Betwa River
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (Retd.) |
Betwa (बेतवा) is a river in Northern India, which flows through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is a tributary of the Yamuna.
Variants of name
- Betava बेतवा = Vetravati वेत्रवती (AS, p.643)
- Vetravati River वेत्रवती (AS, p.874)
- Betwa (बेतवा)
- Betwa river
- Betravati (बेत्रवती)
- River Betwa
- Shuktimati (शुक्तिमती)
- Suktimati (सुक्तिमती)
- Vetravati River/Vetravati (वेत्रवती)
- Vetrawati (वेत्रवती)
Origin
Originating in the Kumra village in Raisen district, The Betwa rises in the Vindhya Range just north of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh and flows north-east through Madhya Pradesh and Orchha to Uttar Pradesh.
Mention by Panini
Vetra (वेत्र) is name of a place mentioned by Panini in Ashtadhyayi under Nadadi (नडादि) (4.2.91) group. [1]
Shukti (शुक्ति) is name of a place mentioned by Panini in Ashtadhyayi under Madhvadi (मध्वादि) (4.2.86) group. [2]
Course
Nearly half of its course, which is not navigable, runs over the Malwa Plateau. The confluence of the Betwa and the Yamuna Rivers is Hamirpur town in Uttar Pradesh, in the vicinity of Orchha.[3]
In accordance with an inter-state agreement between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 1973, Betwa River Board (BRB) was constituted under the Betwa River Board Act, 1976. The Union Minister of Ministry of Water Resources the Chairman of the Board and the Union Minister of Power, Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Chief Ministers and Ministers in-charge of Finance, Irrigation and Power of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are its Members.
Betwa sub-sub basin:
Betwa River originates near Bhopal and meets Yamuna near Hamirpur. Total basin area in Madhya Pradesh is 19365 km². Total length of river is 575 km, out of which 216 km lies in Madhya Pradesh, 98 km common boundary between the two states and 261 km in Uttar Pradesh.
Major tributaries
The major tributaries are
History
In Sanskrit "Betwa" is Vetravati. This river is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata along with the Charmanwati river. Both are tributaries of Yamuna. Vetravati was also known as Shuktimati. The capital of Chedi Kingdom was Suktimati on the banks of this river.
Ram Sarup Joon[4] writes that ....Samudra Gupta conquered the whole of Punjab and a major part of India. The clans defeated by him included
- Malaya who ruled Malva named after their gotra.
- Arjunayana who ruled Mewat and Jaipur;
- Yaudheya whose rule included Bikaner and Bahawalpur;
- Madrak whose capital was Sialkot;
- Abir who ruled Badaun, and the Betwa Basin now called Ahirwara;
- Vir Arjun clan who ruled Narisinghpur;
- Sankanika who territory was present Gwalior;
- Karaskar rule extended into present Mathura, Aligarh (there are 80 villages of these Jats in this area at present) and Kharparika.
वेत्रवती नदी
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[5] ने लेख किया है ..... वेत्रवती (AS, p.874) = बेतवा नदी. यह यमुना की सहायक बेतवा नदी का प्राचीन नाम है। यह नदी पंचमढ़ी (मध्य प्रदेश) के समीप धूपगढ़ नामक पहाड़ी (पारियात्र शैलमाला) से निकलती है तथा मध्य प्रदेश में बहती हुई यमुना में दक्षिण की ओर से आकर मिल जाती है। वेत्रवती नदी का 'महाभारत भीष्मपर्व' 9,16 में उल्लेख है- 'नदी वेत्रवतीं चैव कृष्णवेणां च निम्नगाम्, इरावती वितस्तां च पयोप्णीं देविकामपि।'
प्राचीन काल की प्रसिद्ध नगरी विदिशा वेत्रवती के तट पर ही बसी थी। मेघदूत (पूर्वमेघ, 26) में महाकवि कालिदास ने वेत्रवती का विदिशा के संबध में मनोहारी वर्णन किया है- 'तेषां दिक्षुप्रथितविदिशालक्षणां राजधानीम्, गत्वा सद्यः फलमति महत् कामुकत्वस्यलब्धवा तीरोपान्तस्तनितसुभगं पास्यसि स्वादुयुक्तम् सभ्रूभंगं मुखमिव पयो वेत्रवत्याश्चलोर्मिः।'
बाणभट्ट ने 'कादम्बरी' के प्रारम्भ में राजा शूद्रक की राजधानी विदिशा को वेत्रवती के तट पर स्थित बताया है- 'वेत्रवत्यासरितापरिगत विदिशाभिधाननगरी राजधान्यासीत।'
