Ganga:
Ganga is the personification of the river Ganges, who is worshipped by Hindus as the goddess of purification and forgiveness. Known by many names, Ganga is often depicted as a fair, beautiful woman, riding a divine crocodile-like creature called the makara.Some of the earliest mentions of Ganga are found in the Rigveda, where she is mentioned as the holiest of the rivers. Her stories mainly appear in post-Vedic texts such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas.The Ramayana describes her to be the firstborn of Himavat, the personification of the Himalayas, and the sister of the mother goddess Parvati. However, other texts mention her origin from the preserver deity, Vishnu. Legends focus on her descent to earth, which occurred because of a royal-sage Bhagiratha, aided by the god Shiva. In the epic Mahabharata, Ganga is the mother of the warrior Bhishma in a union with the Kuru king Shantanu.
In Hinduism, Ganga is seen as a mother to humanity. Pilgrims immerse the ashes of their kin in the river Ganga, which is considered by them to bring the souls (purified spirits) closer to moksha, the liberation from the cycle of life and death. Festivals like Ganga Dussehra and Ganga Jayanti are celebrated in her honour at several sacred places, which lie along the banks of the Ganges, including Gangotri, Haridwar, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Kali Ghat in Kolkata. Alongside Gautama Buddha, Ganga is worshipped during the Loy Krathong festival in Thailand.
Vedic scriptures: Ganga is mentioned in the Rigveda, the earliest and theoretically the holiest of the Hindu scriptures. Ganga is mentioned in the Nadistuti which lists the rivers from east to west. In the word Ganga is also mentioned, but it is not clear if the reference is to the river. itsays that "your ancient home, your auspicious friendship, O Heroes, your wealth is on the banks of the Jahanvi". This verse could refer to the Ganga. the Jahanvi and the Ganges river dolphin occur in two adjacent verses.
Iconography: A statue of Ganga, 17th–18th century CE,Ganga stone statue, 8th century AD, Ellora. Currently at National Museum, New Delhi, India.Ganga is described as the melodious, the fortunate, the cow that gives much milk, the eternally pure, the delightful, the body that is full of fish, affords delight to the eye and leaps over mountains in sport, the bedding that bestows water and happiness, and the friend or benefactor of all that live, Since the Vedic period, the Ganges river has been considered the holiest of all rivers by Hindus. Ganga is also personified as a goddess and worshipped as Goddess Ganga. She holds an important place in the Hindu pantheon. Ganga is represented as a fair-complexioned woman, wearing a white crown and sitting on a crocodile. She holds a water lily in her right hand and a flute in her left. When shown with four hands she carries a water-pot, a lily, and a rosary, and has one hand in a protective mode. The Rigveda mentions Ganga but more of her is said in the Puranas.
Ganga is depicted four-armed and mounted on a crocodile or enthroned surrounded by crocodiles. In one of the iconography in Maha Virat-rupa, she holds a jar of amrita, rosary, lotus and varada mudra. She may be depicted in other ways holding only a kalasha (or 2 replacing lotus) and lotus, while other 2 hands in varada and abhaya mudra. Another depiction popular especially in Bengal shows her holding shankha, chakra (discus), lotus and abhaya mudra, with the kalasha releasing her holy water.In Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Ganga is often depicted with her divine mount, the makara – an animal with the head of a crocodile and tail of a dolphin.
Legend: The Ramayana and several other texts narrate that Brahma created Himavat. He later became the king of the Himalayas, and married Menavati, the daughter of Meru. After several years, a daughter was born, and they named her Ganga. After some years, another daughter named Parvati was born, who was an incarnation of Sati. When Ganga grew up, the devas took her to Svarga, and she took a form of a river and flowed there.
The Bhagavata Purana depicts another origin of Ganga. According to the text, Vishnu, in his incarnation as Vamana, extended his left foot to the end of the universe, and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of his big toe. Through the hole, the pure water of the causal ocean entered this universe as the Ganges river. Having washed the lotus feet of the lord, which are covered with reddish saffron, the water of the Ganga acquired a very beautiful pink colour. Because the Ganges directly touches the lotus feet of Vishnu (Narayana) before descending within this universe, it is known as Bhagavat-Padi or Vishnupadi, which means emanating from the feet of Bhagavan (God). It finally settles in Brahmaloka or Brahmapura, the abode of the Brahma, before descending to the planet earth at the request of Bhagiratha, and held safely by Shiva on his head, to prevent the destruction of Bhumi Devi (the earth goddess). Then, Ganga was released from Shiva's hair to meet the needs of the country.
Transformation into a river: A legend in the Bhagavata Purana and Devi Bhagavata Purana describes Ganga as originally being one of the three wives of Vishnu, along with Lakshmi and Saraswati.[6] In the midst of a conversation, Saraswati observed that Ganga playfully kept glancing at Vishnu. Frustrated, Saraswati launched a furious tirade against Ganga, accusing her of stealing Vishnu's love away from her. When Ganga appealed to her husband to help her, he opted to remain neutral, not wishing to participate in a quarrel between his three wives, whom he loved equally. When Lakshmi attempted to soothe Saraswati's anger by reasoning with her, the jealous goddess grew angry with her as well, accusing her of disloyalty towards her.
he cursed Lakshmi to be born as the Tulasi plant upon the earth. Ganga, now enraged that Lakshmi had been cursed because she had defended her, cursed Saraswati that she would be incarnated as a river on earth. Saraswati issued the same curse against Ganga, informing her that sinful men would cleanse themselves of their sins with her water. To prevent further conflict among the goddesses, Vishnu declares Lakshmi as his only wife and sends Saraswati to Brahma and Ganga to Shiva.Descent upon the earth
The Mahabharata narrates that there was once a war between the devas and the asuras. The leader of the asuras, Vritra, was killed by Indra, and so his followers hid in the sea, causing the devas to be unable to find them. The devas requested Sage Agastya to help. He used his divine powers and swallowed the ocean to reveal where the asuras were hiding. The devas defeated the remaining asuras, and asked Sage Agastya to restore the water. However, the sage was unable to release the water, despite trying several times. This caused drought conditions upon the earth, but Vishnu assured that the ocean would be filled by the flow of Ganga on the planet.
The story about Ganga's descent on earth through the efforts of Bhagiratha, a descendant of King Sagara, is narrated in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and various Puranas.Wanting to show his sovereignty, King Sagara performed a ritual known as ashvamedha, where a horse was left to wander for one year. However, Indra stole the horse to prevent the ritual from being successful. Learning that the horse had disappeared, King Sagara sent his sixty thousand sons to look for it.They eventually found the horse at the ashrama of Sage Kapila, in the netherworld. Thinking that Sage Kapila had stolen the horse, the sons interrupted him while he was in a deep meditation. This infuriated Kapila, and with his ascetic's gaze, he burned all the sixty thousand sons to ashes.
