Folks
I am new here(registered today) and thought I will start a thread rightaway!
I thought there is no one location where one can discuss the histories of various places and the myths and legends associated with them. This is important especially in India where our combined Indic history can be a emotionally uniting factor. Lord Rama the Prince of Ayodhya(in UP) crossing over to Lanka from Rameswaram(in TN) immediately connects the people of 2 small towns in UP and TN thru a legend and a shared past. IMHO there no other single binding force like this in an incredibly diverse India. This thread will hopefully throw more light on indian places from our mythologies, puranas and right upto to modern day India.
I must admit I have nothing to offer on this thread other than starting it. I am here to learn(unlike what my nickname suggests <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> ) and probably contribute later.
Over to you Gurus <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Good idea for a thread.. <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Nothing spectacular to offer but was talking to a friend recently. His family comes from the village of Bawla near Ahmedabad. Legend has it that the village was the place where Bakasur was killed by Bhima.
Another one that I can remember is about a temple called Shamlaji in Gujarat - I am not 100% sure about this. But there is a temple of Rukmini right across on a hill top. It is said that Rukmini had a fight with Krishna and has gone over on the hill.
Tiruvahindrapuram, situated 5 km west of Cuddalore, the historic coastal city, is one among the two "nadu naattu thirupathigaL" among the 108 Divya Desams sanctified by the visit of the Alvars. The temple of Lord Devanatha is flanked by the inspiring Aushada Giri, a herbal drop on the Lap of Time from the hands of speeding Anjaneya to the battlefield of Lanka and the serpentine holy river Garudanadhi. The importance of this sthala has found place in many Puranas.
Tirumangai Alvar has hailed the presiding deity of this temple as the Godhead of Trinity, viz. Siva, Brahma, and Vishnu (moovar aagiya oruvan). True to the appellation of "adiyavarkku meyyan", Lord Devanatha's charm and power attract thousands of pilgrims day in and day out from all over the country.
The structure and inscriptions found in the temple bear testimony to the association of later Pallavas, Chola and Pandya dynasty rules.
Legend has it that when Lord Devanatha was feeling thirsty he asked for water. Garuda made Garuda Nadi by ploughing the earth with his beak and Adisesha did so by carving the earth. Adisesha was first to come back with water and the Lord quenched his thirst with that. On seeing this Garuda was sad and to cheer him up, the Lord chose water from Garuda Nadi for his thirumanjanam (holy bath) and from Sesha Tirtham for nivedanam (offering).
Since the place was constructed by Aheendran (Adisesha), it is called Aheendrapuram. The body of water brought up by Garuda flows as Garuda Nadi, whereas the one brought by Adisesha is available as Sesha Tirtham.
People offer pepper,salt, milk, honey, turmeric and others into the Sesha Tirtham as part of their prayers and still it is indeed a divine wonder that the water is used for preparing the daily nivedanam to the Lord.
Here's one from the days of Ramayana. Anyone remember the story..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Ravana was midway to Lanka, but proudly carrying the <b>Atma-Linga</b>. The sun suddenly dimmed down due to the contrivance of Vishnu, and giving the impression that it was already nearing dusk. Ravana was a meticulous observer of the daily rituals and, therefore was keen on doing his Sandya-Vandan before sunset was over. But what to do with the Atma-Linga while doing the Sandya-Vandan? Shiva told him not to keep it on the ground before he reached Lanka. While he was in a dilemma, there appeared nearby a shepard boy playing around who looked so guileless and innocent. It was Lord Ganesa himself in that guise. Ravana called out to the boy and pleaded with him to hold the Shiva-Linga for him till he finished his evening oblations to the Sun-Deity. The boy pretended that he was in a hurry to get back home as it was getting dark. On Ravana's further pleading, the boy said that the Shiva-Linga seemed to be too heavy for him, and anyway he would hold it, but Ravana should return soon. He said "If you delay I shall lay it on the ground and go away." He added "However, I shall count to thrice before putting it on the ground before leaving".
Ravana, placing the Shiva-Linga in the hands of the boy, hurried to the river. There he was accosted by Narada, who went on complimenting and congratulating him for winning the Atma-Linga which is the most powerful Linga in the world. He said "it will make you the mightiest person in the world, and you will forever rule all the gods". Narada thus delayed Ravana, engaging him in conversation. Before Ravana took it easy, but never the less completed the Sandhya-Vandana fast and hurried back. Lo! by the time he reached back, the boy had already grounded the Shiva Linga. Ravana was furious with the boy, but the boy pleaded "it was too heavy for me, I called out for you thrice. As you did not return I couldn't help laying it on the ground".
