Religious sites in submergence of SSP

Temples, Mosques, Derasars and Sacred Sites Lost to the Sardar Sarovar Dam

A popular Hindu phrase in praise of the glory of Narmada is

“त्वदीय पाद पंकजम नमामि देवी नर्मदे”
“O Devi Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet; please grant me refuge.”

The Narmada River is worshipped as a goddess by millions of Hindus. While bathing in the Ganga is believed to absolve sins, it is said that mere glimpse of the Narmada can cleanse one of all sins. “Namami Devi Narmade”—I bow to Goddess Narmada—and Narmade Har – in glory of Narmada are common chants in reverence of the river. There are countless hymns, prayers, and scriptures, including the Narmada Ashtakam, attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, and the Narmada Purana, a Sanskrit text dedicated to the worship and glory of the Narmada.

Resurfaced Charan Paduka from a Jain Derasar_ temple submerged in the Sardar Sarovar Dam waters in village Nisarpur, Madhya Pradesh, after the reservoir waters recede in summer. When the reservoir level decreases, this temple emerges out of the waters. However, there are now no idols here, nor are religious rituals performed. The idols have been removed and placed in a Jain temple in the nearby town of Barwani.
Photo credit – Rohit Jain, Oral History Narmada
Photo Credit – Rohit Jain for Oral History Narmada

Spiritual Beliefs and the Sacred Flow of the River

According to the Narmada Purana, the river Narmada has emerged from the body of Lord Shiva. And that reciting any of her fifteen names – Para, Dakshin Ganga, Sursa/Sarsa, Mandakini, Vimala, Karbha, Trikuti, Shon, Mahati, Krupa, Maharnav, Reva, Vipapa, Vipasha/Bipasha, Vayudahini —is considered deeply auspicious. In fact, even hearing these names is believed to bestow blessings. A common belief is that the Narmada is a virgin river whose flow cannot be obstructed. This sentiment finds echo in the Narmada Ashtakam, which describes the river’s flowing waters as reverberating with musical sound.

In the Nimad region of Madhya Pradesh, villages often have Bhajan Mandalis (devotional singing groups). One of their popular songs goes:

“Ma Reva Tharo Pani Nirmal, Khal Khal Behto Jay Re…”
(“O Mother Reva, your waters are pure and flow with a rippling melody…”)

This song celebrates the musical, ever-flowing essence of the river – a belief derived from Narmada Ashtakam and Narmada Purana.

The Narmada Purana, available in Hindi through the Internet Archive, not only narrates the river’s mythological origin but also documents her sacred sites, forests, vegetation, and ecology.

The text describes how Lord Shiva granted her a boon, responding to her wish:

“O Lord! You must reside on my banks.”

And Shiva replied:

“So be it. I shall reside on your north bank along with Brahma, Indra, Chandra, Varun, and other deities.”

Because of this belief of the divine presence of Lord Shiva, every stone on Narmada’s banks is considered a Shivling. Therefore both the banks are dotted with Shiva temples – many swayambhu, or self-manifested—as well as shrines dedicated to other deities.

Destruction of Sacred Sites by the Sardar Sarovar Project

The Narmada: An Indestructible River

The Narmada Purana proclaims:

“Among rivers, Ganga and Saraswati are greatest. The rivers Kaveri, Devika, Sindhu, Salkuti, Sarayu, Shatrudra, Mahi, Chambal, Godavari, Yamuna, Tapti, Sutlej are holy. Then there are rivers that absolve sins. But the river that cannot be destroyed—even during calamity – is Namruta, the Narmada. All other rivers have withered, but not her.”

This belief – that the Narmada is eternal and her flow must not be obstructed – is a central theme among the people living in her valley. Their opposition to the dam is not just about losing land, forests or livelihoods; but it is also spiritual. They insist that Narmada, the immortal river, must flow freely and not be dammed into silence.

