Synchronicity of Nature and Culture along Gandak River

The River Gandak, also known as the Kali Gandaki or Narayani, has its origins near the Tibet-Nepal border after which it enters Nepal from the Mustang region. After traversing through the lands of Nepal, it crosses the Indo-Nepal Border at Triveni Dham and reaches Valmiki Nagar of Bihar. From Valmiki Nagar, Gandak winds its way through the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar before merging into Ganga at Hajipur and Sonepur. The river is home to several endangered species which thrive extremely well in its ecosystem, including the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), the Gangetic Dolphins, and turtles. The stretch of Gandak River in India, from Valmiki Nagar to Hajipur, is dotted with several towns and villages that have developed along the river. Apart from the overall history and evolution of these towns/villages, there are certain sites that have a direct relationship with the riverscape. While some of the sites are important due to their architectural and built significance, others are significant from an intangible perspective and the stories associated with them. However, the relationship of these sites with the riverscape has never been constant, as it keeps on evolving due to various reasons such as shift in the course of the river, developmental interventions, natural hazards, etc. 

With the aim of exploring the story of the Gandak, one of the objectives of this research was to map out historic settlements associated with the river. This will help in developing an overall narrative of the river from the point when it enters India and to the point where it merges with the Ganga.

 

Secondly, the story will also focus on understanding the evolving relationship of cultural heritage sites with respect to riverscapes. For this purpose, three settlements have been taken which are important in the course of the river in Northern Bihar and are also different in terms of a settlement hierarchy, topography, nature of heritage sites, and nature of interventions undertaken. 

Lastly, it is also important to document the intangible cultural practices that are associated with the river in these settlements. These practices will be documented in terms of fairs and festivals that take place along the river and the association of folklore and oral histories.

Exploring the story of Gandak River through the historic settlements associated with it - Journey of Gandak River from origin to the confluence

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Named as Kondochates by Greek geographers
I have been identified as the ever-flowing river of epics 
They say that I travel through three different countries
But my course has not known any boundaries
I identify myself with mountains, gorges, and plains     
As they are the highlights of my journey 
Before I reach my final destination

 

Owing to the relatively unchanged nature of the ecosystem
Gangetic dolphins, turtles, ghariyals, magar, and mahseer
Have always been companions in my journey

 

Association with the stories of different faith 
Has given me a sacred status
The name Narayani is owed to the presence of ammonite fossils 
Also known as shaligram, 

the fossils are venerated as Hindu god Vishnu or Narayan
Puranic legends of Gaj-Grah and travels of Buddhist Guru Rinpoche 
Have linked me to the two oldest religions of the world

 

Originating from the snowy mountains of Mustang
I travel southwards through the gorges of Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Annapurna
My entrance to Indian sub-continent is at Triveni Dham
It is here that I am renamed as Gandaki or Gandak
It is here where the story of Gaj-Grah starts
It is here when I finally escape the narrow gorges of mountains
And spread my banks to see the plains of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
It is here that I am welcomed by rivers of Sumeshwar Hills
Panchnad and Sonaha, as they accompany me in rest of the journey

 

After Triveni, I pass through Valmiki Nagar
Or as it was called originally, Bhainsalotan
the village known for its tiger reserve
is also linked with stories of Rishi Valmiki
Said to be the original site of Valmiki Ashram

The forest around the village has ruins of an old temple
Leaving the last views of mountains of Nepal
I move forward to explore the plains
In the plains I catch a glimpse of Burhi Gandak
A part of me that was left behind thousands of years ago
When I decided to shift my course westwards

 

Although the current scenery for the rest of the journey is almost the same
With small towns and agricultural lands lining my banks
There once was a time when my banks were adorned with mango groves
I have always been fascinated by the transient nature of humans
For it has resulted in wonderful creations
One such wonder is the land route developed in the plains of Bihar
A route parallel to my course
A route facilitated by my waters and abundant groves
A route that connected capitals of Vriji Republic and Magadha
To the mountainous region of Nepal

A route which was turned into Imperial highway by Ashoka
A route that is lined with Ashokan Pillars and Buddhist Stupas
Mainly at Basarh, Kesariya, Areraj, Lauriya Nandangarh
But the one at Rampurva has found its home
At a place where President of India resides

 

