Krishna River - कृष्ण आरु

River Name Krishna River Length of River 1300 Km Course Maharashtra Starting Point Shayadri range (Mahabaleshwar) in the Western Ghats, Western Ghats of Mahabaleshwar Ending Point Bay of Bengal, Hamasaladeevi (Andhra Pradesh), Points of Interest Maharashtra, Karnataka, Audumber and Narsobawadi near Sangli of Maharashtra Starting Coordinates 16.723426, 82.176468 Major Tributaries Koyna, Bhima, Kundali, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Yelra, Warna, Dindi, Musi, and Dudhganga River Wikipedia Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_River Other Langauge Names Hindi: कृष्ण Tamil: கிருஷ்ணா நதி Marathi: कृष्ण आरु

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Krishnaveni or River Krishna meaning dark in Sanskrit, is one of the largest and longest Rivers of India. Originating in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1300 ft above the sea level in Mahabaleshwar it ends at Bay of Bengal.

Flowing through the three states Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh it covers an approximate area of 1300 kms. In India, the river waters are transparent, light, stimulating, light , appetizing and sweet. They are dranked, prayed, poured and used for various purposes. However the properties of river waters differ according to the areas in which they flow. The waters of the rivers nearing the sands and stone are pure; those coming from Himalayas are sweet as nectar; those flowing east from the Vindhyas are supposed to produce rheumatism, those flowing towards are supposed to cure phlegm; those flowing though north cure digestive problems and those flowing towards west tend to excite bile.

Just opposite to the name, River Krishna is supposed to be one of the most ferious rivers of India. Contributing to its feriousness is the River Tungbhadra, which is supposed to be full of high tides. The Krishna River becomes ferious especially between the months of June and August. Other Rivers which contribute to the feriousness are .

The River Krishna comes out of a spout from the mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Mahabaleshwar. As per the legend Krisha River is the Avtar of Lord Vishnu. This condition of Lord Vishnu is because of curse of Savitri whom he enchantised by transforming himself as her husband.

The two rivers Veena and Koyana are supposed to be Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. The four other rivers, viz: Koyana, Venna, Savitri and Gayatri, come out from the bull's mouth apart from Krishna and they all travel some distance before merging into Krishna.

Savour of Ailments - Most of the soil found around the banks of Krishna River are black soils, red soils, laterite and lateritic soils, alluvium, mixed soils, red and black soils and saline and alkaline soils. Out of these the black soil is especially used in various Ayurvedic Medications to treat various skin diseases.

Suggestions

Wether you are on a Pilgrimage to India or as a tourist, if you are visiting any of the banks of Sacred rivers of India, be clad in fully covered clothes. Avoid dark and attractive colors. Be as simple as possible.

NON - VEGETARIAN Food is strictly prohibited in Indian Pilgrims. Do not ask for it.

River banks are a favorite place of Astrologers and Street Hawkers. Try ti be away from them as much as possible. However if you wish to seek some advice from these astrologers or buy from Hawkers, keep an strict eye on your belongings. Your belongings are your responsibility and nobody else's.

Keep your passport, travelers cheque, currency along with you; its your responsibility. Don't give it to anyone.

Convert your currency only from Standard Banks or Government Banks. Do not rely on strangers.

For you own good, go to such places either in a group or at least two people should be there. Avoid travelling alone.

Originating from the western flanks of the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar, Krishna is the fourth largest river basin in the country. It flows 1300 kms through the staes of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. The rivers Koyna, Vasna, Panchganga, Dudhganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha and Tungabhadra join Krishna from the right bank; while the Yarla, Musi, Maneru and Bhima rivers join the Krishna from the left bank.

Pollution

Krishna's long journey makes it vulnerable to all sorts of pollution. The river receives effluents and wastewater from a number of large cities, including Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Hyderabad, Kurnool and Vijaywada, among others. More than 500 important industrial units operate from the Krishna basin, 200 of which are large-scale industrial units.

Most tributaries of the mighty Krishna are reeling under pollution today. Sewage from Pune is choking the city's river Mula-Mutha. Musi, Krishna's tributary on the west of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, is in a bad shape with nearly 350 mld of polluted water and sewage originating from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad flowing into it.

Decades of industrial pollution have also damaged the Tungabhadra river. Two units of Gwalior Rayon Silk Manufacturing (Weaving) Company Ltd (Grasim) are located on its banks in the Dharwad district of Karnataka. Together, the whole industrial complex generates approximately 33,000 cum of effluents.

Villagers downstream of the factory felt the affects of pollution almost as soon as the industrial unit was commissioned. The river water has since become dark brown in colour and has a pungent odour. Inspection also revealed that the Harihar-Grasilene effluent treatment plant did not function at all times, and between 70-80 per cent untreated effluent was being released into the river. The pollution of Tungabhadra affected 1,00,000 people in the sub-basin. Instances of stomach ailments and skin rashes were recorded by the local administration as most villages used the river for drinking water, bathing, irrigation, fishing and water for their livestock.

But the worst affected are the fisher folk. Regular fish kills have exhausted Tungabhadra's fisheries. A study by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, showed that the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels in the raw effluents released into the river were 1,000 mg/l. The effects of pollution were felt 40 kms downstream in the summers.

Religious significance

The Krishna river is held in reverence by all Hindus and a ritual dip in the river is believed to purify the mortals. The river is personified as the Goddess Krishnaveni mata.

Many pilgrim centres including the Mallikarjuna temple (Srisailam), Amareshwara swamy temple (Amaravati) and the Durga-Malleshwara temple (Vijayawada) flourish along the course of the river. These centres attract thousands of devotees. The Krishna Pushkaram fair is held on the banks of the river once in twelve years.

Ecological significance

The estuaries formed by the Krishna river form an important eco-region with unique flora and fauna. The only surviving mangrove forests in the estuary have been declared as the Krishna wildlife sanctuary. The protected fauna in this sanctuary include fishing cat, otter, estuarine crocodile and a variety of resident and migratory birds.