Review: Ganga: The Constant Goddess

Ganga: The Constant Goddess by Anuja Chandramouli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ganga has a special place of reverence in Indian tradition, the Goddess expressed as the river. Anuja Chandramouli’s book brings Ganga to life – a very imaginative tale around the popular Goddess.

Goddess Ganga is the daughter of King Himavat and Mena, with Parvati being her younger sister. Parvati, as popular legend has it is Lord Shiva’s faithful consort. Ganga is the epitome of charm and energy – with the ability to soothe, cure or destroy. For the most part, she sustains Bhoomi Devi (Earth) with her grace. There are many incidents around popular folklore which are weaved expertly into the tale. She stops at nothing to avenge unfairness – be it with Lord Brahma or Indra. And yet, she is the constant Goddess – helping in sustaining Bhoomi Devi and life itself. It takes the persuasion, strength and love of Lord Shiva to bring balance back into her life. The tale progresses towards its culmination with Goddess Ganga being the wife of Shantanu (when he is reborn) and the mother of the heroic Bhishma grievously wounded in the Mahabharata war.

The writing is very expressive as in all of Anuja’s books. It is a little dense in parts though, with multiple instances of a similar nature. However, it brings to life Goddess Ganga like no book before it has to my knowledge. A book which I strongly recommend!

My rating: 4.5 / 5.

View all my reviews