King Sagara sent his grandson, Amshuman, to ask the sage Kapila what could be done to bring deliverance to their souls. Sage Kapila advised that only the water of the Ganges, which flowed from Svarga, could liberate them.[12] Bhagiratha, Amshuman's grandson, undertook severe ascetic practices, and won the favour of Brahma and Shiva. Brahma allowed Ganga to descend on earth, while Shiva broke Ganga's fall in the coils of his hair, so that her force would not shatter the earth.[12] When Ganga descended, Bhagiratha led her to the sea. From there, the river reached the netherworld, and liberated the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara.
Because of Bhagiratha's efforts, the river is also known as Bhagirathi. She is also known as Tripathaga because she flows in the three worlds, heaven, earth, and the netherworld.Another epithet that Ganga is known by is Jahnavi, because she flooded the ashram of Sage Jahnu while being led by Bhagiratha. Her waters extinguished the ritual fire there, which angered the sage Jahnu, so he drank up all of Ganga's waters. Sage Jahnu later released the water out of his left ear after Bhagiratha explained his mission for Ganga's descent. Due to this incident, Ganga is known as Jahnavi, which means daughter of Sage Jahnu.
In the Mahabharata, Ganga is the wife of Shantanu as well as the mother of the eight Vasus, including Bhishma.Ganga and Shantanu were cursed by Brahma to be born on earth. Shantanu met Ganga on the banks of the Ganges and asked her to marry him. She accepted the proposal on the condition that Shantanu would not question any of her actions.Shantanu agreed and they married. They lived together peacefully and had eight sons who were the incarnation of the eight Vasus. They too had been cursed and had asked Ganga to end their life when they were born to her on earth. Due to their request, Ganga began drowning each son upon birth while Shantanu watched without questioning. However, when she was about to drown their eighth son, Bhishma, Shantanu stopped her.[14] Ganga later leaves with Bhishma but gives him back to Shantanu when he is ten years old.
Varuna:
Varuna is a Hindu god, associated with the sky, oceans, and water. In the Vedic scriptures, he is paired with the god Mitra and is the lord of Ṛta and Satya .Varuna is also mentioned as an Aditya, the sons of the goddess Aditi.In the later Hindu texts like the Puranas, Varuna is also a Dikpala or guardian of the western direction. He is depicted as a youthful man, mounted on Makara (crocodile) and holding a Pasha (noose, rope loop) and a pitcher in his hands. He has multiple wives and fathered many children, including the Vedic sage Vasishtha.He is also mentioned in the Tamil grammar work Tolkappiyam, as Kadalon the god of sea and rain. He is found in Japanese Buddhist mythology as Suiten.He is also found in Jainism.
Etymology: Varuna iconography at the 11th-century Rajarani Hindu temple.In Hindu tradition, the theonym Váruṇa is described as a derivation from the verbal root vr by means of a suffixal -uṇa-, for an interpretation of the name as "he who covers or binds", in reference to the cosmological ocean or river encircling the world, but also in reference to the "binding" by universal law.
Georges Dumézil (1934) made a cautious case for the identity of Varuna and the Greek god Ouranos at the earliest Indo-European cultural level.The etymological identification of the name Ouranos with the Sanskrit Varuṇa is based in the derivation of both names from the PIE root uer with a sense of "binding" the Indic king-god Varuṇa binds the wicked, the Greek king-god Ouranos binds the Cyclopes. This derivation of the Greek name is now widely rejected in favour of derivation from the root moisten, drip
Vedas: In the earliest layer of the Rigveda, Varuna is the guardian of moral law, one who punishes those who sin without remorse, and who forgives those who err with remorse. He is mentioned in many Rigvedic hymns, such as and others. His relationship with waters, rivers and oceans is mentioned in the Vedas. Rig veda says Hiranyapaksha (golden winged bird) as the messenger of Varuna. The golden winged messenger bird of Varuna may not be a mythical one but most probably flamingos because they have colourful wings and the sukta further describes Vulture as the messenger of Yama, the beaks of both these birds have similar morphology and flamingos are seen nearby seashores and marshlands.
The Rigveda also features him as the god of the sky.Varuna and Mitra are the gods of the societal affairs including the oath, and are often twinned Mitra-Varuna. Both Mitra and Varuna are classified as Asuras in the Rigveda although they are also addressed as Devas as well Varuna, being the king of the Asuras, was adopted or made the change to a Deva after the structuring of the primordial cosmos, imposed by Indra after he defeats Vrtra.Varuna with Varunani. Statue carved out of basalt, dates back to 8th century CE, discovered in Karnataka. On display at the Prince of Wales museum, Mumbai.
According to Doris Srinivasan, a professor of Indology focusing on religion, Varuna-Mitra pair is an ambiguous deity just like Rudra-Shiva pair.Both have wrathful-gracious aspects in Indian mythology. Both Varuna and Rudra are synonymous with "all comprehensive sight, knowledge", both were the guardian deity of the north in the Vedic texts (Varuna later gets associated with west), both can be offered "injured, ill offerings", all of which suggest that Varuna may have been conceptually overlapping with Rudra.Further, the Rigvedic calls Mitra-Varuna pair as rudra, states Srinivasan.According to Samuel Macey and other scholars, Varuna had been the more ancient Indo-Aryan deity in 2nd millennium BCE, who gave way to Rudra in the Hindu pantheon, and Rudra-Shiva became both "timeless and the god of time".
In Vajasaneyi Samhita (Yajurveda), Varuna is called the patron deity of physicians, one who has "a hundred, a thousand remedies".His capacity and association with "all comprehensive knowledge" is also found in the Atharvaveda .Varuna also finds a mention in the early Upanishads, where his role evolves. In verse of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad for example, he is stated to be the god of the western quarter, but one who is founded on "water" and dependent ultimately on "the heart" and the fire of soul.In the Katha Upanishad, Aditi is identified to be same as the goddess earth. She is stated in the Vedic texts to be the mother of Varuna and Mitra along with other Vedic gods, and in later Hindu mythology she as mother earth is stated to be mother of all gods.In Yajurveda it is said: "In fact Varuna is Vishnu and Vishnu is Varuna and hence the auspicious offering is to be made to these deities.
