between two hills a mile apart. A barrage has been constructed here to regulate the river's flow into Cuttack.
7. Mahanadi -Mouth
The river traverses Cuttack district in an east-west direction. Just before entering Cuttack city, it gives off a large distributary called the Kathjori. The city of Cuttack stands on the spit separating the two channels. The Kathjori then throws off many streams like the Kuakhai, Devi and Surua which fall into the Bay of Bengal after entering Puri district. The Kathjori itself falls into the sea as the Jotdar. Other distributaries of Mahanadi include the Paika, Birupa, Chitartala, Genguti and Nun. The Birupa then goes on to join the Brahmani River at Krushnanagar and enters the Bay of Bengal at Dhamra.
The Mahanadi proper enters the sea via several channels near Paradeep at False Point, Kendrapara district. The combined Delta of the Mahanadi's numerous distributaries and the Brahmani is one of the largest in India.[6]
8..Navigation
Prior to the construction of the Hirakud Dam, the Mahanadi was navigable from its mouth up to Arrang , about a 150 km from its source. However numerous barrages apart from the Hirakud have put an end to that. Today, boats are restricted to the delta region and the Hirakud reservoir.
9. Trade and Agriculture-reference by Ptolemy
The city of Sambalpur was a prominent trading place for diamonds in the ancient world and the river itself has been referred to as the Manada in Ptolemy's works. However today the Mahanadi valley is best known for its fertile soil and flourishing agriculture. Prior to the Hirakud dam, the river carried more silt than any other river in the Indian subcontinent As a result its delta had one of the highest yield per acre in the whole of India. Today agriculture primarily depends on a network of canals that arise from the river. Rice, oilseeds and sugarcane are the principal crops here. An equally fertile though smaller valley also exists near Raipurd in the river's early course.
10.Maha Nadi -Water
An average annual surface water potential of 66.9 km³ has been assessed in this basin. Out of this, 50.0 km³ is utilisable water. Culturable area in the basin is about 80,000 km², which is 4% of the total culturable area of the country.
At its peak during the monsoon, the Mahanadi has a discharge rate of 2 million cubic ft. per second almost as much as the much larger Ganges. However owing to its seasonal nature the river is mostly a narrow channel flanked by wide sand banks for most of the year.
11. Mahanadi Floods
The Mahanadi was notorious for its devastating floods for much of recorded history. However the construction of the Hirakud Dam has greatly altered the situation. Today a network of canals, barrages and check dams keep the river well in control.
However heavy rain can still cause large scale flooding as evidenced in September, 2008 when 16 people died as the river breached its banks.( My friend Hari har sethi, Divisional Engineer in Cuttack Telecom has narrated the incidents when communication itself was paralysed for months there. He had said people were totally helpless having all houses fully damaged in river floods …)

 

knr

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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