Ravana tried with all his might to pull out the Shiva-Linga, the more he pulled the more firmly it was getting stuck in the ground. However, with the pull of Ravana, the Linga got twisted and elongated in the shape of a cow's ear (Go-Karna). As it withstood the mighty strength of Ravana, the Shiva-Ling came to be know as "<b>Gokarna Mahabaleswar</b>" and it is deemed most holy, as the Shiva Linga was installed there by Lord Ganesha, the foremost of Deities and further more, the installation was done at the instance of Lord Vishnu Himself.
It is said that Ravana did severest penances at this place only, and attained all the boons from Lord Shiva. All the gods also are said to have done great penances at this holy place.
The power of this place has been described in detail in Skandha purana.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Source
In Uttar kanada (North Canara?) about 2 to 3 hours drive south of Goa, there's a place called Gokarn (go=cow, karn=ear) which I had visited couple years ago. <b>Gokarn</b> has been well known piligrim centre from the rime immemorial for Atma Linga brought by Ravana and is famous as Dakshin Kashi; It takes us to Krutayuga when Rama and Ravana lived. The've searched internet for a picture of that linga and haven't had much luck. But the the pictures of that linga is pretty common in norther parts of Karnataka. The uniqueness of this this linga is that it's shaped like a swirl on top of a cone ice-cream, kinda like this others say it's like cow's ear (not expert on animal husbandry <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->). It's said that the entire linga is soft as butter. Legend has it that in fit of anger Ravana twisted the linga to it that shape. The linga is on display once every 70 to 80 years or so and the last time it was in early 80s I believe and I had distinct previlige of seeing it (after being dragged there by my late grandparents, kicking and screaming I'll add - times were different with different priorites)
About 100 kms south of Gokarn is <b>Murdeshwar</b> which is said to have a part of Atma Linga of Gokarn. Beautiful location of the temple surrounded by the sea is realy marvellous, and is a tourist centre. The temple, which embodies a Linga, <b>is believed to have erupted when Ravana flung the cloth covering the Atma linga at Gokarna while lifting it</b> (from: link)
Nearby there's a place called <b>Idagunji</b> has an ancient temple of Ganapathi who has only two hands unlike other Ganeshas who have four hands. This is said to be a place of penance selected by ancient Rishies (from: link). Another point of interest here is that the Ganapathi statue has a flat head. Locals believe it was due to a punch by Ravana on Ganesha's head for tricking him.
We should list all the ancient kingdoms and cities mentioned in the Itihasas and Puranas on the modern map. So we get better idea of ancient Indian geography.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Nothing spectacular to offer but was talking to a friend recently. His family comes from the village of Bawla near Ahmedabad. Legend has it that the village was the place where Bakasur was killed by Bhima.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So Bawla is the town called Ekachakra mentioned in the Mahabharata?
<b>Jalandhar, Punjab</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Ancient Period
<b>In ancient time, the district or Kingdom of Jalandhar comprised the whole of the Upper Doabas from the Ravi to the Satluj. According to the Padama Purana, as quoted by General Conningham the country takes its name from the great Daitya King Danava Jalandhara the son of the Ganga by Ocean.</b>
The whole of Punjab and the area of present Jalandhar District was part of the Indus Valley Civilization. Harappa and Mohenjodaro are the sites where remains of the Indus Valley Civilization have been found extensively. The archaeological exploration made during the recent years have pushed the antiquity of the Jalandhar District of the Harappa period. On the basis of surface exploration, the following new sites have been bought on the Archaeological map of India and the traces of the self-same people as at Harappa and Mohenjodaro have also been detected in Jalandhar District at the following places
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The earliest historical mention of Jalandhar occur in the region of Kanishka, the Kushan King of northern India in whose time a council of Buddhists theologians was held near Jalandhar about 100 AD to collect and arrange the sacred writings of Buddhism and to bring about reconciliation between its various sects...............
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Link
Majority of temples in Jalandhar are constructed after Independence. Few are less than 150 years old.
