Bagmati (Nepal Bhasa:बागमती खुसी, Nepali: बागमती नदी) is a river of Nepal. Nepali is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Nepal, Bhutan, and some parts of India and Myanmar (Burma Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. It flows through the Kathmandu valley and is the river separating Kathmandu from Lalitpur. The Kathmandu Valley (नेपाः स्वनिगः Nepāḥ Svānigaḥ) located in the Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Kathmandu (काठमांडौ येँ is the Capital and the largest city of Nepal. It is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists. A number of Hindu temples are located on the banks of this river.

The importance of Bagmati also lies in the fact that Hindus are cremated on the banks of this holy river, and Kirants are buried in the hills by its side. According to the Nepalese Hindu tradition, the dead body must be dipped three times into the Bagmati river before cremation. The chief mourner (usually the first son) who lights the funeral pyre must take a holy river-water bath immediately after cremation. Many relatives who join the funeral procession also take bath in the Bagmati River or sprinkle the holy water on their bodies at the end of cremation. Bagmati River is thus considered purifying the people spiritually and physically.

Course

The river originates at Bagdwaar (Bag Tiger, dwar gate) on the northern hills of Kathmandu valley and flows by several important parts of Kathmandu (capital of Nepal) including the temple of Lord Pashupatinath, the holiest Hindu temple in Nepal. Pashupati ( Sanskrit: Paśupati) "Lord of cattle" is an epithet of the Hindu deity Shiva. The river mixes with Bishnumati at Teku Dovan. The river crosses Chobar gorge, on the south of the valley, to flow out of the Kathmandu valley to finally reach terai. The Dakshinkali temple complex is at the entrance to this gorge.

Geography

The Chovar gorge cuts through the Mahabharat Range, also called the Lesser Himalaya. This 2,000 to 3,000 meter range is the southern limit of the "middle hills" across Nepal, an important cultural boundary between distinctive Nepali and more Indian cultures and languages, as well as a major geological feature.

The basin of the Bagmati River, including the Kathmandu Valley, lies between the much larger Gandaki basin to the West and the Kosi Basin to the east. These adjacent basins extend north of the main Himalayan range and cross it in tremendous gorges, in fact the Arun tributary of the Kosi extends far into Tibet. The smaller Bagmati rises some distance south of the Himalaya. Without glacial sources, its flow is more dependent on rainfall, becoming very low during the hot season (April to early June), then peaking during the monsoon season (Mid June-Mid August). In these respects the Bagmati system resembles the (West) Rapti system lying between the Gandaki basin and the Karnali basin in the far west of Nepal.

Pollution issues

The river is highly polluted due to the uncontrolled mixing of sewage to the river. Attempts are being made to monitor the Bagmati River system and maintain its cleanliness. These efforts are concentrated in Gaurighat area.

Religion

Bagmati is an important religious symbol to the Hindus of Nepal as Ganges is to Hindus of India. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical The Ganges (ˈgænʤiːz also Ganga, Devanāgarī: hi गंगा in most Indian languages) is the major river in the Indian subcontinent A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical

Ancient shrines

Public baths have been built supplied by a small hot spring. Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness Often the term public is misleading to some people as they will have restrictions based upon who can use the facility A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated Groundwater from the earth's crust. Nearby are two small structure that over the last many centuries were shrines, first to Buddha and then to Hinduism. A shrine, from the Latin scrinium (‘box’ also used as a desk like the French bureau) was originally a container usually made of precious materials used Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. There a many sculptures along the walls. One sculpture fragment shows the remnant of a Buddha triptych, a Buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas. A triptych (pronounced "trip-tick" trip'tik (or US: 'tɹʷɪp In the Buddhist context a bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व bodhisattva;; Vietnamese Bồ Tát; बोधिसत्त bodhisatta ^[1]

See also

• Bagmati Zone

Footnotes

External links

• Friends of the Bagmati