The people of Cauvery basin, including Bengaluru, were struggling for every drop of drinking water, let alone irrigation water, thanks to severe drought in the State.
DK Shivakumar, KPCC President and Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka /Photo | Express
The rain gods have finally smiled on Karnataka soothing the parched lands, streams and rivers yearning for the elixir of life. Mother Cauvery has once again come to life in all her glory. She is brimming with water giving hopes of prosperity to millions of people in her path and quenching the thirst of the neighboring state as well. It is my good fortune that I have the opportunity to offer the traditional ‘bagina’ to her on behalf of the people of the State.
The people of Cauvery basin, including Bengaluru, were struggling for every drop of drinking water, let alone irrigation water, thanks to severe drought in the State. Goddess Chamundeshwari has blessed us with copious rains and the smiles are back.
To pay our obeisance to Mother Cauvery, our Government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, will offer bagina on July 29, 2024. It is an auspicious occasion for us to be paying respect to our lifelines at Krishna Raja Sagara and Kabini reservoirs.
Cauvery is not just a river for us. She is emotion and she is devotion. Daughter of King Kavera and wife of Agasthya Maharshi, Cauvery took birth in the Brahmagiri hills of Kodagu. Kodavas revere Cauvery as their mother and kula devathe. Kodava culture is full of traditions and rituals praising her. Panje Mangesh Rayaru, a well-known poet from Kodagu, has praised her in his poems. Such is the importance of Cauvery that great literary works such as Kaviraja Marga of Sri Vijaya identify Karnataka with her.
Equated with river Ganga, Cauvery is considered to be one of the seven sacred rivers of India. It is a common ritual even today to recite ‘Gangecha Yamunechaiva Godavari Saraswathi, Narmade Sindhu Cauvery Jalaismin Sannidhi Kuru’ while taking bath.
Such is her sacredness that places of religious importance dot her path. From TalaCauvery in Kodagu to Sri Ranganath in Srirangapatna and Gajaranya Kshetra at Talakadu to Shilabedhi Kshetra at Shivanasamudra, her path is punctuated by places of great religious significance. There are about 700 temples along her path in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It won’t be hyperbole to say Cauvery is a blessing for the people of Kodagu, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, Bengaluru and surrounding areas. She has spread prosperity wherever she flows.
Legacy of KRS
The Wadiyars of Mysuru revered Mother Cauvery highly. It was the monumental foresight, determination and effort of Maharaja Nalwadi Krishna Raja Wadiyar, Sir M Visveswaraya and others in Mysuru kingdom which gave birth to Kannambadi, or what is popularly known as KRS. The construction of this reservoir started in 1911 and ended in 1932. More than 10,000 workers sweated it out to build this reservoir, which continues to water lakhs of acres and quench the thirst of crores of people. We owe the prosperity of this region to Mysuru Maharajas and Sir MV.
Nadaprabhu Kempegowda laid the foundation for Bengaluru 500 years ago. Perhaps he was aware that it would go on to become a global metropolis. He built over 300 lakes to fulfil water needs of the town. As the city grew, the lakes shrank and it was no more water self-sufficient. That is when Cauvery water was pumped to Bengaluru city from a distance of 100 km. Cauvery water quenches the thirst of more than a crore people of Bengaluru today. Mother Cauvery flows in the veins of Bengaluru, which has become one of the leading technology centres of the world.
Save Water
Cauvery isn’t just water, it is the lifeline of our region. The recent water crisis has demonstrated that every drop of water is precious. Given the uncertainties around climate change, it is our bounden duty to conserve water. Be it for drinking purpose or for irrigation, we need to be mindful of the use of water. Our government is also creating awareness about water conservation. The mantra of water conservation must flow through our every vein, only then can we pass on a secure future to our children.
We have decided to organize ‘Cauvery Aarti’ on the lines of Ganga Aarti in Varanasi. We believe this is just a small token of our obeisance to the Mother, who continues to feed us and nurture us.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / July 29th, 2024
