Rivers in Ancient India (study)
by Archana Sarma | 2019 | 49,356 words
This page relates ‘The river Lauhitya or Brahmaputra and its present status’ of the study on the rivers in ancient India as reflected in the Vedic and Puranic texts. These pages dicsusses the elements of nature and the importance of rivers (Nadi) in Vedic and Puranic society. Distinctive traits of rivers are investigated from descriptions found in the Vedas (Samhitas), Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads and Puranas. The research is concluded by showing changing trends of rivers from ancient to modern times.
15. The river Lauhitya or Brahmaputra and its present status
The description of the Lauhitya river is not found in the whole Vedic literature. Only in the Puraṇas, there is a little bit of information about the river Lauitya. There is the great Mountain Lohita to the southern-eastern direction of Kailāsa. It is radiant like the sun and has peaks of gold. It is adjacent to the heavenly Mountain Piśaṅga that abounds in red arsenic. It is abundant with auspicious animals and medicinal herbs. At the foot of Lohita Mountain, there is a great divine lake called Lohita. From that issue out the sacred river Lauhitya.
The Lauhitya river is known as the Brahmaputra.[1] The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Asia. It is a trans-boundary river which flows through China, India and Bangladesh. As such, it is known by various names in the different regions. With its origin in the Manasarovar Lake region, it is located on the northern side of the Himalayas in Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo river. It flows across southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great ravine and into Arunachal Pradesh. It flows southwest through the Assam valley as Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as the Jamuna. In the vast Ganges Delta, it unites with the Padma, the famous name of the river Ganges in Bangladesh, and finally the Meghna and from here it is known as Meghna before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.[2]
There is a great significance of the Brahmaputra in Assam. The river Brahmaputra is an enabler of ecosystems consisting of bio-diversities and rich socio economic cultures. Various holy places are situated on the bank of the river Brahmaputra. The Government of Assam has taken various steps to promote the river Brahmaputra. Promotion of the Brahmaputra under the umbrella of ‘Namami Brahmaputra’ and ‘Awesome Assam’ is vital to building a rich and conducive atmosphere to push the agenda of ecotourism and wildlife conservation.
Thus, it is found that those rivers which have been discussed or cited in the Vedas and the Purāṇas, now have been changed totally or partially or take a new shape or name in modern times.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
lohito hemasṛṅgastu giriḥ sūryaprabhomahān | tasya pāde mahaddivyaṃ lohitaṃ nāma tatsaraḥ | tasmātpuṇyaḥ prabhavati lauhityaḥ sadano mahān devāraṇyaṃ viśokaṃ ca tasya tīre mahāvanam || Bhāgavata Purāṇa.,47.10-11
[2]:
https://en.m.wikipedia.Org