River of Moksha: Pilgrimages along the Ganga

The Ganga is a beloved and revered bearer of religious, spiritual and cultural values. To Swami Kailashanand Giri, the Ganga is his foster mother. In River of Moksha, he takes the reader on a journey to the many sacred places found along the river’s course—from Gaumukh in Uttarakhand to Gangasagar in West Bengal. In an engaging and lively manner typical of the Indian katha tradition, he narrates the stories and myths that mystify and attract people to these places for ages. Some of the stories recollected on the shores of the Ganga are Parikshit’s death when he was stung by Takshak, the king of snakes; the romance of Shakuntala and Dushyant; the selfimposed exile of Vidur; the time Draupadi spent in her father’s house and tales of Durvasa’s many curses and boons.