Upanishads: Varuna, addressed as Varuni explained Brahman in Taittiriya Upanishad to sage Bhrigu. First six anuvakas of Bhrigu Valli are called Bhargavi Varuni Vidya, which means "the knowledge Bhrigu got from (his father) Varuni". It is in these anuvakas that sage Varuni advises Bhrigu with one of the oft-cited definition of Brahman, as "that from which beings originate, through which they live, and in which they re-enter after death, explore that because that is Brahman".This thematic, all encompassing, eternal nature of reality and existence develops as the basis for Bhrigu's emphasis on introspection, to help peel off the outer husks of knowledge, in order to reach and realize the innermost kernel of spiritual Self-knowledge.
Ramayana: Varuna himself arose from the depth of the ocean and begged Rama for forgiveness.Rama interacts with Varuna in the Hindu epic Ramayana. For example, faced with the dilemma of how to cross the ocean to Lanka, where his abducted wife Sita is held captive by the demon king Ravana, Rama (an Avatar of Vishnu) performs a pravpavesha (prayer, tapasya) to Varuna, the Lord of Oceans, for three days and three nights, states Ramesh Menon.Varuna does not respond, and Rama arises on the fourth morning, enraged. He states to his brother Lakshamana that "even lords of the elements listen only to violence, Varuna does not respect gentleness, and peaceful prayers go unheard".
With his bow and arrow, Rama prepares to attack the oceans to dry up the waters and create a bed of sand for his army of monkeys to cross and thus confront Ravana. Lakshmana appeals to Rama, translates Menon, that he should return to "peaceful paths of our fathers, you can win this war without laying waste the sea".Rama shoots his weapon sending the ocean into flames. As Rama increases the ferocity of his weapons, Varuna arises out of the oceans. He bows to Rama, stating that he himself did not know how to help Rama because the sea is deep, vast and he cannot change the nature of sea. Varuna asked Rama to remember that he is "the soul of peace and love, wrath does not suit him". Varuna promised to Rama that he will not disturb him or his army as they build a bridge and cross over to Lanka. Although, most of the sources claim it was Samudra, the god of the oceans who met Rama not the water god Varuna.
In Tolkappiyam: The Tolkappiyam, a Tamil grammar work from the 3rd century BCE divides the people of ancient Tamilakam into five Sangam landscape divisions: kurinji, mullai, paalai, marutham and neithal.Each landscape is designated with different gods. Neithal is described as a seashore landscape occupied by fishermen and seatraders, with the god of sea and rain, Varunan or Kadalon."Varuna" means water which denotes the ocean in the Tamil language.
Festivals: Cheti Chand, The Cheti Chand festival in the Hindu month of Chaitra marks the arrival of spring and harvest, but in Sindhi Hindu community, it also marks the mythical birth of Uderolal in the year 1007. Uderolal morphed into a warrior and old man who preached and reprimanded Mirkhshah that Muslims and Hindus deserve the same religious freedoms. He, as Jhulelal, became the saviour of the Sindhi Hindus, who according to this legend, celebrate the new year as Uderolal's birthday.Chaliya saheb, Chalio or Chaliho, also called Chaliho Sahib, is a forty-day-long festival celebrated by Sindhi Hindus to express their gratitude to Jhulelal for saving them from their impending conversion to Islam. The festival is observed every year in the months of July to August; dates vary according to the Hindu calendar. It is a thanksgiving celebration in honor of Varuna Deva for listening to their prayers.
Narali Poornima: Narali Poornima is a ceremonial day observed by Hindu fishing communities in Maharashtra, India particularly around Mumbai and the Konkan coast. It is held on the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Shravan which falls around July or August. On this day offerings such as rice, flowers and coconuts are offered to Lord Varuna, the god of ocean and waters.Beyond Hinduism and India, Sri Lankan Tamils (Karaiyar caste), Karaiyar is a Sri Lankan Tamil caste found mainly on the northern and eastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka, and globally among the Tamil diaspora. They are traditionally a seafaring community that is engaged in fishing, shipment and seaborne trade. They fish mostly in deep seas, and employ gillnet and seine fishing methods. The Karaiyars were the major maritime traders and boat owners who among other things, traded with pearls, chanks, tobacco, and shipped goods overseas to countries such as India, Myanmar and Indonesia.
The community known for their maritime history, are also reputed as a warrior caste who contributed as army and navy soldiers of Tamil kings. They were noted as the army generals and navy captains of the Aryacakravarti dynasty. The Karaiyars emerged in the 1980s as strong representatives of Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism. The nuclear leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have background in the wealthier enterprising section of the Karaiyars.The word "Karaiyar" is derived from the Tamil language words karai and yar The term Kareoi mentioned by 2nd century CE writer Ptolemy, is identified with the Tamil word "Karaiyar".The Portuguese and Dutch sources mentions them under the term Careas, Careaz, or Carias, which are terms denoting "Karaiyar".
Kurukulam, Varunakulam and Arasakulam were historically one of the significant clans of the Karaiyars.Kurukulam, meaning "clan of the Kuru", may be a reference to their origin from Kurumandalam (meaning "realm of Kuru's") of Southern India.They attribute their origin myth from the Kuru Kingdom, mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.Some scholars derived Kurukulam from Kuru, the Tamil name for Jupiter. Varunakulam, meaning "clan of Varuna", is a reference to their maritime origin.Varuna is the god of sea and rain, mentioned in Vedic Literature, but also in Sangam literature as the principal deity of the Neithal Sangam landscape . Arasakulam means "clan of kings".They used the Makara as emblem, the mount of their clan deity, the sea god Varuna, which was also seen on their flags.
Sindhi Hindus: Jhulelal is considered an incarnation of Varuna by Sindhi Hindus.Jhulelal is believed by Sindhi Hindus to be an incarnation of Varuna. They celebrate the festival of Cheti Chand in his honor. The festival marks the arrival of spring and harvest, but in Sindhi community it also marks the birth of Uderolal in year 1007, after they prayed to Hindu god Varuna to save them from the persecution by tyrannical Muslim ruler named Mirkhshah.Uderolal morphed into a warrior and old man who preached and reprimanded Mirkhshah that Muslims and Hindus deserve the same religious freedoms. He, as Jhulelal,became the champion of the people in Sindh, from both religions. Among his Sufi Muslim followers, Jhulelal is known as "Khwaja Khizir" or "Sheikh Tahit". The Hindu Sindhi, according to this legend, celebrate the new year as Uderolal's birthday.
Buddhism: Theravada, The Pali Canon of the Theravada school recognizes Varuṇa as a king of the devas and companion of Sakka, Pajapati and Isana. In the battle against the Asuras, the devas of Tavatimsa were asked to look upon the banner of Varuna in order to have all their fears dispelled .The Tevijja Sutta mentions him among Indra, Soma, Isana, Pajapati, Yama and Mahiddhi as gods that are invoked by the brahmins.The Atanatiya Sutta lists him among the Yakkha chiefs.Buddhaghosa states that Varuna is equal in age and glory (vanna) with Sakka and takes the third seat in the assembly of devas.
