River Ganga – In the Hindu Vedas river, Ganga has is worshipped as the sacred river of the Hindus. Millions and millions of pilgrims from the world and India itself worship as Mother Ganga, you will find that the temples are built by the bank of river Ganga.
In Holy Vedas, you will find beautiful narrations of God and Goddesses describing Ganga. Mythological history describes river Ganga engrossed by different stories, the privilege and importance that the longest river has achieved no other sacred river is worshipped with similar importance.
In Indian mythological history Ganga has been described as the following:
Birth history of River Ganga:
In Ramayana, Ganga has been introducing as the daughter of King Himavat and Queen Menaka.
One of the most popular and interesting parts of history described ancestor of Lord Ram who decided to perform the Ashwamedha, the ritual will make King Sagara the most powerful king in the world.
But he was incapable of finding out as it was stolen by Lord Indra tied up the strongest horse outside the ashrama of Sage Kapila’s. Finally King Sagar with his princes, 60 in numbers decided to search for the horse, finally, they found the horse tied near the ashram of Sage Kapila. Believing that Kapila was the culprit began to insult him furious sage turned them to ashes. Later King’s grandson convinced Kapila for salvage which was possible through the arrival of Ganga. Though Anshuman and Dilip, father and son plead but was not able to convince Lord Brahma.
Later Bhagiratha, son of Dilip convinced Lord Brahma, But Ganga was not ready to flow through the earth and therefore decided to destroy the earth through water flow of Ganga. Bhagirathi felt the fierceness of Ganga and prayed to Lord Shiva, finally shiva trapped river Ganga into his “Jata” or tied hair or matted hair locks.
Shiva has introduced as Ganga’s his wife known as “ Gangadhara” as he locked Ganga and slowly streamed into small streamlines through the earth as river Bhagirathi, Alaknanda, Janhvi, Saraswati, Bhilangana, Rishiganga, and Mandakini.
Jahnusta or Jahnvi
While Ganga followed Bhagiratha she destroyed many villages and forests, sage Jahnvi drowned but with his distinctive and yogic power survived and annoyed Jahnvi decided to finish Ganga and drank all the water from the rivers, seas and oceans. Once again Bhagiratha pleaded to the Sage and was Ganga was released from the thigh and thus Ganga is also known as “Jahnavi”.
Vedas also describe that Ganga first filled the oceans and fulfilled the thirst of Earth and then released the 60000 sons and was then blessed to be worshipped as Hindu Goddess “Ganga”.
River Ganga is still flowing today from the Himalayas origin the glaciers of Yamunotri flowing through different states or parts of India that meets up to the Bay of Bengal.
Ganga is the longest river in India flowing down with different names into different streams, though the mythological history describes the birth of Mother Ganga who is another replicate of Goddess Gauri or Parvati.