I pass through the historical industrial town of Bagaha
But I only catch a glimpse of Bettiah
The home and capital of Bettiah Raj
Down south I cross some ghats in the region of Saran
Ghats that were developed to facilitate river trade
Ghats that were named as Rewa Ghat and Satter Ghat

 

Finally, I reach to the twin towns of Hajipur and Sonepur
A region that is known as Harihar-kshetra
A region where story of Gaj-Grah ends
A region that was developed to facilitate trade with Patna
A region where at last I meet Ganga
To accompany her on her journey
A journey that ends into the abyss of Bay of Bengal

 

Understanding the relationship of cultural heritage with riverscape

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The state of Bihar is divided into two parts by the River Ganga, i.e., North Bihar and South Bihar. While South Bihar is bounded by Jharkhand and West Bengal on its southern and eastern sides, North Bihar shares an international boundary with Nepal. Due to its location near the foothills of the mountains of Nepal, North Bihar has an elaborate river system which comprises of Gandak, Kosi, and Ghaghra among others. 

 

Gandak, like every other river and water source in the world, has been the source of sustenance for many historic settlements. It also holds a great cultural and sacred significance and had been an inspiration behind many cultural heritage sites that are located along its banks. For understanding the evolving relationship of cultural heritage sites with respect to riverscape, an in-depth analysis is required where the heritage sites needs to be studied in the context of the concerned settlement and their location along the river.

Understanding the relationship of cultural heritage with riverscape: Valmiki Nagar or the village of Bhainsalotan

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Valmiki Nagar, known for its tiger reserve is connected with the famous Chitwan National Park of Nepal and the region is known as a biodiversity hotspot. It is the point where Gandak finally leaves the narrow gorges and sandstone mountain range of Sumeshwar (located at Indo-Nepal border) to start its journey along the plains of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

 

Originally known as Bhainsalotan (which means buffaloes wallow; the name is derived from the fact that this place used to be the haunt of Indian Gaurs of Terai, locally known as wild buffaloes), based on Indian mythology Valmiki Nagar is renowned as the site where the ashram of Rishi Valmiki was situated. Valmiki, the author of Ramayana is said to have given shelter to Sita in his ashram when she was exiled by Raja Ram. Located at the border of India and Nepal, the village is close to Triveni Dham – the place where Rivers Panchnad and Sonaha merge into Gandak. These rivers originate in the Sumeshwar Hills of Nepal and are considered sacred as well due to their association with Gandak. It is at Triveni Dham that the most important story associated with the river starts.

Story of Gaj-Garah

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It is said that at Triveni Dham, a fight broke out between the lords of forest and water i.e., the Gaj and Garah, the elephant and the crocodile. Reference of this story is found in Srimat Bhagvat which narrates that one day a huge elephant came with his herd to bathe in the river. It was the place where the Lord of Water, or the crocodile lived. Seeing the elephant, he caught him by the leg and tried to drag him into deeper water. 

 

This struggle continued for thousands of years when at last the elephant started praying to Lord Vishnu or Hari. His prayer was heard, and Hari saved him from the grip of crocodile in presence of other gods. While the fight started at Triveni, due to the flow of Gandak it ended at Harihar-kshetra (presently near Hajipur and Sonepur) – the place where Hari appeared. 

 

Owing to the sacred nature of this place, various cultural heritage sites are located here which includes Valmiki Ashram, Jata Shankar Mandir, Kaleshwar Mandir, and Nar Devi Mandir.

Understanding the relationship of cultural heritage with riverscape - Harihar-kshetra – The twin towns of Hajipur and Sonepur

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From Valmiki Nagar, Gandak travels southwards, and after crossing many towns and settlements, it reaches Harihar-kshetra. Today the region of Harihar-kshetra is synonymous with the twin towns of Hajipur and Sonepur. The towns are situated across the historic city of Patna and at the confluence of Gandak with Ganga. Owing to the location, this region has benefitted in several ways such as travels of saints and scholars, trade and travel, cultural exchange etc. Hajipur is believed to be the seat of sages or rishis of ancient times. It was traversed by Ram and Lakshman while they were on their way to Mithila and was also visited by Lord Buddha whenever he was in Vaishali (presently the village of Basarh). 