Akhilandeshwari
Akhilandeshwari is one of the main forms of the Hindu Goddess Adi Parashakti. The famous abode of Akhilandeshwari is the Jambukeswarar Temple in Thiruvanaikaval. She is also revered collectively with the goddesses Meenakshi and Kamakshi, forming the Trishakti triad, the most powerful goddesses in Shaktism. The goddess’s name is split into three components. “Akhila” means the universe, “Anda” means cosmic egg, and “Ishwari” means the divine mother. Therefore, Goddess, the divine mother who protects the entire universe in her womb (cosmic egg), is known as “Akhilandeshwari”. Akhilandeshwari is the presiding deity in the Jambukeswarar Temple in Thiruvanaikaval along with her consort Jambukeswarar, who is an avatar of Shiva.
Once Parvati mocked Shiva's penance for the betterment of the world. Shiva wanted to condemn her act and directed her to go to the Earth from Mount Kailash (Shiva's abode) to do penance. Parvati in the form of Akhilandeshwari as per Shiva's wish found the Jambu forest to conduct her penance. She made a lingam out of the water from the Kaveri river, (also called as Ponni River) under the Venn Naaval tree (the Venn Naaval tree on top of the saint Jambu) and commenced her worship. The lingam is known as Appu Lingam (Water Lingam).Shiva at last appeared in front of Akhilandeshwari and taught her Shiva Gnana. Akhilandeshwari took Upadesa (lessons) facing East from Shiva, who stood facing west. Just because of this till today during Uchi Kala Puja (Around Noon), the priest of Akhilandeshwari's temple dresses up like a woman, goes to the sanctum of Jambukeswara Shiva and offers prayers and performs puja to Shiva and Kamadhenu (Cow deity).
It is believed that Akhilandeshwari comes in the form of a priest to worship Shiva and the temple cow as Kamadhenu. Thiruvanaikovil is one of the temples where Akhilandeshwari is worshipped as a form of Adi Parashakti. Another legend surrounds the Jambukeswarar Temple. Two attendants of Shiva, namely Malyavan and Pushpadanta always quarrelled with each other over one thing or the other. During a quarrel, Malyavan cursed Pushpadanta to become an elephant and the latter cursed the former to become a spider in their next births. The elephant and the spider arrived at Thiruvanaikovil and found the Appu Lingam under the Venn Naaval tree in the Jambu forest. Thus, the animals started their worship of Shiva. The elephant collected water from the nearby Kaveri River and performed abhishekam (ablution) to the lingam. The spider constructed a web to prevent dust, dry leaves and direct sunlight from falling on the lingam.
One day, The elephant saw the web over the lingam. It thought there was dust on the lingam and destroyed the web. It later collected water and performed abhishekam again. This went on every day. One day, the spider was angry over the overall destruction of its webs, crawled into the trunk of the elephant and bit the elephant to death. The spider died during the act. Moved by the deep devotion of the two, Shiva appeared and gave moksha (liberation) to the elephant and the spider, who were his attendants in their past lives.There's also another story. After the creation of the heaven, earth and the sky, Brahma created a woman. Unfortunately, Brahma fell in love with the woman. Due to his lust for the woman, Brahma could not do his duty properly. The woman wanted to get away from the lust of Brahma and tried to move away, but a head of Brahma sprouted wherever she went. Brahma now had 5 heads. The woman went to Shiva and asked for help. Shiva agreed and went to Brahma. Shiva took the form of Bhairava, flung his trident and cut off the 5th head of Brahma, leaving only 4 heads. Brahma then repented for his actions and decided to do penance.
Moved by his deep devotion, Shiva and Parvati appeared dressed as Parvati and Shiva respectively. When Brahma opened his eyes, he could not recognize them and tell who was who. Brahma later asked for repentance and Shiva agreed as he and Parvati appeared again in their true form. Hence, till the present, the event is recreated in a procession where the procession deities of Shiva and Parvati are dressed and vice versa and carried through all the five outer parts (prakaras) of the temple which is celebrated as Pancha-Prakara Vizha.There's also a story in which Shiva came in the form of a saint called Vibhooti Seethar and built a wall, as per the wish of the King who ruled the place. It is believed that Rama worshipped Shiva here and hence, as proof, the lake of Rama (Rama Tirtham) is present here. It is also believed that Brahma and Indra worshipped Akhilandeshwari here and composed stotrams, namely the,
Brahma Kruta Akhilandeshwari Stotram
Indra Kruta Akhilandeshwari Stotram.
Worship: The idols (moola murtis) of Jambukeswarar (Shiva) and Akhilandeswari are installed opposite to each other – Such temples are known as Upadesa Sthalams. As Akhilandeswari was like a student and Jambukeswara was like a Guru (teacher) in this temple, there is no Thirukalyanam (marriage) conducted in this temple for Jambukeswarar and Akhilandeswari, unlike the other Shiva temples. The sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha) of goddess Akhilandeswari and the sanctum sanctorum of Prasanna Ganapathi are in the shape of the pranava mantra, "Om" in Tamil script. It is believed that Akhilandeswari was originally an angry deity (ugra devata) in the form of Varahi and devotees would pray to her only from the outside of the temple. Hence, during one of Adi Sankara's visits, he installed the Prasanna Ganapathi idol right opposite her sanctum and installed a pair of Sri Chakra thaatankas (ear-rings) to reduce her anger.
Apart from daytime when she is Akhilandeswari and after Arthajama puja during the night time she again becomes Varahi. No one dares to enter once her sanctum is closed. Even many have witnessed the glimpse of Varahi during Arthajama pooja. Some people even heard the roaring sound of Varahi at night. Apart from this, she becomes Lakshmi in the morning, Durga at 12 Noon, Saraswati in the evening and as Varahi after the Arthajama puja at 9 pm. Akhilandeswari is such a kind goddess who fulfills our wishes if we seek her with true devotion and love. The Jambukeswarar Temple of Thiruvanaikovil is located near the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple of Srirangam, which is home to the deity Ranganatha. Hence during the Tamil month of Margazhi, it is believed that Ranganatha sends garlands, jewellery, sarees and gifts to his sister Akhilandeswari.
