THIS Mughal emperor drank only Gangajal, other emperors too preferred it due to...

Rivers Ganga, Jamuna, Saraswati and others are some of the most sacred holy rivers of India. According to Indian mythology, they are given this status due to which people from time immemorial have been worshipping them. The Indus Valley Civilisation was also formed around these rivers. However, it is quite surprising that though Indians have been worshipping the river for centuries, a Mughal emperor also realised the importance of these rivers and so incorporated their waters in his lifestyle.  

Mughal Emperor Akbar’s love for Gangajal 

Akbar used to drink Gangajal which was brought to him from Uttar Pradesh and Haridwar. When Agra was his capital, he used to drink Gangajal from some parts of Uttar Pradesh and when he shifted his capital to Lahore, he drank the Gangajal from Haridwar. Not just drinking, he also used to consume Gangajal through food as it was used in cooking along with the Jamuna and Chenab water.  

The historian in Akbar’s time, Abu’l Fazal wrote Ain-i-Akbari in which he described Akbar’s love for Gangajal. He was one of the nine gems in Akbar’s court and his vizier who also wrote Akbarnama.  

Historian Dr Ram Nath states in his book ‘Private Lives of the Mughals’ that Akbar only consumed Gangajal in case of water, be it at home or even while travelling. He used to take care that the water he drinks must not have poison, so he used to station only trustworthy persons on the banks of Ganga River who used to send him the water in sealed jars.  

Mughal connection with Ganga and its uses 

Apart from Akbar, his father Humayun and grandfather and founder of the Mughal dynasty Babur used to prefer Ganga too. As after setting down in Hindustan in 1526 after defeating the last ruler of the Lodhi Dynasty, Ibrahim Lodhi in the Battle of Panipat, he missed his colder regions of the then Uzbekistan and so found the coldness of its waters in Ganga water.  His son Humayun also preferred it because of his father.  

The other option that Ganga was Jamuna, which flowed between Delhi and Agra. In the older Hindu texts, many stories around Ganga were told which described its purity and benefits. One of them is that it's pure as it does not get contaminated with anything and so could be stored for a long time. But it was Akbar who popularised the use of Gangajal.  

Ganga is worshipped as Goddess Ganga, the Goddess of all rivers and it is also believed that one can wash off all their sins by just dipping themselves in this holy water. People in contemporary times worship it and believe to get rid of their sins by taking a dip in the Ganga.