Holy Rivers in Hindu Religion

In the Hindu religion, some rivers are considered very sacred. Rivers are also important from the religious point of view and often worshipped. A holy dip in these rivers is occasionally done by the devotees. It gives purity to souls and removes sins. Some important rivers are mentioned below;

River Ganga:

Ganga is the holiest river in the Hindu religion. The river Ganga is considered the goddess of purity. Bathing in the river Ganga purifies the soul and cleanses all the sins. Other names of Ganga are Bhagirathi, Vishnupadi, and Jahnavi. Ganga Dussehra is the festival celebrated to worship the Goddess Ganga.

According to the Hindu religion, the goddess Parvati is the sibling of Ganga. Himavan and Mainavati are the parents of Ganga. The source of the river Ganga is the Gangotri glacier of the Himalayas.

Goddess Ganga came on the earth from God Shiva’s hair lock to cleanse the sins of king Bhagirath’s ancestors and to liberate their souls.

In the epic Mahabharat, Bhishma Pitahama is considered as the son of the Ganga. In the Hindu religion, immersing the ashes of the dead in the river Ganga gives the moksha, liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Hindus worship river goddess Ganga for purification.

Ganga is the national river of India and it is the longest river in India too.

Allahabad, Varanasi, Haridwar, Patna in India are the cities which are situated on the banks of the river Ganga. Ganga river is also important for agriculture.

 

River Yamuna:

The Yamuna is the second holiest river in the Hindu religion. Yamuna is a tributary river of the Ganga. In the Hindu religion, she is the daughter of Surya (Sun). Yama, the god of death, and Shani, the planet are siblings of the Yamuna.

God Krishna is the spouse of Yamuna. Other names of Yamuna are Yami and Kalindi. Yamuna jayanti and Bhaidooj are the festivals of Yamuna. The source of the river Yamuna is the Yamunotri glacier. In the Hindu religion, it is believed that if any brother and sister worship the Yamuna and bathes in her, then they will be free from the fear of painful death.

 

River Alakananda:

Alaknanda is a sacred Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Satopanth glacier is the source of the Alaknanda river. It is a tributary of the river Ganga.

The famous Badrinath temple is situated on the bank of river Alaknanda.

Alaknanda river meets the Bhagirathi river at Devprayag and from there both flows as Ganga.

 

River Mandakini:

Mandakini is another sacred river in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a tributary river of river Alaknanda. The Chorabari glacier is the source of the river Mandakini.

One of the jyotirlingas, Kedarnath is situated on the bank of river Mandakini.

Mandakini river meets river Alaknanda at Rudraprayag.

 

Narmada River:

Narmada is another sacred river in the Hindu religion. The source of the Narmada river is the Amarkantak range of mountains in Madhya Pradesh, India. Another name of the Narmada river is Rewa.

It is believed that this river was originated from the sweat of the god Shiva. This river contains brown Shivalingas which are called Narmadeshwar Shivlingas. It is the only river whose circular rotation called Parikarma is done.

 

Godavari river:

The origin of the Godavari river is the Brahmagiri mountains at Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra, India. Another name of the Godavari river is Gautami. It is believed that this river was brought on the earth by the sage Gautam to cleanse the sin of killing a cow. Godavari river is also known as Dakshin Ganga.

 

River Saraswati:

The origin of the river Saraswati is the Aravali mountain ranges in Rajasthan, India. Saraswati river makes Triveni sangam with river Ganga and river Yamuna at Prayagraj, Allahabad, India.

Prayagraj is considered the king of all pilgrimages in the Hindu religion.

 

Saryu River:

Saryu river is associated with the epic Ramayana. The state of god Ram was situated on the bank of river Saryu. Its origin is in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Ghaghra and Sharda rivers are the sources of river Saryu. This river flows through the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.

 

River Kaveri:

Kaveri is the sacred river of south India. It flows through the states of Karnataka and Tamilnadu. The source of the Kaveri river is TalaKaveri in the Brahmagiri range of mountains. This river is also known as the Ganga of South India. This river is useful for agriculture.