River of Moksha

The immortal story of her origin in icy depth and swirling flow in a unique and enchanting style.Explores the uninterrupted association of followers of the Sanatan Dharma with the Ganga through Samskars.Role of Ganga in shaping the Indian civilisation in Northern and Eastern India.Acharya Mahamandleshwar Kailashanand Giri mastered the essence of innumerable religious texts at an early age. The Pithadhishwar (head) of the Niranjani Akhara, he has observed maun vrat (vow of silence) during Shravan for the past twenty-five years. He has journeyed to Mansarovar for as many as 21 times. He has dedicated his life to the cause of Ma Ganga besides serving the poor.The Ganga is a beloved and revered bearer of religious, spiritual and cultural values. To Swami Kailashanand Giri, the Ganga is his foster mother. In River of Moksha, he takes the reader on a journey to the many sacred places found along the river's course-from Gaumukh in Uttarakhand to Gangasagar in West Bengal. In an engaging and lively manner typical of the Indian katha tradition, he narrates the stories and myths that mystify and attract people to these places for ages. Some of the stories recollected on the shores of the Ganga are Parikshit's death when he was stung by Takshak, the king of snakes; the romance of Shakuntala and Dushyant; the self-imposed exile of Vidur; the time Draupadi spent in her father's house and tales of Durvasa's many curses and boons.It is the maiden attempt to chronolise the history of the Ganga and Goddess Ganga through the popular Katha, an Indian style of religious storytelling like Ram Katha or Ram Leela, Krishan Leela or Shiv Gatha by an established Katha vachak Swami Kailashanand Giri.