Group Three

Mr. Hanuman: Today, we have Group Three presenting. Lakshmana, Bhima, Tara, and Yudhishthira, you're up!

Lakshmana: Thank you, Mr. Hanuman. Our presentation begins with a story about the Ganges River.

There was once a king who looked to perform a horse sacrifice in order to gain great power. The god Indra was worried about this king gaining so much power, so he captured the horse and tied it to a tree near a sage who was in deep meditation. When it was known that the horse was missing, the king sent his 60,000 sons to search for it. Eventually, they found it near the sage and assumed he had stolen it. The sage, furious by the accusations, incinerated all of the sons but one. Since they had become nothing but ashes, the son was unable to conduct the rituals needed in order for the souls to reach Heaven. The only way to save the souls was by the cleansing of the goddess Ganga.

After many years and generations, a descendant of the sons, Bhagiratha, devoted his life to release of their souls. He spent thousands of years praying to Brahma, who became very pleased by his devotion and finally decided to send Ganga to Earth. Ganga was insulted by this, and intended to destroy everything in her path. Aware of the destruction that Ganga would cause, Shiva captured her in his hair, letting her out streams at a time, purifying the ashes, and allowing the souls to enter Heaven.

The Ganges River is still considered to be sacred today, and many Hindus believe that bathing in it will cleanse their sins. Many people also pour the ashes of deceased relatives into the river as a way of sanctifying their souls. Although this river is considered holy and is used for cleansing, human and industrial waste have made it one of the most polluted rivers in the world. This has been harmful, as over 400 million people live in the Ganges River basin. It has also been detrimental to the wildlife of the Ganges, including India's national aquatic animal, the freshwater dolphin, who is now endangered.

The Ganges is the largest river in India at 1,560 miles long. It begins in the Himalayan Mountains and ends in the Bay of Bengal.

Bhima: Now, we will look at another site sacred to Hindus, Om Parvat, also known as Little Kailash. Om Parvat lies between Nepal and India with no agreed border between the two countries. It is sometimes confused with another sacred mountain, Mount Kailash, or Big Kailash, which we learned about from Group One. Om Parvat is 20,312 feet tall.

OM is very significant in Hindu text, and the natural OM formed by the snow and terrain at the top of the mountain is thought to be divine.

The following between Krishna and Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita describes the importance of the sacred mantra OM:

'"OM TAT SAT" is said to be the threefold name of Brahman. The Braahmana, the Vedas, and the Yajna were created from this in the ancient time.

Therefore, acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity prescribed in the scriptures are always commenced by uttering "OM" by the knowers of Brahman."'

The passage was translated by Ramanand Prasad.

Parvat was a king and was known as the "Lord of the Mountains." He was the father of Parvati, Shiva's wife, and the goddess Ganga.

Now we will show a quick video to learn more about the mountain and the significance of OM.

Tara: Next, we have the mythical monkey kingdom of Kishkinda. Kishkinda was ruled by King Sugriva after Rama kills his brother, Vali. This is one of the more controversial events of the epic, and one of my personal favorites. I also happen to share a name with Vali's wife.

We have found that Hampi is the most likely real-life location of Kishkinda. Anjeyanadri Hill, located in Kishkinda, is thought to be the location where Hanuman is born, and shrines have been built to honor him, Rama, and Sita.

Hampi is located in the central part of India. Wikipedia states that it was the second largest medieval city in the world around 1500 AD, and the richest city in India. Today, you will find almost as many monuments as you will people. There are over 1,600 monuments in and around Hampi, and under 3,000 people.

Yudhishthira: Our final site is Pampa Sarovar. Pampa Sarovar is a sacred lake located near Hampi. In the Ramayana, Rama and Lakshmana, on their way to Lanka to rescue Sita, stumble upon a devout old lady named Shabari who prayed to see Rama and picked the best fruit for him daily in anticipation of his coming. Both of the heroes bow at her feet in admiration of her faith. Shabari then suggests that the duo seek out Hanuman after Rama explains their reasons for passing through. Before their next journey, Rama bathes in the lake, contributing to its holiness.

Pampa Sarovar is less than a mile from the shrine dedicated to Hanuman on top of Anjeyanadri Hill.