With the passage of time, this water body grew into a lake swelling up to forty miles, resembling the sea. The numerous tributaries that feed the Brahmaputra rise in the Himalayan glaciers of western Tibet, near Mount Kailash.
After a gradual descent, the tributaries enter Arunachal Pradesh as the Dibang, Siang and Lohit rivers, which finally merge in the Assam Valley to form the Brahmaputra. Upon entering Assam, the Brahmaputra becomes braided. The river and its numerous tributaries form the massive flood plains of the Brahmaputra Valley, where the span of the river can reach almost 20 km, making it one of the widest rivers on the planet. Strangely, for a river with such mythological associations, there are only a few centres of pilgrimage along its banks.
Perhaps this has something to do with its unpredictable nature that causes great devastation from time to time; perhaps the masculinity of the river stands out in a culture that traditionally reveres the river in the feminine avatar. Parasuramkund, on the Lohit River one of the tributaries , which is associated with the warrior sage Parasurama, attracts millions of devotees who congregate here during the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti mid-January when a big fair is held.
Prior to the devastating earthquake that struck the region in , Parasuramkund or Brahmakund was almost ringed in by a rocky wall that gave it the appearance of a small lake. The earthquake destroyed this natural dam and today the mighty river roars past a rickety bamboo fence that protects the pilgrims from the fury of the river. This is the seat of tantric worship in northeast India and the day usually begins with animal sacrifices to appease Kali — the furious avatar of the Mother Goddess.
This ancient pilgrimage centre caters to the spiritual needs of three religions: Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims. Just off Guwahati lies Peacock Island.
On this stunted hillock in the middle of the Brahmaputra stands the Umananda Temple 16th century dedicated to Shiva and his consort Uma. Usually—a river is seen as a life-giving force and cradle of human culture, which, in all fairness, the Brahmaputra certainly is. But then, its legacy is way more complicated. Between June and October, crazy floods are a common occurrence.
Deforestation of the Brahmaputra watershed has resulted in soil erosion, increasing the probability of flash floods. This flooding that helps replenish the fertile soil of the river valley is also responsible for great misery. But, when the roads along the river are rendered unmotorable, the river highway of the Brahmaputra provides a welcome respite to the besieged people of the valley, allowing vital supplies to be transported.
Because gender concerns are largely absent from frameworks on managing trans-boundary waters. Women from Brahmaputra River Basin taking a lead. Image credit: Mr. Active 2 years, 9 months ago. Viewed times. My questions: Why a river with masculine name? Is there any other major river with masculine name? Improve this question. Aby 9, 16 16 gold badges 63 63 silver badges bronze badges. Why not? Add a comment. But does gendered language affect our perceptions of the world — and our sense of selves and culture?
Gendered discourse patterns are shaped in childhood and this has often been cited as the source of miscommunication between the sexes. As the names and labels we use form our perception of the world around us, grammatical gender categories: masculine, feminine and neutral, have been a source of frustration for linguists since their creation by Protagoras in the fifth century.
Not only was there a division between languages with gendered noun classes and those without, but beliefs about sexuality informed this decision. But what of the river? Water possesses a magical quality which enables it to absorb our imaginings and projections — the perfect gender fluid shapeshifter.
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