Hajipur as a town was established between 1345 AD to 1358 AD on the eastern bank of Gandak by Haji Ilyas or Shamshuddin Ilyas, then the King of Bengal. He built an elaborate fort on the bank of the Gandak, ramparts of which were visible until a few years ago. However, the mosque or Pathar Masjid of the fort is still standing tall. Locals say that in the 17th and 18th centuries, several ghats and temples were constructed along the river but most of them were laid to waste in the massive earthquake of 1934. Some of them have survived till today, such as the Nepali Mandir, Hajuri Math, and Sidhi Ghat.

Like Hajipur, the town of Sonepur also has temples situated along the banks of the river and constructed in the same time period. In British India, several social and utilitarian infrastructure were developed in both these towns. Bridges connecting the two towns were built on the Gandak, which included a railway bridge as well. In case of Hajipur, a school, several bungalows, a racecourse, and dance club were constructed along the river but due to changes in the course of the river everything except the school was devoured by the Gandak in 1837. Learning from their mistake, the British officials conducted the next round of construction of bungalows, dance clubs, and other infrastructure in Sonepur and away from the river.

Intangibles Associated with the River

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One of the major festivals of the region i.e., Chhath Puja is conducted all along the banks of Gandak as the water of this river is considered as pure and holy as that of Ganga. Celebrated twice in the year, in the Hindu month of Chaitya (March-April) and Kartik (October-November), Chhath Puja is observed to worship the Sun god and seek his blessings for the overall prosperity of the family. The festivities span across four days and the fervour around puja is marked by offering prayers to the Sun god, fasting and taking dips into the holy waters. It is believed that taking dips in the holy water helps the human body get rid of toxicity thus preparing one for the onset of the winter season.

It is also believed that exposing oneself to the Sun after taking dips increases the flow of urja or energy in the body and therefore improves the overall functionality. Hence, water is an important element in the ritual.

Like Chhath Puja, there are various other festivals in the year that require taking a dip in the holy water, some of them are Kartik Purnima Snan, Janmashtami, Sankranti, Maha Shivratri etc. Rituals of snan for all these festivals are strongly associated with Gandak in the region of North Bihar.

 

Intangibles Associated with the River

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Magh Sankranti Mela is held in February and the site of the fair is along the left and right bank of Gandak. It essentially means that the site of this fair is half in the province of Nepal and half in India. In ancient times, this fair was also used for trading between the two countries, but now it is organized to continue the tradition of a fair and serves as an entertainment forum mainly.  

 

The seat of Sonepur Mela was originally in the town of Hajipur but after 1837, when the river changed its course, with the shift in all the infrastructure, gradually the mela also shifted to Sonepur. It was one of the largest animal trade fairs of Asia and is still considered to be the same. Also known as Hariharkshetra Mela, the fair starts on the day of Kartik Purnima and continues for one month. It is believed that in the olden days traders from Arab and Persia visited the fair for trading with animals such as horses and camel and goods like carpets and perfume.

Original Connection of the river and the sites

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While through this story,  various connections and similarities can be seen among the three settlements, the linkages between the river and the identified sites is the striking one. Unlike the historic riverfront cities like Varanasi and Mathura, these three towns located on the banks of the Gandak had a different sense of river front development. 

The majority of the sites that were developed along the river were temples or religious places. These sites were generally located on a higher ground while access to the river was only through some points via the ghats.

The rest of the riverfront was lined with trees which prevented soil erosion to a large extent. This arrangement ensured the protection of the river as well as the land. So essentially, the foreground of the riverfront would have appeared to be lined with trees and a few ghats while the background would have been the silhouette of the identified sites.  

 

However, over time these settlements saw a wave of construction, especially the town of Hajipur. Through the records of gazetteers, it is evident that in British India several developments were done along the river and sites like school, racecourse, and a dance club was established in Hajipur. This was done by disturbing the connection of land with water which eventually resulted in changes in the course of the river. Everything except the school was submerged in the river and hence, further development along the river was stopped.

Current Scenario

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Considering the ecological and cultural importance of these towns for the locals, the places receive high footfall during certain months of the year. To cope with the demands of ever-increasing visitor footfall, several uninformed developments have been done in these towns while several such developments are also being done by the local authorities to attract visitors for generating revenue. 

 

Presently, apart from Hajipur, no developmental plans have been developed for Sonepur or Valmiki Nagar. In terms of regional plans, Hajipur and Sonepur have been considered in the Patna Metropolitan Area, but it gives no clear mandate on river front development.

