Author: Mireille Josephine Guezennec
Translator(s)/ Edito: Vikas Harish
Publisher: Rupa
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 120
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8129108836
Description
Since the dawn of humanity, Ganges-Ganga-the sacred river of India, born in the higher Himalayan realms, has inspired the imagination of mankind. In this book, the author invites us on an initiatory voyage to the sources of the revered river at Gaumukh, passing through the principal holy cities of Uttaranchal (Haridwar, Rishikesh, Gangotri, Badrinath) and following the prestigious junctions where the powerful affluent mixes with the venerated river. A crowned path in the Garhwal Himalayas, seized within a cosmic time of myths and mythology, symbols of an eminent age that form the plinth of a modern India.
This book is a metaphorical voyage where words lend to images in an enchanting presentation of these high recesses of reverence and spiritual fervour. It is an invitation to a journey on the banks of Ganga in the Himalayas, where, since time immemorial, the mystical rites of water and fire are celebrated each day.
Mireille Josephine Guezennec shares with us her enthusiastic joy of a poetic and mythical meeting with the mystical river.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:
VIKAS HARISH, Museologist and Art Historian, has won many prestigious fellowships for his research in cultural interpretation in the UK and France. He combines a passion to teach along with the organization of significant exhibitions. He represents India on the Executive Council of the commonwealth Association of Museums. Fluent in many languages, this translation is a result of his close association with the French culture, with the writing style of the author and, above all, with the wealth that comprises Indian mythology and culture.
Contents
PREFACE
CHAPTER I: SOUL-SEARCHING PATHS OF FERVOUR
In Search of the Prodigious Sources
Devabhumi: Kingdom of the gods and the Eternal Land of the Wise
CHAPTER II: HARIDWAR
The Holy city of Haridwar at the Gates of the Himalayas
Haridwar: A Pulsating Theatre since Times Immemorial
CHAPTER II-PILGRIMAGE TOWARDS THE SOURCES
Journey to the Esteemed Spiritual Centres, the Char Dhams, in Garhwal Yamunotri, the Cradle of the Yamuna
Gangotri: Vision of the Descent of Ganga
CHAPTER IV-GAUMUKH: THE ENCHANTING SOURCES
Towards Bhojbasa: the Receptacle with Dominant Scintillating Tops
The Apparition of Gaumukh Glacier in the Splendour of the Himalayas
CHAPTER V-HIMALAYAN TEMPLES OF KEDARNATH AND BADRINATH
Kedarnath: On the Footsteps of Shiva and the Divine Bull Nandi
Towards Badrinath, the Arboreal Char Dham
CHAPTER VI-IMPRESSIVE PLACES OF CONFLUENCE WHERE THE WATERS ENMESH
The Descent to Rudraprayag, the Confluence of Five Threads
Deoprayag: Henceforth she is called Ganga
CHAPTER VII-THE JOURNEY BACK TO RISHIKESH
Ganga, Jaded Waters, where the River Bathes in the Dusky Light
Gagna: A return to the beginning
GLOSSARY