<b>Tulsi Mandir </b>
<b>An ancient monument in the City is the temple of Vrinda, wife of Jalandhara, in the Kot Kishan Chand locality. It is now also known as Tulsi Mandir. On one side of the temple is a tank which is said to have been the bathing place of the demon Jalandhara. </b> Link
<b>Temple of Gupha</b> or <b>ANNAPURANA DEVI MANDIR</b>
At some distance is the temple of Gupha, with the image of Annapurna, the goddess of plenty, installed in it. Also nearby lies the Brahm Kund and some temples dedicated to Shiva. <b>Link</b>
Temple of Gupha was constructed by my grandmother's family hundreds of years back. Even today maintained by our family.
<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+Nov 10 2005, 05:41 AM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ Nov 10 2005, 05:41 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Nothing spectacular to offer but was talking to a friend recently. His family comes from the village of Bawla near Ahmedabad. Legend has it that the village was the place where Bakasur was killed by Bhima.
I am not disputing the above but here is what i know.There is a place called bodhan in AP close MH border ( 15 to 20 KM North West) and KN ( 60 KM south west). One of the areas is called Raaksi peta which has small hill top which is called Bhimuni Gutta ( Bhima's hill)
Old town is little more than 2 kms from Raakasi peta.
Legend has it that Bakasura was living in Raaksi Peta ( hence the name ) and after Bhima killed in on that hilltop they renamed it as Bhimuni Gutta)
IF you go to the Bhimuni Gutta they say they still have the foot print of Bhima in Stone carving. ( suppose to be huge )
Here is another one I remembered. Bhima's kitchen in agyatvas is in a gujju town called Dholka. I havent seen it but I have heard about big kitchen utensils and such.. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->How marine archaeologists found Dwaraka
V GANGADHARAN
Chennai, Feb 1:
     The submergence into the sea of the city of Dwaraka, vividly picturised in the great epic of Mahabaratha, is indeed true! A chance discovery made by a team of scientists, in the Gulf of Cambay region, establishes that the Mahabaratha story is not a myth. The rich city with fertile landscape and great rivers had indeed submerged into the seas several thousand years ago.
     But before we get to the present, a bit of history is quite in order.
     There is a vivid description in the Mausalaparvan of the Mahabaratha about the submergence of Dwaraka. The people of Dwaraka including Arjuna seemed to have witnessed strange things before its submergence in the sea. 'The event was preceded by the unabated rumbling noise of the earth throughout the day and night, birds screamed continuously, and heavy winds swept the land. The sea, which has been beating against the shores, suddenly broke the boundary that was imposed on it by nature. Huge tide with great height surrounded Dwaraka. The sea rushed into the city submerging beautiful buildings. The sea covered up everything and in a matter of few moments, there was no trace of the beautiful city.' It was something of an ancient tsunami.
     And now the scientists at NIOT (National Institute of Ocean Technology, of the Department of Ocean Development) have established his. While working for British gas in the Gulf of Cambay region, a few years ago, the scientists of the NIOT, were stunned to see images of objects and things, completely alien to the marine domain. Immediately a team swung into action and samples were collected and sent for analysis and dating (it is usually done to scientifically establish the antiquity of the excavated objects).
     Samples collected include artefacts, wood pieces, pottery materials, hearth pieces, animal bones. They ere sent to Manipur University, Oxford University, London, Institute of Earth Sciences, Hanover, Germany for analysis and dating. The results were astonishing. It was found beyond doubt that the samples belonged to a period varying from 7800 to 3000 years (BP) Before Present !
     The even more flooring discovery happened soon. NIOT, which carried outside scan and sub-bottom surveys in the year 2002-03, established beyond doubt the presence of two large palaeochannels (river channels which existed once and later submerged under the sea) in the Gulf of Cambay. Alluvium samples were collected from different locations in the areas of the palaeochannels by the gravity core and grab method.
     Badrinarayanan, Marine Archaeologist and formerly coordinator for the project, says 'the most astonishing thing was that all of the crew-members, including the ship master who was a catholic, had dreams full of strange visions, on the night of discovery. We felt we had stumbled upon something great and unusual.'
     The study of the samples under microscope revealed the occurrence of fragile and highly sensitive Ostracods (tiny marine and fresh water crustaceans with a shrimp-like body enclosed in a bivalve shell) overlain by regular marine fauna.