 

Even the City Development Plan (CDP) of Hajipur has failed to identify significant cultural heritage sites and association of some of those sites with Gandak. Here also, ecology and culture have been separated and no common ground has been devised to understand that connection. The plan mentions strategies like creation of cultural complex and community centers to safeguard and promote heritage sites. In no way does it address the rich fabric of urban heritage of Hajipur or the historic fabric of riverfront.

In absence of any policies or management plans which are aimed at safeguarding the interest of this delicate fabric, huge constructional blunders have been done by local authorities, some of them are:

 

Marine Drive of Valmiki Nagar – In order to increase the visitor footfall, forest department and local authorities of Valmiki Nagar constructed a vehicular roadway along the river in 2019. The idea behind this development was to let the visitors enjoy the views of mountains of Nepal while driving along the river. However, to facilitate this construction, the connection between land and river was interrupted and hundreds of trees were cut down. This has disturbed the course of not just the Gandak but Panchnad and Sonha rivers as well, because of which the sangam or meeting point of the three rivers has retreated by a few hundred meters. Moreover, this has also affected the movement of wildlife in the forests of Valmiki Nagar and the trash generated by visitors is disturbing the otherwise pristine ecology of the river.

Current Scenario

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Walkway on Gandak, Sonepur – A monstrosity in the form of a concrete walkway was constructed in Sonepur to link Kali Mandir with Naulakha Mandir, further connecting it to the old Sonepur-Hajipur Bridge. With concrete pillars embedded in the riverbed of Gandak, the walkway was constructed with the idea of appreciating the view of the river. However, it has done quite the opposite as it has severed the original connection of land with river. Until a few years ago, when one would see the side of Sonepur from Hajipur, huge trees lining the bank of Gandak would appear, with occasional sites popping out of the tree line. Today, this walkway becomes the center of attraction. Like the case of Valmiki Nagar, elements which were supposed to be in foreground have been sent to background while the immaculate tree lined riverbank is being turned into a dump yard. 

 

Current Scenario

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Concretization of Riverbank – With the increase in population, the demand to access the river has also increased, especially during festivities. To meet these demands, the local authorities have now been on a spree to make concrete ghats along the river. Though the need to build such amenities is understandable, the construction of these ghats is being done without proper assessment of the land or flow of river. This has resulted in degradation of concretized ghats only after a few years of their construction and has led to several accidents as well.

 

Conclusion

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Through the research it has been apparent that unlike most of the historic cities situated along a river, the relationship between Gandak and the cities located along its banks have different dynamics.. As opposed to continuous ghats and places of worship located along the banks, cities located along Gandak had limited access points to the river (in form of ghats) while most of the river bank was covered in natural vegetation. Any development such as establishment of places of worship or traditional housing was only done with a buffer of vegetation/trees at the river bank. This served two purposes: firstly, it led to a sense of awe and element of surprise while experiencing the view of river from limited access points when the whole river bank was covered with vegetation. Secondly, the natural barrier helped in diminishing the ravishing effects of the river in monsoon as it helped in binding the silt and soil of river bank. This system of development helped in ensuring and developing a symbiotic relation between nature and culture.

Today, however, that relation is being disturbed by subjecting the river banks to the ‘so-called river front development’. The quaint town of Valmiki Nagar has suffered huge ecological loss, while cities like Hajipur and Sonepur are losing their cultural heritage footprint. Atrocious development along the river banks of Ganga in cities like Patna and Bhagalpur serve as a warning to the disaster that is waiting to be unfolded. In a scenario like this, strong policy framework along with guided rules and regulations for all the stakeholders, is the only way to stop the unforeseen developments. A framework that helps in planning development proposals by taking into account the dynamic nature of the river and the different characteristics of settlement located along the river, is the answer to the dwindling state of rivers in our country. While in most cities the damage has already been done, there are many areas in Gandak basin which still have their chance at redemption through a strong policy framework implemented at a regional level.

About Archana Sharma | Water Seekers' Fellow 2022

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Archana Sharma is a conservation architect with almost six years of  experience in architectural conservation. She has worked on heritage sites in Punjab, Srinagar, and Mathura through her association with different organizations. Besides working in the field, she has an inclination towards academic research too. (2022)