EXPLORING LEGENDS OF VEDIC HISTORY---VISITING KEDARNATH AND BADRINATH

EXPLORING LEGENDS OF VEDIC HISTORY---VISITING KEDARNATH AND BADRINATH

 

http://creative.sulekha.com/exploring-legends-of-vedic-religion-some-myths-some-mysteries_439698_blog

THIS IS MY TRAVELOGUE TO HARIDWAR_RISHIKESH_KEDARNATH AND BADRINATH WITH PHOTOS  SUITABLY EXPLAINED AND DISPLAYED APPROPRIATELY.

 

        I am not a historian nor a dispenser of Vedic knowledge but the myths of VEDIC people enamour me and I undertook a journey to BADRINATH and KEDARNATH to explore some mysteries---I have come back with some clear ideas and less confusion.

 

          Just look at it---Lord VISHNU has FOUR wives----LUXMI, PRITHVI, VRINDA (TULSI) and GANGA----the latter three had to come to this WORLD because of a curse by GODESS LUXMI. He had displaced LORD SHIVA from their ABODE in BADRINATH through a Clever trick----Do I see a Confluence of Indigenous NAGA PEOPLE and those who returned as ARYAN  after some 4000 years. I am convinced the ORIGIONAL INHABITANTS of INDIA were NAGAS of SUNDA LAND---whose presiding Diety was lord SHIVA. They went NORTH and WEST from here at the end of ICE AGE. they were the CUSTODIANS of VEDIC KNOWLEDGE. Anyway-------

 

         There are SEVEN " RIVER SARAWATIS" as per Chapter 38 of SHALYA PURAAN of MAHABHARAT---they are SUPRABHA in PUSHKAR; KANCHNAKSHI in NAIMISHANYA; VISHALA in Gaya; MANORMA in AYODHYA; OGHAWATI in KURUKSHETRA; SURENA in GANGADWAR and VIMLODKA in HIMALYA.

   BADRI-----is a wild berry tree under which LORD VISHNU had meditated on a TAUNT by sage NARDA----LUXMI took the shape of BERRY plant to protect VISHNU during his MEDITATION---so the BADRI NATH Temple. There are large number of BADRI bushes in this ALAKNANDA VALLEY called KANDH MOOL in local dialects.

 

           KEDARNATH --one of the twelve HOLY JYOTILINGAS is actually a HUMP of a BULL---PANDAVAS came here in search of LORD SHIVA to absolve themselves of KILLING THEIR KITH & KIN and TEACHERS. Lord Shiva had not wanted to absolve them---so he disappeared from BENRAS--- old KASHI to UTTARANCHAL---GUPT KASHI on river MANDAKINI---they followed --he went to KEDARNATH VALLEY---PANDAVS came there ---He took the form of a BULL and joined other cattle grazing there---By evening all cattle returned by moving under the gigantic but widened legs of BHIM--But lord SHIVA as a bull did not and was recognized---BHIM saw him---Lord SHIVA sank into the EARTH but BHIM caught the HUMP. Lord was pleased and he absolved if they built a temple for the HUMP and worshipped----PANDAVAS did it and temple was constructed by them.

 

        GANGA----Actually a confluence at DEVPARYAG of ALAKNANDA coming from ALKAPURI GLACIER some 15 KM North of BADRINATH and BHAGIRTHI coming from GANGOTRI-----

         ALAKNANDA is joined by MANDAKINI at RUDRAPARYAG----PINDER at KARAN PARYAG----NANDAKINI at NADPARYAG-----DHAULIGANGA at VISHNUPARYAG------RISHIGANGA at BADRINATH and SARASWATI at KESHAVPARYAG.

          MANDAKINI takes off from MERU-SUMERU foothills at KEDARNATH---it is made by KHEER GANGA, MADHU GANGA and DOODH GANGA. Later KAALI GANGA and SONE GANGA join it at SONPARYAG some 19 KMs down stream.

         SARASWATI disappeared at  MANA GORGE---some 5 KMs north of BADRINATH due to a curse by SAGE VYAS---it starts from 5 KM north of MANA PASS which is about 15 Kms from MANA village. Some residual water does come out of the GORGE and joins ALAKNANDA some one km from it VANISHING GORGE.