Khodiyar:
Khodiyaris a Hindu folk goddess worshiped in Gujarat and Rajasthan states in India.The suffix Mata or Maa (meaning "mother") is generally added to her name, similar to other Hindu goddesses. And Khodiyar Mata Day is Sunday
Legends:Sri Khodiyarmata Akhyan, In the late 8th century in the Maitraka kingdom, a Cāraṇ named Mamadiya Gaḍhvi lived near the capital of Vallabhi. He had close relations to the king but no children. The merchants of the kingdom were jealous of Mamadiya, so they told the royal priest (purohit) to tell the queen that to look upon an infertile man runs the risk of becoming infertile oneself. The queen thus convinced the king to banish the bard from the royal court.Mamadiya then went to a Siva temple in the wilderness to fast and pray for children. On the 8th day Siva appeared and granted Gaḍhvī seven daughters and a son. Several years later the girls were playing on a hill when they suddenly had a thirst for the blood and hunger for the flesh of buffaloes, which happened to be at the bottom of the hill. The girls raced down and tore the largest buffalo apart and ate his flesh and blood. The girls become infamous as they ate more and more buffaloes.
The king of Vallabhi did not practice buffalo sacrifice but instead used buffaloes to fight in sport with other kings with the stakes being land. Once the king's finest buffalo was missing, and the king and his soldiers eventually found the seven sisters gorging themselves on the buffalo. The king ordered the girls to be burned alive, but a voice from heaven said You unjustly chased our father for his barrenness: now, your own line will have no issue.The king begged for mercy and he was given the option of having children if he married among the people.
When the girls grew up they left home together, but the youngest named Khoḍiyār was lame and could not keep up with the others. She fell upon the ground and prayed to the goddess Jagdambā to take her to her realm. However, goddesses told her from heaven that she was given a limp for a purpose, and they she had all the goddess' divine powers and would become the greatest of the sisters.
Chudasama Dynasty: Ra Dayas of the Chudasama dynasty ruling at Junagaḍh and his wife Somaldi were childless, and as a result of Somaldi's prayers to Khoḍiyar, they were granted a son. Soon the king of Gujarat invaded Junagadh, killed Dayas, and appointed a governor. Somāldī entrusted the care of her baby son, Navghaṇ, to her maidservant and then committed sati.The maidservant took Navghaṇ to an Ahīr chief in southern Saurasra, who raised Navghan amongst his own children, including his daughter Jasal. However, the governor of Junagaḍh suspected that Dayas' son was still alive and ordered his death. The Ahīr chief admitted he had the boy, but sent his own son to be killed instead of Navghan, and eventually became close with the governor.
When the time for Jasal's marriage came in 1025 CE, her marriage was celebrated at Junāgaḍh and the governor's soldiers became drunk. The Ahir chief had a dream in which Khoḍiyar had told him the location of buried treasure. The chief used the treasure to buy weapons to overthrow the governor while his soldiers were drunk at Jasal's wedding feast. The Ahir chief then placed Navghaṇ on the throne, with Jasal placing the tikā on his forehead with her own finger blood. Thus Somaldi became the clan goddess (kuldevi) of the CudasamasYears later when Navghaṇ was on campaign in Sindh, he met a Caran girl who was the incarnation of Khoḍiyar. She caused the waters of the Rann of Kachh to part to let Navghaṇ's army pass. After defeating the Sindh, Navghaṇ built a temple to Khoḍiyar in Junagadhh.Gohil dynasty, In Saurasṭra the chief of Sihor was Gohil sadulsinhji; one day a Cāraṇ visited him and sang in praise of Khodiyar, who he said was a form of Ambika-Bhavani.
The next day sadulsin went to Khodiyar's birthplace hoping to get a darsan of her. At her birthplace he met an old woman who he realized was the goddess, and after pressing her she revealed herself in her form as a young woman standing on a crocodile with a trident in hand. She told him to build a temple to her nearby on a small hill near a spring marked with a hand in red. Thus forth she became the kuldevi of the Gohil dynasty.
Lopamudra
Lopamudra, also known as Kaveri, Kaushitaki and Varaprada,was a philosopher according to ancient Vedic Indian literature. She was the wife of the sage Agastya who is believed to have lived in the Rigveda period (1950 BC-1100 BC) as many hymns have been attributed as her contribution to this Veda. She was not only the consort of Agastya but a Rishiki in her own right, as she was the well known Rishiki who visualized the "Hadi Panchadasi" mantra of the Srikul Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She was one of the prominent Brahmavadinis.
There are three versions of Lopamudra's legend; one is in the Rigveda Hymns; the second is in the epic Mahabharata, where there is an elaborate version with a mention that Agastya Rishi did penance at Gangadwara (Haridwar), with the help of his wife, Lopamudra (the princess of Vidarbha).According to this legend, Lopamudra was created by sage Agastya with the most graceful parts of animals such as eyes of the deer etc.The third version is Giridhara Ramayana.
tymology: The name Lopamudra signifies the loss (lopa) that the animals and plants suffered by giving their distinctive beauties (mudra's) when Agastya created her. After creating her, Agastya gave Lopamudra to the King of Vidarbha who was doing penance seeking for a progeny. Agastya had created Lopamudra with the intention of marrying her. The king brought up Lopamudra as his daughter. When she grew up, Agastya demanded her hand in marriage. Lopamudra agreed to marry him and left the King's palace for his hermitage. However, after some time, she grew tired of Agastya's austerity. She wrote hymn in the Rigveda, asking for his attention and love. The hymn made Agastya realize his duties towards his wife. The couple had a son named Dridhasyu, who became a poet.Together with her husband she is also credited with spreading the fame of the Lalita sahasranama (the thousand names of the Divine Mother). It is also believed that Agastya learnt the hymns of Lalitha Sahasranama from Hayagriva who is an avatar of Lord Vishnu.
In Rigveda: In Rigveda, hymns authored by 27 female rishis or rishikas reflect their success and progress as women intellectuals. These hymns are presented under three headings. The first group has hymns contributed by female rishis only such as by Vishwavara and Apale; Vishwavara's hymn is dedicated to Agni while Apale's hymn is about Indra. In the second group some are attributed to female rishis, particularly Lopamudra and Shashiyasi, wife of Taranta. Lopamudra's hymn has six verses in particular which have her name tag and are dedicated to Goddess Rati. Her hymns elaborate on the relationship between husband and wife in order to follow celibacy. Lopamudra is credited to have composed hymn number 179 in the Rigveda. The third group of hymns, though attributed to female rishis are not identified by any author and deal mostly with mythological characters and representation of theoretical qualities.
