Sipra River (India)

Shipra (from Sanskrit Kshipra) is a river in Madhya Pradesh state of Central India. The river rises in the eastern part of Indore district and flows north across the Malwa Plateau to join the Chambal River at the MP-Rajasthan boundary in Mandsaur district. It is one of the sacred rivers in Hinduism. The holy city of Ujjain is situated on its east bank. Every 12 years, the Ujjain Simhastha takes place on the city's elaborate riverside ghats, as do yearly celebrations of Kshipra, the river goddess in Hinduism. There are hundreds of Hindu shrines along the banks of the river Shipra. With this reference, the word Shipra is used as a symbol of "purity" (of soul, emotions, body, etc.) or "chastity" or "clarity". The Puranas, or ancient Hindu texts, also suggest 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 according to Hindu beliefs the main Hinduism deity Lord Krishna, Lord Vishnu's eighth incarnation, had studied.