Mandakini River

Mandakini (Hindi: मंदाकिनी [mənˈd̪aːkɪni]) is a tributary of the Alaknanda River. Mandakini originates from the Charabari Glacier near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, India. Mandakini is fed by Vasukiganga River at Sonprayag. Mandakini joins Alaknanda at Rudraprayag. Alaknanda then proceeds towards Devaprayag where it joins with Bhagirathi River to form the Ganges River.

Meaning of 'Mandakini'

The prefix "mand" (Sanskrit) means "calm" and "unhurried", and Mandakini thus signifies "she who flows calmly".

Photo gallery

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  Mandakini near the town of Guptakashi

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  Mandakini flows to Rudraprayag to join Alaknanda

Religious Importance

The Mandakini is mentioned as one of the transcendental rivers in the holy religious work Srimad Bhagavatam.

John Leyden's 1810 Malay Annals mention that, Parameswara, the founder of the Sultanate of Malacca, carried a sword named Chora Sa Mandakini (Cura Si Manja Kini) as part of his royal regalia. The sword is now a part of the Sultan of Perak's official regalia. The sword is believed to be of Indian origin and between 800 to 1,000 years old.

White Water

The Mandakini is a runnable low volume river from October to April and can be unpredictable in the Monsoon months (June-September) when all rivers in the area become swollen torrents.

The Mandakini is a kayakable river with a lot of class 3 rapids and some class 4 and class 5 rapids. The upper mandakini and the lower mandakini are considered to be class 4+ sections while there is a stretch of water in the middle part of the river that is largely class 2-class 3.

See also

• Ganges

External links

• Documentary by Mandakini Mathur
• The River Goddess by Vijay Singh