In Rigveda Agastya and Lopamudra are considered as "mantra drashta" (seers who are discoverer of mantras).She is also mentioned in Yajurveda Brihaddevtakara and in Agama granthas,and hailed as "Mantradrika" (well versed in mantras) in Rigveda.n the translation of the Sanskrit text of the Rigveda by Ralph T.H. Griffith , the hymns or sutras related to Agastya, Lopamudra and a disciple are titled "Rati" meaning love, which are six verses, two are by Lopamudra, two by Agastya, and the last two are to the credit of the disciple or Agastya. Bergaigne has commented that the hymn has mystical meaning, with Agastya identified as the heavenly Soma while Lopamudra represents her feminine attraction which fructifies in getting Agastya out of his "secret dwelling place". It is presented more as a dramatic dialogue between husband and wife with the student commenting his appreciation.The first two verses are expressions of Lopamudra's passion filled approach to her husband, highlighting his old age and his coolness towards her charms.
overwhelmed.Patton also states that "the final line of the hymn celebrates Agstya as having attained immortality both through children and through ascetic practice, while Lopamudra remains marked by sexual desire".According to Dr. Rameshchandra Mukhopadhyaya, Lopamudra's sutras say that men should go to women. Even the past rishis who attained knowledge of gods enjoyed women and "were never tired of it". Lopamudra's expression of frustration in this verse is a result of Agastya's abstinence from having sex with his wife. Her saying that she has become old is an expression of "pathos." Agastya explains in reply that this restraint was god created. Agastya succumbs to Lopamudra's entreaties and submits to her. In the last two verses the disciple of Agastya glorifies Agastya's "kindred points of love making and penance".
In Mahabharata: The legend of Lopamudra, a mythological female, is the story of Agastya and Lopamudra narrated in the Aranyakaparvan of the epic Mahabharata.This version of the legend is said to be "the glorification of domestic life and family and demonstrates the incompleteness of a life based solely on asceticism.The background to Agastya and Lopamudra's legend in the Mahabharata starts with the asura brothers Ilvala and Vatapi of the region of Manismati.It is also said that they hailed from Badami in Karnataka, South India.Ilvala requested a learned Brahmin to bless him with a son who would be as powerful as Indra.
As this did not materialize Ilvala and his brother Vatapi got annoyed with the Brahmins and started taking revenge against them by adopting magical tricks. Illwala's brother Vatapi would transform himself into a buffalo and after slaying the buffalo the cooked meat would be served to the Brahmins. Once the meal was consumed by the Brahmins then Ilvala would call out for his brother to come out of the stomach of the Brahmins. Vatapi would then assume his normal human form and emerge from the stomach of the Brahmins killing them in the process. This aspect was made known to Agastya. At that time Agastya who had attained benefit of his long penance through asceticism went to the heaven where on his way he saw a few manes suspended with their legs up over a gorge.Surprised, Agastya asked them the reason for their such a plight. They told him that they were waiting for a son to be born to their descendant to get release from this curse.
They also told him that they were his ancestors and it was now left to him (Agastya) to get married and soon beget a son, perform oblation rites to gods, and get them released from the curse so that they could go to heaven. Agastya promised the manes of his ancestors that he would fulfill their wish.In another version it is said that Agastya encountered his ancestors in a dream in the form of suspended manes with heels up over a deep ravine.
Creation of Lopamudra: Agastya then started creating a woman of rare beauty and intelligence. He did this creation from most graceful parts of various creatures possessing such a beauty (drawn from "different birds, animal and flower, the eyes of the doe, the grace of the panther, the slenderness of the palm trees, the fragrance of the champak flower, the softness of the feather on a swan's neck"), who would eventually beget a son for him. At that time the king of Vidarbha, who was childless, was doing penance to gods seeking boon of a progeny. Agastya bestowed his creation of the women of his imagination to the king. As the girl child emerged into the world, in glowing beauty, the king called the Brahmins to bless the child.
The Brahmins named her Lopamudra. As the creation was done due to the loss of parts of creatures (animals and plants) the girl was named Lopamudra, 'lopa' meaning "loss" and 'mudra' meaning "parts.".She grew up to be a very pretty, learned and devoted daughter and the King wanted to get her married when she attained puberty.Lopamudra marries Agastya, The King approached Agastya seeking his advice for the marriage of his daughter. However, Agastya who was responsible for her beautiful creation for begetting a son for him, asked the king for her hand in marriage. This caused anguish to the king and queen as to how their daughter who was brought up in princely comforts could be married to an ascetic, a forest dweller. They were also scared of the power of Agastya who they felt could curse them if they refused to give Lopamudra in marriage to him. Looking at the worried status of her parents, Lopamudra volunteered to marry Agastya and requested her father to perform the wedding. Once married and taken to the forest to live with him, Agastya told Lopamudra to discard all her royal attire and ornaments and wear clothes fit for an ascetic's wife.
She obeyed her husband and wore rags, deer skins and bark for her clothes.She dutifully, respectfully, lovingly and willingly served Agastya in his religious practices and penance. Her asceticism through tapas matched Agstya's.[18] Agastya was then not attracted to her beauty and did not cohabit with her and remained detached though she was beautiful and was his own creation. However, after a long lapse of time, Agastya then wanted to beget a son who would full fill his promise to his ancestors and relieve them of their curse. However, Lopamudra was not willing as she put a condition that she would procreate with him only if she got all the riches and the princely comforts that she enjoyed at her father's place. Agastya countered pleadingly that as he was an ascetic he could not break the laws of asceticism otherwise all his spiritual achievements of so many years of penance which were meant for the benefit of human beings would be lost.
But Lopamudra persistently argued that with great acetic qualities Agastya could achieve anything in this world. As her child bearing biological cycle would not last long she urged him to agree to her conditions and go in search of riches.The Giridhara Ramayana has a different story of Lopamudra. Agastya approached king of Kanyakubja who had many daughters seeking a girl in marriage. The king promised the sage a girl when they come of age and asked him to come back a few years later. By the time the sage returned, however, the king had married off all his daughters. He was so worried about getting cursed, that he dressed his son Lopamudra as a girl and presented him to Agastya. Miraculously, Lopamudra was transformed and became a woman after the wedding
Agastya acquires wealth,Agastya then went out seeking wealth. He met three kings, Srutarvan, Vradhnaswa, and Trasadasyu, one after the other, who welcomed him with due respects offering oblations and requested him to state his wish. He then told them to give him a part of their wealth. They all told him that after meeting the expenditure related to their commitments to the well-being of their subjects, with due diligence of the status of their revenue, they would be happy to spare surplus, if any. Agastya, after considering this statement felt that they had no wealth to spare for him. On the advice of the three kings, he then approached Ilvala, the King of asuras or danavas who was considered a very wealthy king.
