Punpun River
Encyclopedia
The Punpun River is a tributary of the Ganges. It originates in Palamu district
of Jharkhand
and flows through Chatra
, Aurangabad
, Gaya
and Patna
districts of the India
n states
of Jharkhand
and Bihar
.
, at an elevation of 300 metres (984.3 ft), The river mostly flows in a north-east direction and joins the Ganges at Fatuha
, 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) downstream of Patna
.
and the Padma
Puranas
in connection with Gaya Mahatmya as the punah-punah (again and again) of which Pun-Pun is the colloquial form. The river might have been called by this name because it was frequently in spate. The Puranas interpret the word punah-punah in a spiritual sense that sins are removed again and again by offering oblations to forefathers in the river.
The Punpun is a sacred river for Hindus and it is the duty of the pilgrim to Gaya
to shave his head on its banks and bathe in its waters on his way to the holy city. It is believed that Lord Vishnu in his fourth incarnation as Lord Vamana put his foot in second stride at confluence of Punpun and Ganga in Fatuha, known as Triveni (mythological river Saraswati is understood to be present at the confluence) , while measuring entire universe in gift from the great demon king Mahabali. To commemorate this event, a grand rural fair, known as Varuni Mela, is organised annually on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada of Vikram calendar (Shukla Paksha Dwadashi of Bhadrapada or Bhado). Incidentally, the same day is celebrated as Onam in southern state of India, Kerala. The Keralite worships arrival of king Mahabali, while in Fatuha incarnation of Lord Vamana is celebrated which culminates in worship of Lord Ananta (endless, another name of Lord Vishnu) on the third day since beginning of the celebrations.
Palamu District
Palamau is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India. The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor.-Geography:The district lies between 23°50′ and 24°8′ north latitude and between 83°55′ and 84°30′ east longitude...
of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
and flows through Chatra
Chatra District
Chatra district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Chatra is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district covers an area of 3706 km². It has a population of 790,680 .-History:...
, Aurangabad
Aurangabad District, Bihar
Aurangabad district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.-History:Aurangabad features in traditional records...
, Gaya
Gaya District
Gaya is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. The district is having a common boundary with the Jharkhand state in the south. Gaya city is its largest city and the district headquarters.-History:...
and Patna
Patna District
Patna district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, with Patna as the district headquarters. Patna district is a part of Patna division...
districts of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n states
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
.
Course
The Punpun originates on the Chota Nagpur PlateauChota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi River lies to the south...
, at an elevation of 300 metres (984.3 ft), The river mostly flows in a north-east direction and joins the Ganges at Fatuha
Fatuha
Fatuha , also spelled Fatwah or Fatwa, is a city and a notified area in Patna district in the state of Bihar, India.Fatuha is a part of the capital territory of Patna and lies 24 km east of the city; Patna is the capital of Bihar state. Fatuha is an important industrial centre known for small...
, 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) downstream of Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
.
Other features
The 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) long river is mostly rainfed and carries little water in the dry season. However, during rains, the Punpun often causes heavy flood damages east of Patna city. The catchment area of the Punpun is 8530 square kilometres (3,293.5 sq mi). Agricultural area in the Punpun basin is about 5000 square kilometres (1,930.5 sq mi). The average annual rainfall for the basin is 1181 millimetres (46.5 in).Religious significance
This river is mentioned in the VayuVayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
and the Padma
Padma Purana
Padma Purana , one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text, is divided into five parts.In the first part of the text, sage Pulastya explains to Bhishma about religion and the essence of the religion. The second part describes in detail Prithvi...
Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
in connection with Gaya Mahatmya as the punah-punah (again and again) of which Pun-Pun is the colloquial form. The river might have been called by this name because it was frequently in spate. The Puranas interpret the word punah-punah in a spiritual sense that sins are removed again and again by offering oblations to forefathers in the river.
The Punpun is a sacred river for Hindus and it is the duty of the pilgrim to Gaya
Gaya, India
Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...
to shave his head on its banks and bathe in its waters on his way to the holy city. It is believed that Lord Vishnu in his fourth incarnation as Lord Vamana put his foot in second stride at confluence of Punpun and Ganga in Fatuha, known as Triveni (mythological river Saraswati is understood to be present at the confluence) , while measuring entire universe in gift from the great demon king Mahabali. To commemorate this event, a grand rural fair, known as Varuni Mela, is organised annually on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada of Vikram calendar (Shukla Paksha Dwadashi of Bhadrapada or Bhado). Incidentally, the same day is celebrated as Onam in southern state of India, Kerala. The Keralite worships arrival of king Mahabali, while in Fatuha incarnation of Lord Vamana is celebrated which culminates in worship of Lord Ananta (endless, another name of Lord Vishnu) on the third day since beginning of the celebrations.