Kshipra River:
The Kshipra riverine system in Madhya Pradesh is facing a major crisis marked by the drying up of its tributaries that fail to maintain a perennial flow.
- The Kshipra, also known as the Shipra, is a river that flows in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
- It is a tributary of the Chambal
- It is a perennial river and is considered as sacred as the Ganga River by the Hindus.
- It originates from the Vindhya Range near Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
- It flows across the Malwa Plateau to join the Chambal
- Major Tributaries: Khan and Gambhir.
- The Puranas, or ancient Hindu texts, put forward that the Shipra originated from the heart of Varaha, Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as a boar.
- Also on the banks of the Shipra is Sage Sandipani’s ashram or hermitage, where Krishna, Lord Vishnu’s eighth incarnation, had studied.
- It finds mention not only in ancient Hindu texts but also in Buddhist and Jain scriptures.
- The holy city of Ujjain is located on the right bank of the Shipra River.
- The famous Kumbha Mela takes place in the ghats of this city, once every 12 years.
- There are hundreds of Hindu shrines along the banks of the Shipra River.