 

 

 

Uttaranchal has four DHAMS---YAMUNOTRI---GANGOTRI---KEDARNATH and BADRINATH. The crow flight distance or the aerial distance is some 28 KMs between YAMUNOTRI on the WEST and BADRINATH on the EAST. If you take the road distance it is 1500 KMs and require 10 days on the run. we went to only KEDARNATH and BADRINATH via RISHIKESH between---19-24 September 2009. Kedarnath is for lord SHIVA and BADRINATH is for lord VISHNU.

HARIDWAR---HAR KI PAUDI---HARIDWAR IS ONE OF THOSE 12 PLACES where ELIXIR (NECTAR OF LIFE) fell after the CHURNING OF OCEAN by SURAS and ASURAS. Four places are on earth and 8 places in HEAVENS. The other three on earth are: ALLAHABAD,NASIK and UJJAIN. At these places MAHA KUMBH FESTIVAL is HELD every 12 years. The MAHAKUMBH at HARIDWAR is due in 2010. Why after ever 12 years? Simple once a year for each one of the 12 places---- Next turn will come after 12 years only.

RISHI KESH---PARMARTH ASHRAM---RISHIKESH is the city of SAGES and Piligimages.

RISHIKESH---PARAMARTH ASHRAM---before evening AARTI---This ashram is on the EASTERN BANK of GANGES.  one has to come through the road passing through BARRAGE on GANGES some 6 Kms short of RISHIKESH

 

DEVPARYAG--some 71 Kms from Rishikesh---CONFLUENCE of BHAGIRTHI on the LEFT and ALAKNANDA on the RIGHT. See the colour of the water. It becomes GANGA hereafter. THe route to GANGOTRI is along BHAGIRTHI River on the Left.

 Another view of DEVPARYAG--The route to KedarNath and Badrinath is on the right along Alaknanda

 

VIEW OF GANGA from DEVPARYAG VIEW POINT. Legend has it that Bhagirath---descsndent of IKSHAVAKU and ancestor of RAM had worshipped for the release of GANGA by VISHNU---who did after Lord SHIVA the earthly BOSS agreed to accept her in his HAIRS. Do you see the logic of confluence of NAGAS and RETURNING inhabitants of SUNDALAND---calling themselves as ARYANS. Before this, SARASWATI was the main river---disappeared around MAHABHARTA PERIOD. Sage Vyasa's curse?  

ALAKNANDA RIVER meandering along---near SRINAGAR (GARHWAL HILLS---established by king Ajay Pal in the 14th century---do not confuse with J&K) ---some 106 KMS from RISHIKESH and 34 KMs from DEVPARYAG .

Another view of meandering ALAKNANDA. Srinagar has got good hotels and accomodation is aplenty. 

RUDRAPARYAG--some 34 KMs from SRINAGAR and 140 KMS from RISHIKESH. Here MANDA KINI on the LEFT and ALAKNANDA on the RIGHT (just a slight portion) meet. MANDAKINI loses her identity here. 

KEDARNATH TEMPLE with MERU and SUMERU snow covered peaks in the backdrop.It is at a height of some 3581 meters or 11500 feet. Built by PANDAVAS---you find their engraved statues inside the temple. It is located some 130 kms from RUDRAPARYAG-----the climb to KEDARNATH begins from GAURIKUND---ROAD HEAD---- some 19 kms from SONE PARAYAG and 40 Kms from PHATA---HELIPAD. Gaurikund to KEDARNATH is a climb of 14 KMS. Choice is there to come by HELICOPTER

 Another view of KEDARNATH COMPLEX from the HELIPAD----Helicopter service is from PHATA some 56 KMs away. it takes some 7 minutes to arrive by heptr ---else you got to come by road. one round trip for one person is Rs 7000 and a couple Rs 14000/- It is wiorth it.

  View of MEANDERING MANDAKINI from the HELICOPTER WINDOW!

 

 TRIYOGINARAYAN TEMPLE-- legend has it that LORD SHIVA and GAURI  had got married here. It was second marriage after UMA had burnt herself in the YAGNA of Her father. The pond just in front of the temple is CLAIMED to have WATER pouring from the NAVEL (NABHI) of Lord Vishnu

 

BACK to RUDRAPARYAG from KEDARNATH---on our way to BADRINATH. We went ahead to GAUCHER some 23 KMS along Alaknanda towards Badrinath. we came from LEFT and went RIGHT.

