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The Eternal Narmada: Sacred Landscape And Living Traditions
Publisher:
Aryan Books International
| Author:
R.K. Sharma, S.K. Tiwari & Anuradha Khandekar
| Language:
English
| Format:
Hardback
Publisher:
Aryan Books International
Author:
R.K. Sharma, S.K. Tiwari & Anuradha Khandekar
Language:
English
Format:
Hardback
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Page Extent:
261
A time-immemorial belief in the divine character of the Narmada – one of the seven sacred rivers of India – has permeated throughout the intangible heritage of the Narmada Valley and its inhabitants, both tribals as well as non-tribals. A historical survey of this phenomenon and the problems that it is posing in the modern cultural context is the theme of the present volume.
In the interesting river-lore of India, like the story of Gangaoatarana for the Ganga, the Narmada has a fascinating mythology regarding its origin from the Narmada Kunda on the peak of the Amarkantak Hills in Madhya Pradesh from where it traverses westwards over a length of 1,312 km over M.P., Maharashtra and Gujarat before draining through the Gulf of Khambat into the Arabian Sea, 30 km west of the Bharuch city. It is supposed to be the only virgin river of India for which an independent mythological story exists.
The divine character of the Narmada has been narrated in the Epics, the Puranas and the later literary works. The Revakhanda of the Skanda Purana is entirely dedicated to the story of the origin of the Narmada. It is believed that just a sight of the river Narmada cleanses one of all his sins. It is closely associated with Lord Shiva from the perspiration of whose body during the course of his severe penance, she is believed to have taken birth. As a result, the river represents an important pilgrimage site and one of the highest acts of a pilgrim is to perform “Narmada parikrarna” (circumambulation of the Narmada), for which a pilgrim has to walk from the source of the Narmada on one bank to reach the sea and then to cross it to reach the source. The Narmada is the only river in India where such a traditional act of pilgrimage exists.
During modern times, sustainable development along the Narmada has given rise to the politics of resistance. Are the dams more important than the sacred river whose cultural values represented by the relics have been lost by submersion in the dams and the sacred path of circumambulation (Parikarma) of the river as defined by the time-immemorial traditions have been altered?
All these and many more are the issues discussed in the present volume which is a part of the study of intangible heritage of various parts of the country being conducted by INTACH.
Description
A time-immemorial belief in the divine character of the Narmada – one of the seven sacred rivers of India – has permeated throughout the intangible heritage of the Narmada Valley and its inhabitants, both tribals as well as non-tribals. A historical survey of this phenomenon and the problems that it is posing in the modern cultural context is the theme of the present volume.
In the interesting river-lore of India, like the story of Gangaoatarana for the Ganga, the Narmada has a fascinating mythology regarding its origin from the Narmada Kunda on the peak of the Amarkantak Hills in Madhya Pradesh from where it traverses westwards over a length of 1,312 km over M.P., Maharashtra and Gujarat before draining through the Gulf of Khambat into the Arabian Sea, 30 km west of the Bharuch city. It is supposed to be the only virgin river of India for which an independent mythological story exists.
The divine character of the Narmada has been narrated in the Epics, the Puranas and the later literary works. The Revakhanda of the Skanda Purana is entirely dedicated to the story of the origin of the Narmada. It is believed that just a sight of the river Narmada cleanses one of all his sins. It is closely associated with Lord Shiva from the perspiration of whose body during the course of his severe penance, she is believed to have taken birth. As a result, the river represents an important pilgrimage site and one of the highest acts of a pilgrim is to perform “Narmada parikrarna” (circumambulation of the Narmada), for which a pilgrim has to walk from the source of the Narmada on one bank to reach the sea and then to cross it to reach the source. The Narmada is the only river in India where such a traditional act of pilgrimage exists.
During modern times, sustainable development along the Narmada has given rise to the politics of resistance. Are the dams more important than the sacred river whose cultural values represented by the relics have been lost by submersion in the dams and the sacred path of circumambulation (Parikarma) of the river as defined by the time-immemorial traditions have been altered?
All these and many more are the issues discussed in the present volume which is a part of the study of intangible heritage of various parts of the country being conducted by INTACH.
About Author
Dr. R.K. Sharma (b.1932), Convener, INTACH, Jabalpur Chapter is Retd. Professor and Head of the Department of Archaeology and Dean, Faculty of social sciences, Univesity of Jabalpur. Author and Editor more than two dozen books and over one hundred research papers published in reputed research journals, his contributions to the cause of Indian archaeology in general and archaeology of Madhya Pradesh in Particular are widely acclaimed. He is the recipient of Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Srijan Somman (2009) Awarded by the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.
Dr. S.K. Tiwari(b. 1941) Retired Professor of Geography and head of the Department of Tribal studies, University of Jabalpur (1964-2003), has contributed significantly in the fields of natural and social sciences. He has authored about three, dozen books and has been awarded ‘Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Srijan Samman; I 20009. During 1998-1999, he traversed the entire length of the river Narmada from Amarkantak to the Bay of Cambay by a wooden boat with a group of swimmers. A subsequent series of three books on the Narmada are also to his credit.
Smt. Anuradha Khandekar,A Senior Officering Indian Railways, presently posted as Divisional Railway Manager, Rajkot division, has an abiding passion for Narmada in every aspect-Physical, historical and spiritual. Painted by the controversy and politics of the recent times which she researched for this volume, her attempt in this worked has been to explore another perspective of modern devotees of the holy river who look to collaborate in preserving the heritage and assisting the inhabitants of the region to integrate into the 21st century life a the same time.
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