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About
Mandakini River |
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Mandakini is a tributary of the Alaknanda River. Mandakini
originates from the Chorabari Glacier near Kedarnath in
Uttarakhand, India. Mandakini is fed by Vasukiganga River at
Sonprayag. Mandakini joins Alaknanda at Rudraprayag. Alaknanda
then proceeds towards Devaprayag where it joins with
Bhagirathi River to form the Ganges River. Mandakini river
flows along NH-107 in Rudraprayag district and turns brutal
during monsoon, often destroying parts of highway and adjacent
villages. The river has caused the 2013 North India floods.
Meaning of 'Mandakini'
The prefix "mand" (Sanskrit) means "calm" and "unhurried", and
Mandakini thus signifies "she who flows calmly". |
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Mandakini River Origin |
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Origin of mandakini river is in kedanath. and source of river is
chorabadi glaciar and the trek length is about 4.5 km away from
Kedarnath temple. It can seen on the trek of gandisarovar. After
reaching at gandi sarovar it can be seen from here in right down
direction of gandhi-sarovar . Mandakini is one of the most holy
river as said to be in Bhagwat Geeta as well as in Rudraprayag
district of Uttrakhand.
When mandakini river reached near to bridge of Kedarnath there
is a bathing spot (snan ghat ) at bank of the river that place
call as Ghat where people bath and it is believed that when
people bath in this spot they will be clean by spiritually.
Madakini river after reaching at Sonprayag it meet with another
river and again it meet with alaknada river in Rudraprayag .
This point is know as the Sangam when two river meet at same
point of alaknanda and madakini when it forward from rudraprayag
as the name of alaknanda river,then it meet with bhagirathi
river in Devprayag known as ganga (the holy river of india ) |
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Mandakini River at Kedarnath Dham |
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Mandakini river flows near Kedarnath dham.The river is in its
initial stage here.Mandakini river on your way to Kedarnath
dham.There is a small bridge on river Mandakini at Kedarnath.The
temple of Baba Kedarnath is on other side of the bridge and the
path to Gaurikund is on opposite side. The Pony or Palakis leave
you on other side of the bridge.
From there on one will have to cross this bridge to reach the
temple. The river gets narrower as on proceeding further. The
fast flowing river along with snow capped peaks looks
beautiful.After reaching other side of the bridge one will
either move towards right. But instead of moving towards right
(in direction of temple and Hotel) if one move left one can
reach stair area. These stairs will help to get close to river
and enjoy the scene and water as well. This path is also short
cut.
Mandakini accompanies tourists on way to Kedarnath dham from
Gaurikund.Occasionally during the trek one can see the river.
The beautiful scenery created by the river and adjacent
Himalayan peaks makes 4 hours travel a pleasure (considering you
are using transportation like Pony or Palaki or Pithhu).
The river meets Kshir Ganga near Satyanarayana temple which is
situated a few Kms distance from Kedarnath temple. Kshir Ganga
originates near Gandhi Sarovar. Another major river originating
near Gandhi sarovar is Madhu Ganga.
After meeting Kshir Ganga it flows by the side of Gaurikund all
the way to Guptakashi. While traveling from Guptakashi to
Gaurikund one can see this river flowing by side of the road. At
some places it makes very beautiful scene. River water is clear
white and along with surrounding greenery makes it great scene.
The river is visible from Sitapuri also.The river Mandakini
joins Alaknanda at Rudraprayag. Rugraprayag is one of the Panch
Prayag situated in this region. Mandakini is one of the major
rivers which constitute river Ganges other major rivers are
Alaknanda and Bhagirathi. |
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Religious Importance of Mandakini River |
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The Mandakini is declared as one of the transcendental
rivers in the holy religious work Srimad Bhagavatam. John
Leyden's 1810 Malay Annals mention that, Parameswara, the
founder of the Sultanate of Malacca, carried a weapon
named Chora Sa Mandakini (Cura Si Manjakini) as part of
his royal regalia. The sword is now a part of the Sultan
of Perak's official regalia. The sword is considered to be
of Indian origin and between 800 to 1,000 years old. |
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White Water |
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The
Mandakini is a runnable low volume river from October to April
and can be impulsive in the Monsoon months (June–September) when
all rivers in the area become swollen torrents. The Mandakini is
a kayakable river with a lot of class 3 rapids and some class 4
and class 5 rapids. The upper mandakini and the lower mandakini
are considered to be class 4+ sections while there is a stretch
of water in the middle part of the river that is largely class
2-class 3. |
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