FLOWING THROUGH TIME

FLOWING THROUGH KARNATAKA AND TAMIL NADU, THE RIVER KAVERI HAS NOURISHED LANDS, INSPIRED POETS, AND HAS SHAPED THE IDENTITIES OF ENTIRE COMMUNITIES

- ANAND NEELAKANTAN

KAVERI, THE RIVER THAT HAS BIRTHED countless myths, inspired epics, nurtured mighty empires, and fostered some of humanity's finest art, music, literature, and architecture, is as much the heartbeat of Indian culture as the Ganga. It is no surprise, then, that it is also called Dakshina Ganga—the Ganga of the South. Devout Hindus have invoked Kaveri in their morning prayers for thousands of years, alongside the six other sacred rivers of Bharatavarsha: Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, and Sindhu.

Kaveri is woven into numerous legends and lore in various Sanskrit and Tamil Puranas. In the "Skanda Purana," sage Agastya—revered as a great Tamil saint and one of the sapta rishis, the seven great sages of Vedic tradition—travels to Kailasa to pay his respects to Lord Shiva. At the same time, Kaveri Devi, a goddess and the daughter of Rishi Kavera, also worships Shiva. Kaveri longs for a place to flow, while Agastya seeks a river for his religious duties and a serene space for his tapasya (austerities). Lord Shiva unites them in marriage in the presence of Kavera Maharishi and instructs Kaveri Devi to enter Agastya's kamandalu (ritual pot) in the form of water to accompany the sage on his journey. At that time, the Vindhya mountain, which separated North and South India, began growing uncontrollably, surpassing even the Himalayas. As a result, the changing landscape disrupted the climate—rain clouds could no longer pass, and Northern India began turning into a desert. When Sage Agastya arrived at the Vindhyas from Kailasa, the mountain prostrated before him in reverence. Agastya assured the mountain would remain humbled until his return to the North. However, Agastya had no intention of going back, so, bound by his promise, the Vindhyas have remained in their prostrated position ever since, preventing the desertification of North India.