The Purana beautifully narrates how the Narmada was dedicated to the ocean by Shiva and joyfully meets it after enriching everything in her path. Among Adivasi communities, this union with the ocean is described through their oral narratives. One such account comes from Bava Mahariya, an Adivasi leader from Jalsindhi, a village drowned by the SSP:

“Narmada set out with her six other sisters, seven in all, to meet Dudu Dariya. The others flowed through the plains, but Sati Narmada came through the hills because she did not want to cause much loss to people by flowing through the plains. She made her way through the hills and forests and gradually arrived at Jalsindhi where she stopped for the night… Dudu Dariya asked why all of his other queens [the six other rivers-sisters of Narmada] had reached him but Narmada had not. He sent Giramtu Juru in search of her… How come the others reached earlier, Narmada was asked. She said, I am the eldest queen and I have been toiling through the hills and forests so that I don’t hurt the people… That is why our elders said that from the day of her birth, Narmada has harmed no one.“

Narmada Parikrama: A Spiritual Tradition

In a spiritual practice unique in the world, thousands of Hindus undertake the Narmada Parikrama, a circumambulation of the river. They walk from the river’s source at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh to its mouth in the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat—and back. The full journey spans about 2,500 kilometers. Earlier, this pilgrimage used to be about 2,500 kilometers long, but it has now increased to nearly 3,400 kilometers. The reason for this is the reservoirs created by the Sardar Sarovar, Omkareshwar, Indira Sagar, and Bargi dams. In earlier times, when there were no dams, footpaths existed along both banks of the river, and pilgrims would walk right along the river, receiving the blessings of its sacred presence.

Parikramavasis (pilgrims) carry minimum worldly possessions, and villagers along the route consider it a sacred duty to support them. This ancient tradition, however, has been disrupted by a series of dams on the river. With riverbanks submerged or inaccessible, pilgrims now often walk along busy roads, far from the sacred flow they revere.

Many dams on the River Narmada have submerged the spiritually significant Narmada parikrama route forcing Parikramavasis to walk on roads with heavy traffic far from the river Narmada, Photo credit_ Nandini Oza

The Great Contradiction

It is a stark irony that a society so deeply spiritual about rivers actively participates in their destruction through dam-building. Urban populations – far removed from the river – may still revere Narmada as sacred and yet, support the damming of her waters for some economic gain.

In Gujarat, political narratives have rebranded the river Narmada. Where scriptures describe her as Jeevan Dyani —life-giver — politicians now call the SSP the Jeeva Dori—lifeline of Gujarat. However the protestors in the valley believe and call the dam a death noose for the river. And in spite of the deep religious and spiritual beliefs associated with the Narmada, any opposition to the SSP is branded as “anti-Gujarat” or “anti-development”. Sadly, sustainable alternatives to the mega dam were never fully explored and the dam was built violating all laws concerning rehabilitation and environment protection.

Despite religious sentiments that the Narmada cannot be bound, she has been reduced to a stagnant, polluted reservoir. Below the dam, the river often runs dry for much of the year. The once free flowing Narmada—described in the Ashtakam as flowing with ‘loud reverberating sound’—is now silenced.

The Continuing Struggle

The people of the Narmada Valley have long fought – and continue to fight – not just for their land and homes but for the spirit of the river itself. They fight for the right of the Narmada to live, flow, and sing once again.

The following photographs are remnants of resurfaced religious sites as the Sardar Sarovar Dam waters recede every summer. It is only for a couple of months in summer that these religious sites resurface and many of these are cleaned of silt, repainted for people to offer prayers and pooja before they submerge once again in the Dam waters. These photos document just a few of the religious sites destroyed by the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Hundreds more have disappeared under the waters of Sardar Sarovar Dam as well as in other dams like the Bargi Dam, Narmada Sagar Dam, etc. — along with centuries of faith, memory, and spiritual heritage.

Photo  Credit – Ashish Kothari, Jorg Bothling, Nandini Oza, Pragna Patel, Rehmat, Rohit Jain, Shripad Dharmadhikary

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Submerged site Chikhalda, Madhya Pradesh ▾

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