The Story of Dolls: Golu theme: "It Happened Along The Kaveri In Myth, Legend & Life"

This Golu theme was about the River Kaveri...the mythology of the origin of the river and her glorious journey thereafter.

The Story of River Kaveri

The 5 step Golu padi has the traditional Golu with Godess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi on the first step, then the Ashta Lakshmis' on the 2nd followed by the Dasawataram on the 3rd. The 4th step has the Jyothir Lingams and a short story of Lord Shiva protecting his devotee Markandeya from Lord Yahma. On the 5th step are seated the greatest pholosophers and musicians of carnatic music.

Kaveri is one of the 7 sacred rivers of Sapta Sindhus of the Hindu scriptures. In south India, she is considered to be even holier than the Ganga! As with all rivers in India, she is considered to be a goddess and her origin at Talakaveri has an interesting story behind it...

When the great ocean was churned by the devas and the asuras in order to obtain amrita, the elixir of life, Lord Vishnu turned into Mohini, a non-pareil of infinite charm and appeal, to distract the asuras and restore the elixir to the devas. Goddess lakshmi also sent along Lopamudre, an apsara to assist Mohini. After the elixir was successfully restored to the devas Lopamudre was brought up by Brahma as his daughter.

King Kavera gave up his kingdom and came to Brahmagiri Hills to lead a life of a hermit. Kavera was lonely and prayed to Lord Brahma who blessed him with Lopamudre for a daughter. Lopamudre was renamed Kaveri after the sage.

Kaveri was very keen that her father should have every happiness and prosperity in life and a blessed land full of good and happy people. So she went to the Brahmagiri too and prayed to Lord Brahma that she might turn into a river and flow through the country, pouring her blessings on the people and turning the land green and fertile. She also prayed that her waters might be so holy that all those who took a dip in it might be absolved of all their sins. Brahma granted her both the boons readily and Kaveri was really happy.

Sage Agastya happened to see Kaveri when she was deep in meditation on the Brahmagiri. He fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. Although her heart was set on turning into a river of blessings, Kaveri could not refuse Agastya. But she made him promise that if ever she left her alone too long she would have the right to forsake him and go her way.

Meanwhile a demon, named Shoorapadma, fought with Lord Indra and prevented the rain from reaching the earth causing a terrible drought.

The drought sticken people went to Mt. Kailash seeking help. Lord Ganesha and Lord Karthikeya agreed to help them out.

One day, Sage Agastya had to travel and Kaveri was unable to accompany him... Since he could not leave Kaveri alone in the ashram, he turned her into water and put her in his kamandala, the utensil for carrying holy water.

Sage Agasthya stopped near Brahmagiri hills to meditate and placed the kamandala beside him. Lord Ganesha seizing the opportunity, took the form of a crow and overturned the kamadala. The water was released and Kaveri became a river. She helped the suffering people by providing them with water.

There is an interesting addendum to this story, mentioned in some legends. As soon as Ganesha in his form of a crow toppled the kamandalu, he changed into the form of a little boy. Agasthya, seeing the boy, thought it was a prank, and began chasing him. He chased the child for a long distance, and finally Ganesha allowed himself to be caught. The sage in his anger, chastised the little boy by smacking him on the head. It was only then that Ganesha revealed himself to the sage, who at once realized his error and apologized. It is believed that the place where this incident took place is Tiruchi, and the Ucchi Pillayar temple here is related to this legend.

The Kaveri is the largest river in southern India and arises in the mountainous region of Coorg in the Western Ghats. On their eastern slope, the river rapidly descends to the Deccan Plateau which occupies much of the central and southern part of India. The plateau slopes south-east through the state of Karnataka. The river then plunges in a spectacular fall from the two thousand feet high plateau near Sivasamudrum, 40 miles southeast of Mysuru, and roars through a boulder strewn gorge before quieting into a murmuring and muttering stream of rapids and pools flanked by wooded hills of the Dhanagur State Forest in which elephant, deer, boar and leopard roam. It broadens into a placid stream, crosses into the State of Tamil Nadu and spreads into a wide delta covering the southeastern corner of India before merging on the Coromandel Coast with the Bay of Bengal.Kaveri also flows through The Grand Anicut (Kallani Dam, Tamilnadu) believed to be The World’s First Dam about 2000 years old constructed by Chola King Karikal Valavan.

Let us follow it and experience some spectacular moments of River Kaveri along the way...