Narmada River Story and Trivia

Among the sacred rivers, the Ganges, the Yamuna, the Godavari, the Cauvery, and the Narmada are the five sacred rivers of India. Narmada is supremely sacred. She is also known as Reva and Purvaganga. It is said that looking at the river removes our sins. Interestingly, according to legend, when she thinks she has been polluted by her admirers bathing in the Ganges, she comes in the form of a black cow to take a purifying bath in the Narmada!

In mythological times, Lord Shiva, the head of destruction, sat in meditation. His intense concentration made him sweat. As it rolled down, it was collected in a tank. Eventually, it turned out to be Shankar's daughter Narmada or Shankara. Every pebble in the riverbed should be in the shape of a Shiva lingam.

According to a legend, 60 million Gandharvas defeated the Nagas and captured their kingdom and wealth. Nags went to Vishnu for help. Purukutsa asked them to get help. They sent their sister Narmada for prenatal help. He agrees and she leads him into the world of Nagas. Supported by Vishnu, Purukutsa fought the Gandharvas and eventually defeated them.

Naglu declares that those who remember the story of Narmada who led the Purukutsa were not poisoned by snakes. Married Narmada Purukutsa.

Sahasrarjuna Emperor: Maheshwar, located on the banks of the Narmada River, is the capital of Sahasrarju. One day, the king and his 500 wives went to the river for a picnic. When the wives wanted a spacious playground, the king stopped the mighty Narmada river with his 1000 hands!

While they were all enjoying themselves, Ravana flew in his floral plane. At the bottom, when he saw the dried up river bed, he felt that it was an ideal place to pray to Shiva. He made a Shivalinga out of sand and started worshiping it.

When the wives of the millennium were finished and they came out of the riverbed, he let the water flow. A huge river swept away Ravana's Shivalinga and ruined his prayers. An enraged Ravana tracked down and challenged Sahasrajuna. Armed, the mighty Ravana was greatly astonished. The mighty Sahasrarja threw Ravana to the ground with his 1000 arms. Then he put 10 lamps on his head and one on his hand.

After tying up Ravana, Sahasrarju dragged him home and tied his son to a hammock. The insulted Ravana remained a prisoner until his release.

Even today, 11 lamps are lit at the Sahasrarjun Temple in Maheshwar.

Western Narmada Stream: Narmada is said to have given birth to two teardrops of Brahma. Others say Narmada's father made a formal marriage proposal from his son to the goats. Others say that the son was attracted to the strong Narmada and she agreed to marry him.

As the son slowly approaches his bride in the procession (barat in Hindi), Narmada sends her hairdresser Johilla to see the curious and impatient groom. The son chatted with Johilla and she was mesmerized. When Narmada realizes that her groom Johilla is enjoying companionship, she comes out of the house and flows to the west. The rejected son also went east from Amarkantak. Eventually, the Johilla stream, formed with her tears, flows eastward to join the son.

The son is an important tributary of the Ganges.

 Trivia:

 1. This river forms an important connection between the Arabian Sea and the Ganges.

 2. It was called by the Greek geographer Ptolemy Namade.

 3. Narmada is considered a mother and a provider of peace.

 4. It is the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent and flows through central India.

 5. The source of the river is the Amarkantak hill range.

 6. It is believed that bathing in this river removes all sins. It is one of the five sacred rivers of India.

 7. The Narmada river basin is home to some of the finest teak and hardwood forests in India. Also, Maheshwari sarees are popular in the area.

 8. Several irrigation projects related to the Narmada River have been completed, supplying water to hundreds of people. Farmers across Central India.

 9. Dams and hydroelectric powerhouses have been built to make full use of this river flow.

 10. The distribution of water in this river has been in dispute for a long time and finally an agreement has been reached to allocate water as per the need.

#narmada #narmadapushkaralu #narmadariver  #narmadakumb2024 #narmadapushkaralu2024