 

At Karanparyag----some 33 Kms from Rudraparyag and 177 Kms from Rishikesh

At VISHNUPARAG---some 270 Kms from Rishikeash and 30 Kms short of BADRINATH. Here DHAULIGANGA and ALAKNANDA join. DHAULIGANGA water is GREYISH and this is the colour of the GANGA water---throughout. It is because of the limestone melting iunto it.

Vishnupryag is some 14 KMs ahead of JOSHIMATH which was set up by ADGURU SHANKARACHARYA--HIS MATH IS THERE. He is reckoned as incarnation of Lord VISHNU.

 View of ALAKNANDA at the feet of BADRINATH TEMPLE--some 301 KMs from RISHIKESH and 160 Kms from Rudraparyag

View of the TEMPLE---It has the idol of Lord VISHNU---it is said the place was inhabited by Lord SHIVA and PARVATI but it was cleverly USURPED by Lord VISHNU ---who appeared as a child at the doorsteps and Parvati let him sleep inside the bedroom before the couple went to take Bath in the river. when they returned---it was locked from iside and lord Shiva and Parvati had to go some 10 Kms to the North 

 Another view of BADRINATH TEMPLE--inside idols of GANESH Ji, NAR & NARAYAN are also there.

 The valley of BADRINATH is covered by two HILLS called NAR & NARAYAN. They were the sons of MURTI---youngest wife of DHARAM RAJ. Murthi was one of the 13 daughters of DAKSHA who was married to DHARAMRAJ. Narayan was the incarnation of Vishnu and NAR of the SHESHA NAAG.--In the next birth to fulfill a vow to NAR ---naryan as lord KRISHNA becomes NAR's (ARJUNA's) charioteer.

This is the River SARASWATI GORGE-----river Saraswati can be seen in the backdrop----it starts off from MANA PASS---some 15 Kms to the North-----The river disappeared here after a curse by SAGE VYAS---who was disturbed by the raging noise of the river while he was dictating BHAGWAT PURAAN to GANESHA JI. This gorge is some 7 Kms North of BADRINATH temple---just a KM ahead of the village of MANA---the last Indian village. 

 Disappearing waters of river SARASWATI

THE GORGE HOLE--UNFATHOMED for THOSANDS of YEARS--some residual water comes out of this to form a stream which joins the ALAKNANDA about one Km from here. 

Garhwal scout guide on the SARASWATI GORGE He  trekked us to this place . The gorge is above MANNA VILLAGE

 The rectangular opening in a rock is called BHIM PUL---it was done by BHIM to make DRAUPADI cross the RESIDUAL SARASWATI.

RESIDUAL SARASWATI---joining ALAKNANDA RIVER in the distance. The confluence is called KESHAV PARYAG. In the far distance is MURTHI MATA's temple 

Two lady visitors at the entry to MANA VILLAGE---Last INDIAN village before the TIBETAN BORDER. 

 

 This is the JAYPEE--HYDRO ELECTRIC PROJECT on ALAKNANDA some 19 KMs from BADRINATH on our way back to JOSHIMATH. a 14 KMs tunnel takes the water from this DAM to Vishnuparyag and electricity is produced. There are number of such PRIVATE project is in the offing on these rivers.


Back to HARIDWAR---HAR KI PAUDI--23 SEPT--2009. AARTI is in progress.

Rishikesh---idol of lord Shiva in

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ARYANS, DRAVIDIANS AND NAGAS-- -PART-4---HARAPPAN AND BRAHMI SCRIPTS--- REWRITING ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORY

INTERPRETTING HARAPPAN SCRIPT 

 Harappan script is a pictorial symbols. One must know that Harappan used the natural symbols of fish and stars , as they lived by water bodies. It confirms my research and interpretation that Harappans were NAGAS of SUNDALAND, who left the coastal areas at the end of last Ice age when SUNDALAND got submerged into water due to rising sea level with melting glaciers and advent of Rivers and River civilizations. 

 FULL HARAPPAN SCRIPT -SOME 419   

Harappan script----- which is seemingly similar to Prakriti and resembles Tamil and Barhui script----- it is close to Brahmi, too.   

BRAHMI SCRIPT-----LEADING TO SANSKRIT & DEVNAGRI SCRIPTS

 Ancient Brahmi script, which led to development of Sanskrit and Devnagri scripts. Brahmi was developed from Prakriti ---- which is also the mother of Tamil and Barhui. You can see the close resemblence of this to various other pictorial scripts. I say even Tamil and other South Indian Languages along with scripts of North East languages are very close to this.

