The Ganges in Myth and History PDF
Preview The Ganges in Myth and History
Steven G. Daria n ISBN 0-8248-0509-7 $9.95 THE GANGES IN MYTH AND HISTORY Steven G. Darian No river has kindled Man's imagination like the Ganges. From its icy origins high in the Himalayas, this sacred river flows through the holy cities and the great plains of northern India to the Bay of Bengal. In a country where the red heat of summer inspires prayer for the coming monsoon, the life-giving waters of the Ganges have as- sumed legendary powers in the form of the Hindu goddess Ganga, the source of crea- tion and abundance. Pilgrims flock to her shores to cleanse and purify themselves, to cure ailments, and to die that much closer to paradise. Steven Darian writes of the human experi- ence and the legendary myths that surround the Ganges. The inspiration of poets and art- ists for centuries, the mysterious Ganga is the essence of the Divine Mother bringing increase and salvation, but also death and destruction. Nowhere are her powers felt more than in Bengal where Hindu and Moslem practices coalesce in worship of the capricious Ganga. Here the shifting riverbed of the great Ganges has built and destroyed cities and brought pestilence and plague as well as life and benediction to the people. These are the stories —the myth, the his- tory, and the folklore —that inspired Alex- ander the Great's expedition through Asia, brought medieval priests to accept the Gan- ges as the river Phison in Eden, and led Co- lumbus in search of a new route to India. While collecting material for this book, Dr. Darian lived by the Ganges, explored her shores, and was a pilgrim to the Ganga Sa- gar festival at Sagar Island off Calcutta where the sacred river and the ocean merge. V V bURLlNGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY BURLINGAME, CA 94010 344-71GZ 219p., illus., maps 1. Ganges River I Title 7LJ!LJ|LJTCJ|LJ|l J|l —) The Ganges in Myth and History Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from China-America Digital Academic Library (CADAL) https://archive.org/details/gangesinmythhiOOstev |LJ|LJTaiaTLJ|L_J|LJMM|LJ|LJ|LJ|LJ|l_J|LJM|l_J|L_J|LJ|LJ|LJ[L-J|LJ[LJ| The Ganges in Myth and History STEVEN G. D ARLAN ft* » THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF HAWAII X HONOLULU BURLINGAME PUBLIC LIBRARY BURLINGAME, CA 94010 344-7107 Copyright © 1978 by The University Press of Hawaii All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and record- ing, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Darian, Steven G The Ganges in myth and history. Bibliography: p. Includes index. / 1. Ganges River. I. Title. DS485.G25D37 954’.1 77-21374 ISBN 0-8248-0509-7 329908 To Geez, Whose greatness slipped through my fingers. To Geez, Who taught me a passion for the Word. To Geez, Who found the dawn too soon.
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