 Every moment, thank God

Story of Ganga

 Ganga Devi
In Hinduisam, the river Ganga or Ganges as called by westerners is considered sacred. It is worshipped by all Hindus and personified as a goddess in Hinduism, who holds an important place in the Hindu religion. Hindus believe that bathing in the river on certain occasions causes the remission of sins and facilitates the attainment of salvation. Many people believe that this effect obtains from bathing in Ganga at any time. People travel from distant places to immerse the ashes of their kin in the waters of the Ganga; this immersion also is believed to be meritorious as the ashes are believed to go to heaven. Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the river Ganga, including Haridwar, Allahabad and Varanasi.
Of course in 2004 I had been to Allahabad and Varanasi and could have a dip in its waters at Hanuman Ghat. Really I could feel something special getting in to Ganga water at the vast spread river. Travelling through boat and erforming sraadha at Different Ghats further added to my feeling of her sanctity.
At harichandra ghat I could see dead bodies burning as well as waiting on her bank. Two things I could observe were1. We couldnot feel the burning smell of the bodies there 2. No terror dreams occurred. We had been at Varansi for three days.
During the Loykrothong festival in Thailand, candlelit floats are released into waterways in honoring the Buddaha and the goddess Ganga for good fortune and washing away sins.
6.1 Birth of Ganga
There are several Hindu beliefs that give various versions of the birth of Ganga. According to one version, the sacred water in Brahma's Kamandalu (water-vessel) became personified as a maiden, Ganga. According to another legend, Brahma had reverently washed the feet of Vishnu and collected this water in his Kamandalu. A third version is Ganga was the daughter of Himavan, king of the mountains, and his consort Mena; she was thus a sister of the goddess Parvati. Every version declares that she was raised in the heavens, under the tutelage of Brhama.
6.2 Descent to Earth- Ganga and Bhageeratha
Several years later, a king named Sagara magically acquired sixty thousand sons. Once the King Sagara performed a yagya for the good of the wellbeing of his Kingdom. One of the integral parts of the ritual was a horse , which was stolen by the jealous Indra . Sagara sent his sons all over the earth to search for the horse. They found it in the nether-world next to a meditating sage Kapila. Kapila did not answer the queries of the children's of Sagara being in meditation. Believing that the sage had stolen the horse, sons of Sagara hurled insults at him and caused his penance to be disturbed. The sage opened his eyes for the first time in several years, and looked at the sons of Sagara. With this glance, all sixty thousand were burnt to death.( Throwing a dead snake in to the neck of Kapila is NOT told here)
The souls of the sons of Sagara wandered as ghosts since their final rites had not been performed. When Bhageeratha one of the descendants of Sagara, son of Dilip, learnt of this fate, he vowed to bring Ganga down to Earth so that her waters could cleanse their souls and release them to heaven.
Let me make a small diversion here- 1. One of the important thing told is penace under water. 2. Bhageeratha believed Ganga water can cleanse the souls and release to heaven. Please note- release to heaven, though the sons of Sagara committed an offence.3. If death related functions are not performed the souls become ghosts . These beleifs were there in the times of Bhageeratha himself.
Bhagiratha prayed to Brahma that Ganga come down to Earth. Brahma agreed, and he ordered Ganga to go down to the Earth and then on to the nether regions so that the souls of Bhagiratha's ancestors would be able to go to heaven . Ganga felt that this was insulting and decided to sweep the whole earth away as she fell from the heavens. Alarmed, Bhagiratha prayed to Lord Shiva that he break up Ganga's descent.
6.3 Descent Of Ganga
Ganga arrogantly fell on Shiva's head. But Shiva calmly trapped her in his hair and let her out in small streams. The touch of Shiva further sanctified Ganga. As Ganga travelled to the nether-worlds, she created a different stream to remain on Earth to help purify unfortunate souls there. She is the only river to follow from all the three worlds –Swarga (heaven), Bhoomi (earth) and,patala (neitherworld or hell). Thus she is called "Tripathagâ" ( one who travels the three worlds) in sanskrit language. Shiva Bearing the Descent of the Ganges River as Parvati and Bhagiratha, and the bull Nandi look is depicted in picture form by Raja Ravi varma.
Because of Bhagiratha's efforts Ganga descended on to earth and hence the river is also known as Bhagirathi, and the term "Bhagirath prayatna" is used to describe valiant efforts or difficult achievements. Normally it is a synonium for hard and tough efforts to get achieve some thing difficult.
6.4 Ganga is also called Jahnavi
Another name that Ganga is known by is Jahnavi. Story has it that once Ganga came down to earth, on her way to Bhagiratha, her rushing waters created turbulence and destroyed the fields and the penace of a sage called Jahanu. He was angered by this and drank up all of Ganga's waters. Upon this, the Gods prayed to Jahnu to release Ganga so that she could proceed on her mission. Pleased with their prayers, Jahnu released Ganga (her waters) from his ears. Hence the name "Jahnavi" (daughter of Jahnu) for Ganga.
6.5 Drying of Ganga
It is sometime believed that the river will finally dry up at the end of Kaliyuga (the era of darkness, the current era) just as with the saraswathi river and this era will end. Next in cyclic order will be the Satya yuga or the era of Truth.( This is a new information to me also)
6.6 Ganga mother of Muruga and Ganesha
According to the Hindu scriptures like Skanda purana the goddess Ganga is foster-mother to Murugan, who was actually a son of Shiva and Parvathi.
Parvati who created an image of Ganesha out of her bodily impurities but which became endowed with life after immersion in the sacred waters of the Ganga. Therefore Ganesha is said to have two mothers--Pârvati and Gangâ and hence called Dvaimâtura and also Gângeya (the son of Ganga).
6.7 Ganga originally wife of Vishnu
According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana 2.6.13-95 Vishnu has three wives, who constantly quarrel with each other, so that eventually, he keeps only Lakshmi, giving Ganga to Shiva and Saraswati to Brahma.
6.8 Ashta vasus and Ganga Devi
The Hindu epic, Mahâbhârata tells that the Vasus, cursed by Vashishta had requested Ganga to be their mother. Ganga incarnated and became the wife of King Santanu on condition that at no stage shall he question her actions, or she would leave him.. As seven Vasus were born as their children, one after the other, Ganga drowned them in her own waters( Kindly note the purification) , freeing them from their punishment and the king made no opposition. Only when the eighth was born did the king finally oppose his wife, who therefore left him. So the eighth son, Dyaus incarnated, remained alive, imprisoned in mortal form, and later became known in his mortal incarnation as Bhishma (Devavrata), who is one of the most respected characters of the Mahâbhârata. I have many times posted the legend about Ganga taking human form and not repeating here
6.9 Ganga in Rig Veda
The Ganga is definitely mentioned in the Rig-Veda, the earliest and theoretically the holiest of the Hindu scriptures. The Ganga is mentioned in the nadistuti (Rig Veda 10.75), which lists the rivers from east to west. In RV 6.45.31, the word Ganga is also mentioned, but it is not clear if the reference is to the river.
RV 3.58.6 says that "your ancient home, your auspicious friendship, O Heroes, your wealth is on the banks of the Jahnavi (JahnAvyAm)". This verse could possibly refer to the Ganga. In RV 1.116.18-19, the Jahnavi and the Gangetic dolphin occur in two adjacent verses.
6.10 Ganga in icnography
In the canons of Indian art, Ganga is visualized as voluptuous and beautiful, carrying an overflowing pot in her hand. The vessel conveys the idea of abundant life and fertility, which nourishes and sustains the universe.South Indian temples specially many in Kerala adorn Ganga in the entrance pillar to the temple. Earlier I was wondering who the woman depicted with pot in temples before my extensive reading.
The second distinguishing aspect of Ganga's iconography is her animal mount, which is often shown serving as a pedestal for her. This is the makara, a hybrid creature having the body of a crocodile and the tail of a fish. The makara in Hindu thought corresponds to the star sign of Capricorn in western astrology.
The makara is also the vehicle of the Vedic god of waters, Varuna, thus establishing firmly Goddess Ganga's Vedic roots.
6.11 Ganga Devi
Ganga is affiliated as Devi, on that account most of the rivers as feminine. Taking bath naked in river is considered as sin. Her abode is Kailasa and she is consdered as consort of Shiva in deva form and Santanu in human form. Her mount is makara. Her mantra is "om hili hili mili mili ganga devi namaha"

Every day evening worship is done to her at Varanasi and Haridwar.

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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

  Every moment, thank God