     These results strongly indicated that the freshwater deposition which took place in this area was very much a part of the onshore land region and later submerged to the depths varying from 20 to 40 meters. The alluvium (fresh water sand) samples sent to the Earth Science Department, Manipur University for OSL (optically stimulated luminescence) dating gave the OSL determinant of 3000 years (BP) Before Present !
     Prof.Gartia (The Journal of Indian Ocean Archaeology, No.2 of 2005, Pg.144) after conducting extensive investigations concluded that Gujarat region had experienced at least three large killer earthquakes about 1500, 3000 and 5000 years BP respectively. Geomorphological evidences also show beyond doubt that the North- Western part of the Indian landmass was seismically active during the last 10,000 years. These killer quakes are likely to have caused the shifting of the rivers and sea level fluctuation including the sinking of the legendary city of Dwaraka, capital of the Lord-King Krishna. The discovery about the availability of fresh water from the now submerged major rivers along with other marine-archaeological evidences, corroborates the Mahabaratha reference that Dwaraka, the ancient city of Sri Krishna, lies under the great ocean !
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Manali in Himachal Pradesh, India derived its name from Manavalaya i.e. the abode of Manu. According to myth, Manu the divine law-giver, was the only survivor of the Mahajal Pralay - the great flood - and is said to have fathered the human race. He certainly chose enchanting environs.
â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.
One day, Varvasvata, the seventh incarnation Manu found a tiny fish in his bathing water. The fish told him to look after with devotion for one day it would do him a great service. The seventh Manu cared for the fish till the day it grew so huge that he released it into the sea. Before departing, the fish warned Manu of an impending deluge when the entire world would be submerged and bade him to build a sea-worthy ark. When the flood came, Varvasvata and seven sages were towed to safety by Matsya, the fish -which is regarded as first avatar of Lord Vishnu. As the water subsided the seventh Manu's ark came to the rest on a hill side and the place was named Manali (2050 m) after him.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I was checking my future travel spot; I came across above description on Manali.
Reference to âthe great floodâ, does this mean cloud burst or Ice melt down after Indonesia volcano eruption and later decades of cold winter in Indian subcontinent. Archeologist believe majority of Indian subcontinent population perished.
Ayodhya is in the headlines every day. One would have to be an ostrich to avoid the subject. Was there a temple before the mosque? Archaeologists would have to answer that. Was Rama born there? The answer is a matter of belief. Did Rama exist? Yes, I am quite sure he did. Ramaâs life was a fact. His divinity is a matter of faith.
To doubt the existence of Rama is to doubt all literature. There is no archaeological or epigraphic evidence for either Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed, who are known only from the Bible and Koran respectively. Does it mean they did not exist? If Rama performs miracles such as liberating Ahalya, the Biblical story of Jesus walking on water or the Koranic tale of Mohammed flying to heaven on a horse are equally miraculous. Such stories reinforce divinity, not fact.
The Ramayana starts with Valmiki asking Narada who was the greatest man who ever lived. Narada narrates the story of Rama, king of Ayodhya, in a few terse, factual lines. Valmiki then goes on to elaborate the story in poetry, creating the Ramayana. Creativity distinguishes the epic from Naradaâs news report. Rama is not a god in the epic. But we have contemporary examples of people deified in their lifetime, such as the Shirdi and Sathya Sai Babas, who need a Valmiki or Vyasa to immortalise them.
The Ramayana is geographically very correct. Every site on Ramaâs route is still identifiable and has continuing traditions or temples to commemorate Ramaâs visit. Around 1000 BC, no writer had the means to travel around the country inventing a story, fitting it into local folklore and building temples for greater credibility.
In 1975 the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unearthed fourteen pillar bases of kasauti stone with Hindu motifs near the mosque at Ayodhya; reports of the excavations are available with the ASI. Rama was born in Ayodhya and married in Mithila, now in Nepal. Not far from Mithila is Sitamarhi, where Sita was found in a furrow, still revered as the Janaki kund constructed by her father Janaka. Rama and Sita left Mithila for Ayodhya via Lumbini. In 249 BC, Ashoka erected a pillar in Lumbini with an inscription referring to the visits by both Rama and Buddha to Lumbini. Ashoka was much nearer in time to Rama and would be well aware of his facts.