बुंदेलखंड का मध्यकालीन नगर ओड़छा भी इस नदी के तट पर स्थित है। हिन्दी के महाकवि केशवदास (16वीं शती) ने बेतवा नदी (वेत्रवती) का मनोरम वर्णन किया है- 'नदी बेतवै तीर जॅह तीरथ तुंगारन्य, नगर ओड़छो बहुबसै धरनी तल में धन्य।' 'केशव तुंगारन्य में नदी बेतवैतीर, नगर ओड़छे बहुबसै पंडित मंडित भीर’; ओड़छेतीर तरंगिन बेतवै ताहितरै नर केशव को है। अर्जुनबाहुप्रबाहुप्रबोधित रेवाज्यों राजन की रज मोहै, जोतिजगै जमुना सी लगै जगलाल विलोचन पाप बियो है। सूरसुता सुभसंगम तुंगतरंग तरंगित गंग सी सोहै।'
इन पद्यों में केशवदास ने बेतवा को तुंगारण्य में ओड़छा के निकट बहने वाली नदी कहा है तथा सूरसुता अथवा यमुना से उसके संगम का वर्णन किया है। केशव के अनुसार बेतवा का तरना दुर्गम था। इस नदी के तट पर बेत के पौधों की बहुलता के कारण ही इस नदी का नाम वेत्रवती पड़ा होगा। बेतवा भारत की सुंदरतम नदियों में से एक है।
2. वेत्रवती (AS, p.874) = Vartoi (बार्तोई)
अंध नदी
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[6] ने लेख किया है ...अंध (AS, p.5) श्रीमद्भागवत में उल्लिखित एक नदी.... 'नर्मदा चर्मणवती सिंधुरन्ध्रशोणश्च' (5,19,18). सिंधु, यमुना की सहायक सिंध है और शोण वर्तमान सोन. इन्हीं के समीप बहने वाली किसी नदी का नाम अंध हो सकता है. संभव है, यह वर्तमान केन या शुक्तिमती ही का नाम हो. इसका संबंध अंधक से भी हो सकता है जो श्री डे के अनुसार भागलपुर के निकट गंगा में गिरने वाली चंदन नदी है.
Historical places
- Orchha -
- Vidisha - The town is situated east of the Betwa River, in the fork of the Betwa and Bes rivers, 10 km from Sanchi.
In Mahabharata
Vetravati River (वेत्रवती) in Mahabharata (VI.10.15), (VI.10.18),
Bhisma Parva, Mahabharata/Book VI Chapter 10 describes geography and provinces of Bharatavarsha: Vetravati is mentioned in Mahabharata (VI.10.15)[7]....
of the river Vetravati, and that other one called Krishna-vena; of Iravati, and Vitasta, and Payoshni, and Devika; (VI.10.15) and in Mahabharata (VI.10.18). [8].....
of Rathastha and Shatakumbha, and also Sarayu, Nareshvara;
of Charmanwati, and Vetravati, and Hastisoma, and Disha;
Kichaka Kingdom
Kichaka Kingdom is identified to be one of the Matsya Kingdom ruled by Matsya rulers.
Kichaka Kingdom was allied to King Virata. The Kichaka king (or chief), known by the name Kichaka was the commander-in-chief of the Matsya-army under king Virata. He belonged to the Suta caste (4,15). He was the main strength of king Virata against his arch-enemy viz the Trigarta king Susharman (2,25). He got attracted to the wife of Pandavas viz Draupadi (4,15). He was later slain by the Pandava Bhima (4,22). Some believe that the village named Ekachakra were the Pandavas finally settled after the escape from the murder-attempt, belonged to the kingdom of Kichaka. At (1,162) is mentioned that the city named Vetrakiya (a city on the banks of river Vetravati, the modern-day river Betwa) was the capital of this kingdom. Vetravati is believed to be same as the river Suktimati on the banks of which lied the Chedi capital Suktimati. It is a tributary of Yamuna to the east of Charmanvati, yet another tributary of Yamuna. Kingdom of Kichaka is identified to be lying between Charmanwati and Vetravati rivers, i.e., to the south of southern- Panchala; to the north of Chedi and to the east of Matsya-proper.
References
- ↑ V. S. Agrawala: India as Known to Panini, 1953, p.504
- ↑ V. S. Agrawala: India as Known to Panini, 1953, p.505
- ↑ Betwa River
- ↑ History of the Jats/Chapter IV ,p. 58
- ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.874
- ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.5
- ↑ नदीं वेत्रवतीं चैव कृष्ण वेणां च निम्नगाम, इरावतीं वितस्तां च पयॊष्णीं देविकाम अपि (VI.10.15)
- ↑ रथस्थां शतकुम्भां च सरयूं च नरेश्वर, चर्मण्वतीं वेत्रवतीं हस्तिसॊमां दिशं तदा (VI.10.18)
Back to Rivers/Rivers in Madhya Pradesh/Rivers in Uttar Pradesh/Rivers in Mahabharata