Cultural Documentation of River Ganga from Gaumukh to Ganga Sagar – Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor Distrcits

This Namami Gange project is being undertaken for the Jal Shakti Ministry, Government of India, under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) scheme. INTACH is assisting the Ministry in the capacity of a knowledge partner. Three divisions of INTACH namely; Natural Heritage (NH), Architectural Heritage (AH) and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) divisions have been engaged in the cultural mapping project, of three aspects natural, tangible and intangible assets along Ganga.
The objective of the project is to conduct field investigation and document existing cultural assets on either side of the river Ganga (within a radius of 5Kms, starting from its source, i.e. Gangotri, down to its point of dispersal at Ganga Sagar) and to produce for the ministry a detailed, illustrated report based on the primary and secondary resources available.

Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor Distrcits

The report on Muzaffarnagar district mentions various significant aspects of the region ranging from history, geographical location, and festivities to industries, sacred spaces and personalities. The report describes the Sugar and jaggery production and trade that is the most important economic activity of the district.

It is due to this major industry that this district is famously recognized as the ‘Sugar Bowl of India’. It is believed that Muzaffarnagar is arguably the biggest mandi (marketplace) of Jaggery in Asia and the farmers produce around 60 varieties of it. Another interesting aspect mentioned in the report is the presence of the Painted Grey Ware that has been excavated from this district. Fairs and festivals that are celebrated in the district are described in the report. These include Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, Vaisakh Purnima, Bargad Amavasya, Ganga Dashahara, Nag Panchami, Shivratri, Rakshabandhan, Janmashtami, Diwali, Makarsankranti, Holi, Nauchandi Fair to name a few. Religion is a dominant aspect for the people of Muzaffarnagar district. It paints its cultural vibrance and makes it an attractive tourist destination. 

The report also deals with sacred spaces and the folklore of the Muzaffarnagar district. It highlights some of the sacred spaces found in the district like the Hanumatdham, Ganeshdham, Sri Ananteshwar Mahadev Mandir, the Shukrataal, Bhairo ka Mandir and the Akshay Vat Vriksha along with mentioning the stories, mythology and beliefs around the same. The pilgrimage location of Shukratal is a part of the district of Muzaffarnagar and is specifically perceived through the lens of religion due to its connections with the period of the Mahabharata. The district of Muzaffarnagar is connected to many gifted poets. Some of them find mention in the report.

Check out more on the INTACH ICH Archive:
https://icharchive.intach.org/Detail/collections/81