Journey Through Narmada

-By Jayanthi Mahalingam

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• Down to the sea
• The Narmada in Gujarat
• A Hill With A View
• The Monuments Of Mandu
• An Ancient City
• An Island In The River
• Beyond Hoshangabad
• Steeped In Legends
• Narmadey Har
• The Cult of Thuggee
• The Splendour of Marble Rocks
• Original Inhabitants
• The World Of Verrier Elwin
• Tribal Queen
• The Jewel Of Kanha
• The Narmada In Mythology

The Narmada in Gujarat

A small tributary 15 km upstream from Kevadia, joins the Narmada on its south bank, and forms the Gujarat-Maharashtra border. Ferukwa is the town located on the border of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The river widens as it flows past Chandod, a pilgrim town sometimes known as Dakshin Prayag Teerth. The Narmada forms a sangam or confluence here with the Karjan and the Orsang. People immerse the ashes of their dead in the sangam.
The most celebrated temple here is the Kubereshwar temple. A story goes that Kubera, having served the gods for long, asked them to find him a place where he could sit in solitude and worship Lord Shiva. The gods sent him to Chandod. Shiva was so pleased with Kubera’s devotion that he granted him a wish. Kubera asked the lord to grant the wishes of all those who bathed in the Narmada at Chandod. Even today people visit the temple and pray to Shiva to fulfill their wishes.
Chandod’s main ghat is named after Malhar Rao Holkar, the father-in-law of Ahilyabai Holkar of Maheshwar. According to locals, the king’s most trusted minister once stole large amounts of money from the state treasury. The money was found later, buried under a sacred tulsi plant, so the king decided to use it to build the ghat.
The fish called hilsa is abundant here. The hilsa travel upstream to spawn during the rains. The Narmada is the most important source of this fish in western India.
The Narmada passes by Ankleshwar in Bharuch district. It becomes choked with the effluents discharged from the town’s industries. Ankleshwar is the biggest industrial zone in Asia. There are chemical, pharmaceutical, paints, textile and other factories here. A smog caused by industrial pollutants blankets the city at most times and there is a pervasive smell of chemicals for miles around.

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Last updated on :12/5/2005