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Legends associated with the river Ganga
The river Ganga is said to have originated when Bhrama - (one of the supreme forms of divinity) washed the feet of Vishnu in his incarnation as Vamana. It was Bhagirata through his penance that brought the river down to the earth to purify the ashes of his ancestors who had been cursed by Kapila Muni. Legend has it that the earth was unable to bear the force of the celestial river, and that the Gods requested Shiva to bear the river on his matted locks and bring down it's energy. Ganga is thus often regarded as one of Shiva's consort as he is often depicted with the Ganga on his matted hair. Another legend has it that the Ganga interrupted the penances of a sage by name Jahnu - on the Himalayas who drank the entire river in his anger - and finally permitted her to come out through his ear. Ganga therefore is also known as Jahnavi. Another legend has it that the Ganga came down to the earth in a human form and married King Shantanu - an ancestor of the Pandavas of Mahabharata, yielded 7 children, all of whom were thrown back into the river by her in an unexplained manner. The eighth - Bheeshma was spared, thanks to King Shantanu's intervention, however Ganga left him from then on. Bheeshma plays a pivotal role throughout the grand epic of Mahabharata. Yet another legend has it that, Parvati - the Universal mother passed on to Agni the fire God - the fetus of her unborn son Skanda. Agni, unable to bear the burden requested Ganga to take it up. Ganga is also considered to be one of the mothers of Skanda.

The Descent of the Ganges
This legend relates to the descent of the river Ganga from the heavens into the earth. The ruler of Ayodhya, King Sagar, an ancestor of Rama, of the solar race performed the Aswamedha Sacrifice 99 times, where each time, the horse that he sent around the earth, returned to his kingdom unchallenged. Indra the King of Gods, in an act of jealosy, kidnapped and hid the horse in the hermitage of Kapila Muni - when the 100th sacrifice was being performed. The sixty thousand sons of Kapila came to the hermitage of Kapila in their search for the horse, and mistaking Kapila Muni to be the abductor, attacked him. An enraged Kapila Muni burnt the 60000 princes to ashes. One of the grandchildren of King Sagar, hearing about the plight of his father and uncles, came in search of Kapila Muni and asked him for a solution to the problem, and was advised that the waters of the river Ganga would miraculously bring back the dead princes to life. His descendant Bhagiratha, continued his efforts to bring the Ganga to the earth from the heavens to purify the ashes of his ancestors and bring them back to life. Bhagirata's prayers were rewarded and the Ganges rushed to the earth; however, the might of the river was too much for the earth to withstand. Fearing a catastrophe, Bhagirata prayed to Shiva, who held out his matted hair to catch the river as she descended, and thus softened her journey to the earth. The Ganga thus became an attribute of Shiva. This manifestation of Shiva is known as Gangaadhara. Bhagiratha patiently led the river down to the sea from the Himalayas; however , being unable to locate the exact spot where the ashes lay, he requested Ganga to follow her own course. The Ganga, therefore in the region of Bengal, divided herself into a hundred mouths and formed the Ganges delta. One of these streams washed the ashes, and offered salvation to the souls of the departed. The island with which this incident is associated is referred to as Sagar Island, where a bathe at the confluence of the river and the sea is considered to be sacred on Makara Sankaranti. Bhagirata's penance and the descent of the Ganges are portrayed in stone at the Pallava heritage site Mahabalipuram near Chennai.

 

 

 

 

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