A time-immemorial belief in the divine character of the Narmada – one of the seven sacred rivers of India – has permeated throughout the intangible heritage of the Narmada Valley and its inhabitants, both tribals as well as non-tribals. A historical survey of this phenomenon and the problems that it is posing in the modern cultural context is the theme of the present volume.
In the interesting river-lore of India, like the story of Gangavatarana for the Ganga, the Narmada has a fascinating mythology regarding its origin from the Narmada Kunda on the peak of the Amarkantak Hills in Madhya Pradesh from where it traverses westwards over a length of 1,312 km over M.P., Maharashtra and Gujarat before draining through the Gulf of Khambat into the Arabian Sea, 30 km west of the Bharuch city. It is supposed to be the only virgin river of India for which an independent mythological story exists.
The divine character of the Narmada has been narrated in the Epics, the Puranas and the later literary works. The Revakhanda of the Skanda Purana is entirely dedicated to the story of the origin of the Narmada. It is believed that just a sight of the river Narmada cleanses one of all his sins. It is closely associated with Lord Shiva from the perspiration of whose body during the course of his severe penance, she is believed to have taken birth. As a result, the river represents an important pilgrimage site and one of the highest acts of a pilgrim is to perform “Narmada parikrama” (circumambulation of the Narmada), for which a pilgrim has to walk from the source of the Narmada on one bank to reach the sea and then to cross it to reach the source. The Narmada is the only river in India where such a traditional act of pilgrimage exists.
During modern times, sustainable development along the Narmada has given rise to the politics of resistance. Are the dams more important than the sacred river whose cultural values represented by the relics have been lost by submersion in the dams and the sacred path of circumambulation (parikrama) of the river as defined by the time-immemorial traditions have been altered?
All these and many more are the issues discussed in the present volume which is a part of the study of intangible heritage of various parts of the country being conducted by INTACH.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anuradha Khandekar
Anuradha Khandekar, a Senior Officer in Indian Railways, presently posted as Divisional Railway Manager, Rajkot Division, has an abiding passion for Narmada in every aspect – physical, historical and spiritual. Pained by the controversy and politics of the recent times which she researched for this volume, her attempt in this work has been to explore another perspective of modern devotees of the holy river who look to collaborate in preserving the heritage and assisting the inhabitants of the region to integrate into the 21st century life at the same time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR R.K. Sharma
Dr. R.K. Sharma, (born 1932) Professor and Head of the Department of Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Jabalpur retired in 1992. Subsequently he was Visiting Professor in the University of Sagar for one academic session and Senior Research Fellow of the Indian Council of Historical Research for three years. Dr. Sharma’s contributions to the cause of Indian Archaeology in general and Archaeology of Madhya Pradesh in particular are widely acclaimed. On account of this he was felicitated by a Volume (in two parts) entitled “Heritage of Indian-Past and Present†which was brought out in his honour and presented to him in 1994. The credit of directing the archaeological excavations of Gilaulikhera, Kakrehta and Patan goes to him. A large number of research papers have been published by him in journals of national and international repute. His prestigious publications include : Madhya Pradesh Ke Puratattva Ka Sandarbha Granth (Bhopal, 1974), The Temple of Chaunsatha Yogini at Bheraghat (Delhi, 1978), Art of the Paramaras of Malwa (Ed.) (Delhi, 1979), The Kalachuris and Their Times (Delhi, 1980), Indian Archaeology-New Perspectives (Ed.) (Delhi, 1982), Archaeology of Bhopal Region (Delhi, 1980), Rock-Art of India (Ed.) (Delhi, 1983), Vajapeya – Essays on Evolution of Indian Art and Culture (Prof. K.D. Bajpai Fel. Vol.) (Ed.) (Delhi, 1987), Studies in Shell Script (Ed.) (Delhi, 1990), Art of the Kalachuris (Ed.) (Bhopal, 1991), Excavations at Kakrehta (Delhi, 1992), Krsna Smrti (Prof. K.D. Bajpai Comm. Vol.) (Ed.) (Delhi, 1995), and Prehistoric Art in India (Dr. S.K. Pandey Fel. Vol.) (Ed.) (Delhi, 1996). A series of other publications are in process.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR S.K. Tiwari
Dr. Shiv Kumar Tiwari (1941) took his B.A. (1962) and M.A. (1964) degrees in First Division. He is the first Ph.D. recipient in Geography from Jabalpur University and the first Indian geographer to successfully complete a doctorate research in Biogeography. He has worked in Government Post-Graduate Colleges of Madhya Pradesh since 1964 as Lecturer, Assistant Professor and Professor. He now holds the post of Head of the Department of Tribal Studies in Rani Durgavati University, Jabalpur. Dr. Tiwari has so far authored more than a dozen books in diverse academic fields. His books ‘Readings in Indian Zoogeography’ ‘Zoogeography of India and South East Asia’ and ‘Zoogeography of Indian Amphibians’ are widely recognized works in the field of Zoogeography. He has four times been assigned to write books for collegiate education by the Government of Madhya Pradesh. ‘The Rajgond’ his fifth book in this field, was also published by Agam Kal Prakasan (1992). Dr. Tiwari has written many research papers, general articles and monographs. He has so far directed six research Projects funded by UGC, ICSSR and Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology. His works have been acknowledged by National and International Research Institutes like RMRC (Indian Council of Medical Research, AIU (Association of Indian Universities), Smithsonian Institute of Woodrow Wilson Centre, USA and University College, London, UK.
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