All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

The Ganges (Ganga) is sacred in Hinduism both as

a river and as the goddess Ganga, who personifies

its waters. According to a popular myth, the Ganges

originally flowed in heaven, before being allowed by

the gods to descend to Earth and flow through the region

that became India. Devout Hindus believe that the river

has the property of washing away all sins.

The Origin of the Ganges

Taming the Ganges

Passage through Shiva’s hair tamed the life-giving

but dangerous waters of the Ganges by slowing its

flow and splitting the river into separate channels.

SOUTH ASIA

told him that the river was

extremely strong and flowed very

swiftly, unlike any earthly river. It

would cause terrible destruction if it were allowed to flow

freely. The waters of the Ganges had to be contained in

some way. Finally, Shiva agreed to allow the sacred river

to flow through his matted hair. He told Bhagiratha that

after breaking the fall of the mighty river, he would ensure

that it followed whichever course Bhagiratha took.

THE WATERS OF THE GANGES

So the raging waters of the river cascaded down to

Earth, bringing life to the lands over which it flowed,

but without causing any destructive floods. The place

where the Ganges first touched the Earth came to

be known as Gangotri. The river flowed over the

ashes of Sagara’s many sons, liberating their souls,

which then rose to heaven. Ever since, devotees

have believed that the waters of the Ganges wash

away past sins, and dying people are given a sip of

the holy water so that their souls achieve salvation.

THE MYTH

The kingdom of Ayodhya was once ruled by a king named

Sagara who had 60,000 sons. One day, the king decided to

perform the Ashwamedha yagna (horse sacrifice ceremony),

to symbolize his supremacy over other rulers. The ritual

involved sending his best stallion around the Earth. Anyone

who wished to challenge the king’s authority could stop the

horse and fight the king. When the god Indra saw

Sagara’s stallion roaming around unchallenged, he

hid it in the hermitage of the sage Kapila.

THE LOSS OF SAGARA’S SONS

Anxious to retrieve his stallion, the king told all his

sons to look for the missing horse. They found it

in Kapila’s hermitage. Thinking him to be the

thief, the young and arrogant princes began to

insult him. Infuriated, the sage turned them

to ashes with a single glance. Sagara pleaded

with Kapila to liberate the souls of his sons,

but the sage replied that they could be

liberated only if the Ganges, a sacred river

that flowed in heaven, came down to Earth

and flowed over their ashes.

Many years later, King Bhagiratha, a

descendant of Sagara, was granted a favour

by the gods Brahma and Shiva.He asked

for the Ganges to be allowed to descend to

Earth for the salvation of his ancestors.

The gods readily agreed, but they

Ganga on her mount

The mount of the goddess is the

Makara, which has the body of

a crocodile and is sometimes

shown with the tail of a fish.

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