REWRITING ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORY

With more and more archaeological, genetic, astrological, geological and scientific datas available, it is now clear that myths about ARYANS and DRAVIDIANS were created because of half knowledge of foreigners about ancient Indian past. They interpreted Indian history based on what they saw in Harappa and Mohanjodaro, discounting everything else that might have preceded it.

Aryan invasion thheory (AIT) or Aryan Migration Theory (AMT) is a myth created on wrong interpretations. Aryan was a word comprising two sanskrit roots i.e. AA+RI-------AA means NOT and RI means common man, as it is in RIYYA in old Persian. Thus, ARYAN stood for---NOT A COMMON MAN or very simply put ---a NOBLE MAN. This is how ancient Indian scriptures refer to Kings and princes and persons with high social status. There was nothing RACIAL or ethnic about them.

MYTH of ARYA, as a race, was created by Europeans or more particularly the GERMANS, who were looking for a racial supremacy. Therefore, when in the early twenties of the last Century, such magnificent archaeological sites as HARAPPA and MOHANJO-DARO were excavated, they were immediately linked to something superior which had imported itself from outside to the Indian mainland. People, like MAXMULELLER and MORTIMER WHEELER, could not believe that ancient INDIA could have had created such ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS IN URBAN DWELLING.

     Western Scholars, trained and educated on the biblical beliefs that the universe was created only around 23 October 4100BC, could not think of the world existing prior to this.In fact, this belief might have risen from a fact of GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL that might have caused a serious disaster to humans and geography. It endorses my view on REVERSE JOURNEY of NAGAS to their Original land-----and the cause of SARASWATI losing its two tributaries,i.e. YAMUNA and SATLUJ.

      In time and space, western scholars, therefore, reduced everything to within 2000BC and originating from Central Asia. Thus, based on the flimsiest of grounds, the theory of ARYAN INVASION and CONQUER was floated when a mount of dead bodies was found at MOHANJO-DARO. It was assumed that they might have been slaughtered by the SUPERIOR ARYANS. This myth led to the emergence of a SUPER MYTH on the supremacy and superiroity of a great ARYAN & VEDIC KNOWLEDGE, imported from outside. New archaeological excavations and the interpretation of the ORAL HISTORY reveal that the MYTH and the SUPER MYTH, both, were a cruel joke on the ANCIENT GREATNESS of INDIA.

The word DRAVIDIANS is a derivation from a old Sanskrit root--VID ---which meant water----RI--meant People and DRI---Have/Possess/living, as in  old persian DRIn-CHE-SHAK, (Have No doubts)----Thus, DRAVID meant people who lived in the coastal region or the water body. In ancient scriptures, FIVE regions have been decribed as DRAVIDAS---Maharashtra, Gujarat, TAMIL NADU, ANDHRA, KARNATKA. It was the region closely associated with now submerged Sunda Land. It is also called lost LIMURIA ISLAND or KUMARI KANDHAM in ancient Tamil texts. The word DRAVID was first time used by a 7th century BUDHIST SCHOLAR of Sanskrit Mr. KUMARILLA BHATTA in his bool TANTARIKAVARTIYA. He used the term to decribe NON-SANSKRIT SPEAKING people of these five regions as mentioned above. The word DRAVID could also be a derivation from a Sanskrit word DRAMILLA or DRAMIL or even TAMIL. It was only in 1859, a christian missionary, Robert Caldwel , who sought to link it with ethnicity and race because he found similarity in the grammar and dialects of 73 variations of TAMIL LANGUAGE including BARHUI spoken in BALOCHISTAN and Afghanistan. However he failed to link it with NAGA CIVILISATION of ancient India, who left SUBMEGED SUNDALAND at the end of last ice age. 

The inhabitants of Sundaland were called NAGAS,because NAAG also means a WATER BODY in old sanskrit. They are the people who established FIRST HUMAN AGRICYLTURAL CIVILISATION. While interpreting Harappan script,one must know that Harappan used the natural symbols of fish and stars to develop their script because they were natural objects seen by them, as they lived by water bodies. It confirms my research and interpretation that Harappans were NAGAS of SUNDALAND, who left the coastal areas at the end of last Ice age when SUNDALAND got submerged into water due to rising sea level with melting glaciers and advent of Rivers and River civilizations. SUNDA LAND was the cradle of HUMAN Civilisation. For  other details on SUNDA LAND and Chronology of ancient Indian History/ events see my blog : 

http://creative.sulekha.com/chronological-history-of-indian-subcontinent-my-interpretations-and-impressions_558239_blog

