Category Rivers

From which river our country get its name?

The name ‘India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshipers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu. The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name ‘Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

When the first Constitution of India came into existence on 26th January, 1950 Bharat was thought to be the other official name of the Republic of India.

Derived from the Sanskrit term ‘Bharata’ that means ‘the cherished’, this name dates back to the ancient ‘Hindu Puranas’ (Hindu scriptures) that tells the story of the legendary Emperor Bharata, the first conqueror of the entire Indian subcontinent and the Republic of India.  

Bharata is believed to be the founder of the famous Bharata dynasty. Therefore, after his conquer of the Indian land where he and his descendants dwelt, it started to be known as ‘Bharatavarsa,’ where varsa meant ‘land’ or ‘continent’.

 

Picture Credit : Google

According to legend, which sage is associated with the creation of the river Cauvery?

River Cauvery representing the most important of the five elements — ?pas (water) — is drawing close to its holy Pushkaram season. We prepare for the rituals with prayerful anxiety for a return to the days of plentiful flow that had been our everyday experience half a century earlier. 

From Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka to Puhar (Kaveri-p-poompattinam) in Tamil Nadu, the Cauvery flows along 765 km. There is the prologue to the epic Manimekalai, which refers to the Cauvery coming to the Chola region. King Kantaman’s penance to quench the thirst of his land that was struck by drought moved Sage Agastya, who poured out water from his kamandala to flow forth as a river.

Legend might be a shadow of the past. Not so history. From its rise in the Sahyadri Hills, the Cauvery keeps rushing through the creation of great kingdoms, royal rivalries, innumerable battles and a readiness to give up one’s life to make a statement for the coming generations. 

 

Picture Credit : Google

Which river’s name is the Sanskrit, Hindi and Tamil word for “big river”?

The word Mahanadi is a compound of the Sanskrit words maha (“great”) and nadi (“river”).

In different era, this river was known by several names, such as:

Ancient era – Kanaknandini

Dwapar yug – Chitrotpala ( Similar name in matasya Purana)

Treta yug – Nilotpala ( Similar name in vayu Purana)

Mahabharata era – Mahananda

Kal yug – Mahanadi or Mahashweta

The Mahanadi is an important river in the state of Odisha. This river flows slowly for about 900 kilometres (560 mi) and deposits more silt than any other river in the Indian subcontinent.

The cities of Cuttack and Sambalpur were prominent trading places in the ancient world and the river itself has been referred to as the Manada in Ptolemy’s works. 

 

Picture Credit : Google

On the banks of which river is the statue of unity?

The statue depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Home Minister, wearing a traditional dhoti and shawl, towering over river Narmada.

The statue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on 31 October, 2018. For many it was a source of national pride and a clear demonstration of Indian construction skills. But it wasn’t without its detractors. The sheer cost of the thing was and is an obvious bone of contention, with some arguing that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel himself would never have approved of such a costly project.

Visitors can tour the memorial garden, exhibition center and museum located at the site, before venturing up to the statue’s observation deck at a height of 502 feet (153 m).

Visiting hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday (the statue is closed every Monday for maintenance). Standard adult tickets, which include the observation deck, museum and memorial gardens, cost Rs 350.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Which is world’s largest e-commerce company that named after the largest river in South America?

 Named after the South American river, Amazon sold its first book in July 1995. Jeff Bezos , by name of Jeffrey Preston Bezos, (born January 12, 1964, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.), American entrepreneur who played a key role in the growth of e-commerce as the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com, Inc., an online merchant of books and later of a wide variety of products. Under his guidance, Amazon became the largest retailer on the World Wide Web and the model for Internet sales.

Amazon quickly became the leader in e-commerce. Open 24 hours a day, the site was user-friendly, encouraging browsers to post their own reviews of books and offering discounts, personalized recommendations, and searches for out-of-print books. In June 1998 it began selling CDs, and later that year it added videos. In 1999 Bezos added auctions to the site and invested in other virtual stores. The success of Amazon encouraged other retailers, including major book chains, to establish online stores.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Considered a holy river, the Ganges originates in the Himalayas. Which bay does it drain into?

The Ganges (Ganga) River is a sacred body of water to Hindus that begins high in the Himalaya Mountains and empties out into the Bay of Bengal. The surrounding river basin has a population of more than four hundred million people.

The Ganges flows south and east from the Himalayas, forming a canyon as it leaves the mountain. It winds its way through northern India, eventually emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges’ many tributaries originate from the nearby countries of Nepal, Bangladesh, and China (in an autonomous region called Tibet). 

The river is also used for fishing, irrigation, and bathing, and it is worshiped in the Hindu religion as the Mother Ganga. As the river empties into the Bay of Bengal, the mouth forms the Ganges River Delta, the largest river delta in the world.

 

Picture Credit : Google