Rama, Lakshmana and Sita left Ayodhya and went to Sringaverapura â modern Sringverpur in Uttar Pradesh â where they crossed the River Ganga. They lived on Chitrakoot hill where Bharata and Shatrughna met them and the brothers performed the last rites for their father. Thereafter, the three wandered through Dandakaranya in Central India, described as a land of Rakshasas, obviously tribes inimical to the brothersâ habitation of their land. Tribals are still found in these forests. The trio reached Nasik, on the River Godavari, which throbs with sites and events of Ramaâs sojourn, such as Tapovan where they lived, Ramkund where Rama and Sita used to bathe, Lakshmankund, Lakshmanaâs bathing area, and several caves in the area associated with their lives in the forest.
Rama then moved to Panchavati near Bhadrachalam (AP), where Ravana abducted Sita. The dying Jatayu told them of the abduction, so they left in search of Sita. Kishkinda, near Hampi, where Rama first met Sugriva and Hanuman, is a major Ramayana site, where every rock and river is associated with Rama. Anjanadri, near Hospet, was the birthplace of Hanuman (Anjaneya); Sugriva lived in Rishyamukha on the banks of the Pampa (Tungabhadra); Sabari probably also lived a hermitage there. Rama and the Vanara army left Kishkinda to reach Rameshwaram, where the Vanaras built a bridge to Lanka from Dhanushkodi on Rameshwaram Island to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. While parts of the bridge â known as Adamâs Bridge â are still visible, NASAâs satellite has photographed an underwater man-made bridge of shoals in the Palk Straits, connecting Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar. On his return from Sri Lanka, Rama worshiped Shiva at Rameshwaram, where Sita prepared a Linga out of sand. It is still one of the most sacred sites of Hinduism.
Sri Lanka also has relics of the Ramayana. There are several caves, such as Ravana Ella Falls, where Ravana is believed to have hidden Sita to prevent Rama from finding her. The Sitai Amman Temple at Numara Eliya is situated near the ashokavana where Ravana once kept her prisoner.
The presence of the Vanaras or monkeys, including Hanuman, has made the authenticity of the epic suspect. But this is the most plausible part of the story. The Vanaras were obviously tribes with the monkey totem: after all, the Ramayana belongs to a period when most of India was jungle with tribal forest-dwellers. India still contains several tribes with animal totems. An early issue of the Bellary District (now in Karnataka) Gazetteer gives us the interesting information that the place was inhabited by the Vanara people. The Jaina Ramayana mentions that the banner of the Vanaras was the vanaradhvaja (monkey flag), thereby reinforcing the totemic theory. Similarly, Jatayu would have been the king of the vulture-totem tribe and Jambavan of the bear-totem tribe.
Was Lanka the modern Sri Lanka? One school of thought places Lanka on the Godavari in Central India, citing the limited descriptions of the South in the latter half of the epic. Narada does not mention Panchavati or Rameshwaram, but refers to Kishkinda and Lanka. Living in the north, it is unlikely that Valmiki knew the south. But Valmiki would know the difference between a sea and a river. Lanka, says the author definitively, was across the sea.
All the places visited by Rama still retain memories of his visit, as if it happened yesterday. Time, in India, is relative. Some places have commemorative temples; others commemorate the visit in local folklore. But all agree that Rama was going from or to Ayodhya. Why doubt connections when literature, archaeology and local tradition meet? Why doubt the connection between Adamâs Bridge and Rama, when nobody else in Indian history has claimed its construction? Why doubt that Rama traveled through Dandakaranya or Kishkinda, where local non-Vedic tribes still narrate tales of Rama? Why doubt that he was born in and ruled over Ayodhya?
Major settlements, including temples, were renovated several times: restoration is a 20th century development. When the main image was made of perishable materials, it was replaced by stone. For example, we know that the wooden image of Varadaraja Perumal of Kanchipuram was replaced by a stone image, for the earlier image is still preserved in a water tank. The present architecture belongs to the sixteenth century Vijayanagara style. Yet the temple was known to have existed before the Pallava period (seventh century). This is the story of many sacred sites in India. This happened to several Rama temples too.
Ramaâs memory lives on because of his extraordinary life and his reign, which was obviously a period of great peace and prosperity, making Ramarajya a reference point. People only remember the very good or the very bad. Leftist historians have chosen to rubbish archaeology, literature and local tradition. So how do we prove that Rama did exist?