Ilvala welcomed Agastya and the other three kings who accompanied him, within the limits of his city, with due honours. Once in his palace Ilvala served Agastya and his entourage the magic potion of the meat of his brother Vatapi who had taken the form of a buffalo to be served as cooked meat so that the brothers could slay the Brahmins after they consumed the meat. The kings were scared to consume the meat but Agastya told them not to worry as he would consume all the meat served to them and will spare them from eating it.He then consumed the meat dishes served to him and straight away digested the meat and said "Vatapi Jeerno Bhava", meaning let 'Vatapi be digested'. Ilvala then, as per past practice, called out for his brother Vatapi to come out. But Agastya only belched and gas came out of his mouth as Vatapi had been digested. With this turn of events then Illvala was sad but bestowed all the wealth that Agastya desired. The asura king gave away his golden chariot and gold and silver coins which Agastya and his three kings carried away with them.
With the riches acquired, Agastya approached his wife who was pleased with the outcome.Agastya, who demonstrated his power in both the "secular and the sacred realms", approached Lopamudra's bedroom.Agastya then asked Lopamudra whether she would beget him 1,000 sons or just one son who could defeat a thousand. Lopamudra then told Agastya that she would prefer to have only one learned son as against 1,000 evil ones. Then they cohabited, she conceived and after a lapse of 7 years she delivered a baby boy. The son was named Idhmavaha (meaning "carrier of sacrificial wood") as he would serve his father in his sacrificial rites with wood. He was also called Drdhasyu. He was highly knowledgeable in Vedas and Upanishads. Agastya was pleased with his son. Following this, Agastya performed rites for his ancestors who were then relieved of their curse, and attained heaven.
In another version of the story narrated by Vasudha Narayanan of the University of Florida, Lopamudra who is fully cognizant of Agastya's imperative necessity for a progeny to redeem the curse of his ancestors and the demon king Illvala's "intentions and machinations", she manipulates the sage which ensures his success.Other aspects, In the Hindu tantra tradition, Sri Vidya mantra devoted to the Devi which has twelve variations, each credited to a devote which included Lopamudra; the other devotees are Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Manmatha, Agstya, Surya, Indra, Skanda, Shiva and Krodhabattaraka (Durvasa). A version popular in South India during about the 6th century AD is called the Lopamudra mantra though now not practiced but it is also associated with traditions in Kashmir.
The river Kaveri in Karnataka is called Lopamudra.The legend behind this is that Agastya had kept Lopamudra, whom he had married for her beauty, confined in his Kamandala or water pot. During one of his sojourns away from his hermitage he stayed away for a long time and lived with another woman with whom he had fallen in love. Noting this, Lopamdura started weeping. Then Ganesha who was passing by heard her cries and released her by overturning the vessel in which she was confined. She flowed out as the river Kaveri.
Another version of Lopamudra being born as Kaveri is that she marries Sage Agastya on the condition that he would not leave her for too long or she would forsake him. One time, the sage was having a lengthy discussion with his disciples and he was prolonged in his absence from his wife. The Goddess angrily admonished her husband and turned away in such fury, that the pleats of her sari rearranged themselves to fall upon her right shoulder instead of her left (hence, why Kodava women have a unique way of wearing sari). As the sage pursued his wife, she jumped into a divine tank at the top of the Brahmagiri hill, being reborn as the Kaveri and disappeared underground before reappearing at Bhagamandala and flowing east towards the ocean. Goddess Kaveri is said to be dear to Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi/Bhagavathy and Parvati/kali. The divine shrines of Ranganatha(Vishnu) and Nimishambika(Parvati/Kali) at Srirangapatna on the banks of the Kaveri are held sacred to the people of Karnataka and Srirangam is considered a Divya Desam of Vishnu and Lakshmi in Tamil Nadu.
Tapati
Tapati is a goddess in Hinduism. She is known also as the goddess of the river Tapati (regionally rendered Tapti) and mother-goddess of the south (home of the sun) where she brings heat to the earth. According to Hindu texts, Tapati is the daughter of Surya, the sun god, and Chhaya, one of the wives of Surya.
Etymology: Tapati's name literally means the warming, the hot one, burning one.This name is possibly connected to that of the queen of the Scythian gods, Tabiti,and it is possible that there was originally a dominant fire goddess in ancient Proto-Indo-Iranian religion.
Legend: Tapati is originally mentioned in the Mahabharata two dozen times, as the wife of Samvarana and the mother of Kuru (the founder of the Kuru dynasty and the Kuru Kingdom). The story of both characters has also been found in other Hindu texts such as the Bhagavata Purana. According to these texts, Tapati's home is situated on the banks of river Tapati.The text extols the goddess with the statement that no one in the three worlds could match her in beauty, having perfect features, and severe religious self-discipline.
In the Mahabharata, Arjuna asks a gandharva about the origin of the name Tapatya. The gandharva tells him that the sun once had a beautiful daughter named Tapati, for whom he wished to find a suitable husband. An early Kaurava king named Samvarana worships the sun and is selected as her husband. One day, while out for hunting, the king's horse dies. While wandering, Samvarana sees Tapati bathing in the sunshine and is mesmerised by her beauty. When he asks Tapati about her identity, she immediately disappears. The king falls unconscious, but when he stirs, he sees that Tapati has returned. He declares his love for her, and begs her to be with him.
Tapati informs him that she is smitten with him as well, but refers him to her father for his approval for their marriage. The king starts to meditate upon the sage Vasishtha for two weeks, who appears and gathers that the king had fallen in love with a goddess. Vashishta ascends to the sky, asking Surya to approve the marriage of Samvarana and Tapati. Surya agrees to it, and the two promptly get married.According to some Hindu texts,Yami is the elder sister of Tapati, and she has two brothers, Shani and Yama.Worship: Since the goddess Tapati is regarded to be the named after or the personification of the river Tapati, people worship her both in the form of a goddess and as that of an important river having many admirable qualities, enumerated in Hindu texts.
Rivers in Hinduism:
In Hinduism, rivers are often personified as deities. In the Rigveda, there are mentions of holy rivers such as the Sarasvati. The river Ganges is considered to be most sacred, and is also personified as the goddess Ganga. Most of the rivers are represented in female form,with the notable exception of Brahmaputra, which is considered to be male. Historically, it is believed that the people of the Indus Valley civilisation worshipped the rivers.The most significant rivers in the faith are the Saptanadi and which includes the Ganges, Yamuna, Sindhu, Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri.
Deities:
Ganga: The Vedas and Puranas mention the river Ganges to be the most sacred river. In some legends, the goddess Ganga is daughter of Himavan (the personification of the Himalayas) and Menavati (an apsara). She is the sister of the mother goddess, Parvati. She is the goddess of purity and purification, as people believe that bathing in the Ganges removes sins and helps in gaining moksha. Her mount is a creature called the makara.
