2 myths surrounding river Yamuna  

River Yamuna has been in the news for quite some time now, due to its never-ending dry spell as well as rising pollution levels. Under these current circumstances, we often forget about the rich heritage of this holy river that also happens to be the largest tributary river in India, and the second largest tributary river of the Ganga River Basin.  

Yamuna, as most people know, originates from the Yamunotri glacier (20,955 feet) situated at Bandarpunch in the lower Himalayas. It then merges with the Ganga River at a place called Triveni Sangam near Prayag, Uttarakhand. Prayag, as you may have heard, is a sacred place for the Hindus. So, it’s no surprise that like River Ganga, Yamuna too is closely associated with Hindu mythology. While Hindu religious scriptures such as Rig Veda and Atharva Veda extensively mention Yamuna, it is believed that the birth of Lord Krishna too is connected with the holy river. Let’s delve deep into the Hindu mythologies associated with river Yamuna. 

The legend of Lord Krishna  
If you have read the Hindu epic Mahabharata, you must be aware that Lord Krishna was conceived along the banks of river Yamuna. In fact, the epic also mentions how Krishna’s father Vasudeva handed new-born Krishna to his foster father Nandaraj, by carrying him in a basket and travelling across Yamuna from Mathura to Gokul. But what has this got to do with Krishna being responsible for turning Yamuna’s water fit for drinking?  

Well, as it turns out, as a child, Lord Krishna often heard stories about the Yamuna river’s poisonous nature, as the five-headed snake Kaliya resided there. One day, Krishna decided to challenge Kaliya and jumped into the river. After a long-drawn battle Krishna was finally able to overthrow Kaliya. Guess what happened next? Well, River Yamuna was magically drained out of all the poison. Yes, you read that right. And, according to Hindu mythology, ever since then, Yamuna has been suitable for drinking.  

The legend of Lord Hanuman 
It’s not hard to believe that just like the Mahabharata mentions River Yamuna, another Hindu epic, the Ramayana, too has its plot indebted to the holy river. Surely, most of you are fond of Lord Hanuman (semi-ape, semi-human) from the Ramayana and are aware of how his character is key to the epic.    

Ramayana shows Hanuman going to Lanka to avenge his master Lord Ram. Thereafter, the enemy Ravana set his tail on fire. Out of rage, Hanuman jumped around and burned down Ravana’s palace using his lit tail and then rushed to the lower Himalayan region to douse his burns. Incidentally, the glacier where Hanuman had buried his tail was none other than Yamuna. However, due to the effect of the fire, Yamuna gradually started melting and became a river. Can you now guess why the origin place of Yamuna is called Bandarpunch (ape’s tail) It of course owes its name to Lord Hanuman and his adventurous endeavours!