The VEDIC Knowledge was developed by these people and they too it along with them as they moved up North and West,at the end of LAST ICE AGE (8000-10000 BC). They established RIVER CIVILISATIONS along, Saraswati and Indus rivers. Archaeologically, 75% of excavations of old settlements , dating to Harappan period, have been found on the ancient course of River SARASWATI. Therefore, IVC , should be really SARASWATI VALLEY CIVILISATION of NAGAS. Its they who migrated North and later some 4000 years afterwards, returned due to a geological upheaval. It is these people who are refered to by some Historians as ARYANS and residual people of Ancient India as Dravids.  But this is a half bit of ancient Indiamn History.

From above discussion, I have reached two conclusions :- 

      ------ Ancient Indian history, even prior to Harappa and IVC belonged to people who inhabited lost land mass of SUNDALAND , also called KUMARI KANDHAM and LIMURIA. These people worshippers of lord Shiva were the creator of Vedic knowledge. This was the FIRST HUMAN CIVILISATION anywhere in the world. 

-------- My second observation is that Indian ancient history post NAGA CIVILISATION or Post LAST ICE AGE is a story of MIGRATIONS, TO AND FRO AND CROSS MIGRATIONS. It is these people who went up and down to PERSIA, EUROPE, CAUCASIAN HIGHLANDS and returned with different identities. 

     As regards the confusion about ANI and ASI  merger is concerned, let me assert again that it took place 40,000 years back------ it took another 20,000 years for first human civilisation to develop in these coastal regions. 

        Recent genetic Studies have shown that there were no GENETIC DIFFERENCES between North and South Indians. Please refer to ----- "A prehistory of Indian Y chromosomes: Evaluating demic diffusion scenarios". Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of United States of America ; 103(4) carried out on 26 Jan 2004.   . Genetically speaking, ANCIENT NORTH INDIANS (ANI) came to this land some 40,000 years from Middle East and ANCIENT SOUTH INDIANS (ASI) entered South India through Australia some 60,000 years back------What ever genetic differences existed between ANI and ASI that was some 40,000 years back is . Here is an extract from a study report on " ARYAN-DRAVID -DIVIDE" MYTH-Study:- 

     "----------.A study of 132 individuals, 560,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 25 different Indian groups were analyzed, providing strong evidence in support of the notion that modern Indians are a hybrid population descending from two pre-historic, genetically divergent populations[citation needed], one of which, referred to as the 'Ancestral North Indians', 40,000 years ago and the other, called the 'Ancestral South Indians', 60,000 years ago. The intermingling of ANI's and ASI's happened in the same period as the ANI's first appeared, 40,000 years ago -------"

           This report has been published in TIMES OF INDIA on 25 September 2009. Therefore the study of prehistory of SUNDA LAND/LEMURIA/KUMARI KANDAMN is very important.  I insist that there was nothing known as ARYAN and DRAVIDIANS in the ancient India. They were just symbols of address for various type of people. ARYANS were NOT a race but a lingual fraternity who owed their ancestry to NAGAS of SUNDA LAND/ KUMARI KANDAM/  LEMURIA. To be very frank, if I can use the term  'Anglicised-'NRI' to describe the ARYANS of ancient India, as in the modern context , I won't be drastically wrong. They were 'SANSKRITISED NAGAS' who returned home after a long sojourn outside Indian sub-continent.  Same is true of Dravidans----they were 'Non -Sanskritised' people-----who did not speak Sanskrit.    

Look at the ancient map of  submergedTamil Nadu  or Sunda Land/Kumari Kandham/Limuria island:-

NOTE :-

 To follow detailed discussion and elaboration of connected issues, kindly refer to my other articles , with following links :-

  http://creative.sulekha.com/chronological-history-of-indian-subcontinent-my-interpretations-and-impressions_558239_blog

 

http://creative.sulekha.com/nagas-vs-aryans-revisiting-south-asian-history-part-3-of-my-aryan-dravidian-nagas-series_503043_blog

 

http://creative.sulekha.com/aryans-dravids-and-nagas-some-lies-myths-and-some-legends-part-two_354997_blog

http://creative.sulekha.com/aryans-dravidians-and-nagas-some-lies-some-myths-and-some-legends-part-one_353439_blog

   

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