A legend in the Bhagavata Purana and Devi Bhagavata Purana describes Ganga as originally being one of the three wives of Vishnu, along with Lakshmi and Saraswati. In the midst of a conversation, Saraswati observed that Ganga playfully kept glancing at Vishnu, behind Lakshmi and her back. Frustrated, Saraswati launched a furious tirade against Ganga, accusing her of stealing Vishnu's love away from her. When Ganga appealed to her husband to help her, he opted to remain neutral, not wishing to participate in a quarrel between his three wives, whom he loved equally. When Lakshmi attempted to soothe Saraswati's anger by reasoning with her, the jealous goddess grew angry with her as well, accusing her of disloyalty towards her. She cursed Lakshmi to be born as the tulasi plant upon the earth. Ganga, now enraged that Lakshmi had been cursed because she had defended her, cursed Saraswati that she would be incarnated as a river on earth. Saraswati issued the same curse against Ganga, informing her that sinful men would cleanse themselves of their sins with her water.
A prominent legend of Ganga is her descent from Svarga, the heaven of the devas. Bhagiratha, a king of the Solar dynasty, is stated to have performed a penance to propitiate Ganga, and urged her to descend upon earth from Svarga to liberate his ancestors' spirits, who had perished in Patala, the netherworld. She informed him that her descent would be powerful enough to flood the earth were she to directly land upon its ground, and hence told him to request Shiva to help. Bhagiratha performed another penance to propitiate the destroyer deity, and Shiva agreed to lend his assistance. When Ganga descended upon the earth, Shiva captured her waters in his matted hair, and released her gently upon the earth. Heeding Bhagiratha's request, she flowed to Patala to ritually cleanse his ancestors' spirits, and then flowed into the ocean.
Yamuna: 5th-century terracotta sculpture of Yamuna with attendants, Yamuna, or Yami, is the personification of the Yamuna river. She is described to be daughter of Surya, the sun god, and Saranyu, the cloud goddess. She is the goddess of life, and the twin of Yama, the god of the underworld. Her other sibling is Tapati, another river goddess. In later texts, she is known as Kalindi. In the Bhagavata Purana, in a legend that is associated with canal irrigation, the deity Balarama once wished to sport with some women in the Yamuna river. When he beckoned the goddess Yamuna to come to him, she refused to shift from her banks. Hence, Balarama used his plough, and forcibly dragged the river goddess to the orchard where he stood.
Saraswati: The goddess Saraswati was originally represented as a river goddess, the goddess of the eponymous Sarasvati river. She later developed into one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, regarded to be the goddess of knowledge, music, speech, and art. The Sarasvati river is mentioned in the Rigveda, and is believed to have dried up through the course of time.In some texts, it is written that once there was a terrible battle between the Bhargavas and Hehayas, and from this an all-consuming fire called Vadavagni was born, which had the potential to destroy the whole world. Indra, Vishnu, and the devas visited Saraswati, requesting her to deposit the fire in the western ocean, in order to protect the universe.Saraswati told Vishnu that she would only agree to assist them if her consort, Brahma, told her to do so. Brahma ordered her to deposit the Vadavagni in the western ocean.
Saraswati agreed, and accompanied by Ganga, she left Brahmaloka, and arrived at Sage Uttanka's ashrama. There, she met Shiva, who had decided to carry Ganga. He gave the Vadavagni in a pot to Saraswati, and told her to originate from the plaksha tree. Saraswati merged with the tree, and transformed into a river. From there, she flowed towards Pushkara. Saraswati continued her journey towards the ocean, and stopped once at Pushkarini, where she redeemed humans from their sins. At last, she reached the end of her journey, and immersed the fire into the ocean.
Narmada: The goddess Narmada is the personification of the Narmada river. She is also known as Rewa. According to popular tradition, she is said to have been born from the sweat of Shiva, who had been performing a penance on Mount Riksha. Hence, she is regarded to be the deity's daughter. According to one legend, she is said to have been blessed by Shiva to possess the ability to destroy the sins of all those who bathe in her waters, and become as sacred in the south as Ganga was in the north.
Kaveri: The goddess Kaveri, also known locally as Kaveriamma, is the personification of the river Kaveri. According to the Skanda Purana, during the episode of the Samudra Manthana, Vishnu assumed his ravishing female form of Mohini to offer the elixir of eternal life to the devas, and deny it to the asuras. His consort, Lakshmi, sent an apsara named Lopamudra to assist Mohini in this endeavour. Lopamudra was raised by Brahma as his adopted daughter after this event. When King Kavera propitiated Brahma for a child, the deity blessed him with Lopamudra, with the patronymic Kaveri, as his daughter, so that she would rid people of their sins and usher in fertility. When the sage Agastya wished Kaveri to marry him, she agreed, but on the condition that she would leave him if he were to ever leave her alone for too long. Agastya agreed, but one day, too occupied with his disciples, he did leave her on her lonesome for a substantial period of time. Kaveri flowed into the sage's kamandalam, and soon coursed southwards. Despite the attempts of her husband's disciples to stop her, she flowed into the ocean, and is regarded to be sacred ever since.
Godavari:The goddess Godavari is the personification of the Godavari river. The river Godavari is strongly associated with Rama, who is said to have traversed its banks in the Ramayana.According to legend, the sage Gautama lived near the Brahmagiri hills, and had gained the boon of a bottomless grain-supplying well. His foes led a cow into the granary, which Gautama started to pursue. The cow is described to have fallen dead during the chase. To expiate the sin of having caused the death of a sacred creature, Gautama propitiated the goddess Ganga to descend upon his hermitage and cleanse it. She acquiesced, descending upon the land as the goddess Godavari, along with Shiva.
Krishna :The goddess Krishna is the personification of the river Krishna. According to a local legend, Brahma was once performing a yajna, and the presence of his wife was required by a priest. Since Savitri, the first wife of the deity was absent, his second wife, Gayatri, participated in the ceremony in her place. Savitri rushed to the spot when she heard the chanting of mantras, and demanded to know why Gayatri had taken her place. She directed her fury at Vishnu and Shiva, transforming the former into the Krishna river.
Sindhu: Sindhu refers to the personification of the river Indus, revered as the goddess of rivers.She is described in texts such as the Vedas, the Puranas, as well as the Mahabharata. Bharata is described to have been offered veneration by this goddess. She is also described to have attended a discussion of river goddesses regarding the duties of women, presided over by Parvati.
Tapati: Tapati refers to the personification of the river Tapti. Described to be the daughter of Surya and the younger sister of Savitri, she is married to a king named Samvarana in Hindu texts.
rahmaputra: Literally translated as the, 'son of Brahma',the legendary origin of the river Brahmaputra is featured in the Kalika Purana. According to this text, impressed by the piety of a sage named Shantanu and his wife, Amogha, who resided along the banks of the river Lohita, Brahma blessed the couple with his own child in the latter's womb. After his birth, the child took the form of a river, where deities and apsaras would bathe.