The
sources of two rivers,
Gangotri
and
Yamunotri are devoted to
the female dities –
Ganga and Yamuna. They both,
along with
Badrinath and Kedarnath form the
Char
Dham of the Garhwal, the four most hallowed shrines in the
Himalayas.
The Ganga, especially, is the river of India, beloved of her people, around
which are entwined her memories, her hopes and fears, her songs of triumph,
her victories and defeats. She has been the symbol of India’s age long
culture and civilization, ever-changing, ever-flowing and yet ever the same
Ganga.
Ancient India gave countless names to the
Ganga. Among
them is Loknadi or River of the World. In its most prisitine form, Goddess
Ganga as she is reverentially known,first descended to
Earth from Heaven at
Gangotri
where Lord Shiva received her into his matted locks to counter the immense
impact of her fall From there ; the one which commenced from Yamunotri was
termed
Yamunotri, from
Gangotri –
Badrinath
from
Kedarnath – Mandakini and the one which
commenced from
Badrinath was
termed
Alaknanda.