Finally, although there is enough evidence that Rama did exist, it still does not justify breaking down a mosque. Would Rama have approved? It makes us as barbaric as Babar and his General Mir Baqi who, says Hafizullah in his Persian document, built the mosque over the Ramjanmasthan.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
09-28-2006, 03:23 AM (This post was last modified: 09-28-2006, 03:28 AM by Bodhi.)
Thanks Aruni. Good information.
One more important event between
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The trio reached Nasik, on the River Godavari, which throbs with sites and events of Ramaâs sojourn, such as Tapovan where they lived, Ramkund where Rama and Sita used to bathe, Lakshmankund, Lakshmanaâs bathing area, and several caves in the area associated with their lives in the forest.
[right][snapback]58074[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
and
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Rama then moved to Panchavati near Bhadrachalam (AP), where Ravana abducted Sita.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ram, Lakshman and Sita also visited a place now known as Ramtek, in Vidarbha, on border of MP, AP and Maharashtra. This is a historic place where there exists an ancient temple on the hill, constructed by Rashtrakuta kings. Tradition records that there was Sage Agastya's ashram here, and Rama noticed mounts of human bones of Rishis left behind by Rakshasas. Seeing that, this was the place where Rama took a vow to eliminate all the Rakshasas from earth. That is why the place came to be knows as Ram-Tek ('Promise of Rama'). Later, Kalidas also lived here while writing Meghadutam. There are various other stories of Ram's vanavas in this region.
10-24-2006, 01:07 AM (This post was last modified: 10-24-2006, 01:37 AM by Bodhi.)
Question about the linkage of Vedic Sarasvati, and modern city of Prayag/Allahabad in UP. River Yamuna confluences with Ganga in Allahabad, and Ganaga continues on its journey till Ganga-Sagar in Bay of Bengal. As per the popular belief, Prayag was not only the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna, but also of Sarasvati before she disappeared. These 3 rivers met here and that is why Prayag is called "Triveni".
Question is: whether the River Saraswati of Triveni mentioned in literature is the same as river Saraswati of Vedic yore? Because based upon the studies of archelogists, isn't vedic Saraswati supposed to have flown hundreds of miles to the west of Prayag - through Panjab, Rajasthan, Sindh, Gujrat? Are these different? (like you have at least a dozen rivers called Ganga)
Even if you discount the change in the course of river flow of Saraswati, over thousands of years...how come Ganga and Yamuna still manage to confluence at Prayag...Any ideas?
path of Vedic Saraswati is described in the link posted by Ramana above, here is the map.
Here is what I know about the sangam in Prayag. At one time, the yamuna was indeed drained by the saraswati. At some point of time, a pirate tributary of the yamuna broke off and carried some of the waters of the Saraswati until the merge with the ganga.
So even though the Saraswati had not merged with the Ganga or the Yamuna, some of its waters were being pirated off into the merge via the yamuna.
I am noit aure of the source of the above information but it might have been a previous post somewher in this forum.
Google download book <b>Mathurá ; a District Memoir</b>
<i>Contains much upon Krishna worship, of which Muttra is the home, and the Vaishnava sects, with text and translations of some of their songs</i>
Author(s): Frederic Salmon Growse
Publication Date: 1883
Pages: 434
Altho its a little offtopic but there is a place in Gujarat called Chanod which is also considered a triveni sangam and is considered a valid place for asthi visarjan. It is believed that Narmada, Orsang and Ganga meet. People say it is pataal-ganga. Dont know much more about it.
Link
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> South of the village stands a famous mosque, containing the tomb of Zafar Khan; it was once a Hindu Temple. This Zafar Khan was the uncle of Shah Safi; he was a zealous Musalman and was ultimately killed in a battle fought with Raja Bhudea. Zafar's son conquered the Raja of Hugli and married his daughter, who is buried within the precincts of the temple, and at this day Hindu offerings are openly made at her tomb aon Musalman festivals. Zafar Khan, although a Muhammadan, is said to have worshipped the Ganges.
....
The first, which lies near the road leading along the bank of Hugli, is built of the large basalt stones , said to have been taken from an old Hindu temple, which Zafar Khan destroyed. Its east wall, which faces the river shows clear traces of mutilated Hindu idols and dragons; and fixed into it, at a height of about six feet from the ground, is a piece of iron said to be the handle of Zafar Khan's nbattle-axe.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> ) and probably contribute later. 
