The Ganga used to flow by Ajgaivinath temple in Sultanganj around 40 years ago. Picture by Amit Kumar

Sultanganj, Feb. 1: The district administration has embarked on an epic task — to alter the stream of Ganga and send it back to its original course.

The original course of the river was near the Ajgaivinath temple in Sultanganj. However, over the past 40 years, the Ganga has slowly shifted 3-4km north because of silt deposition.

A villager said around 40 years ago, the river used to touch the banks near the temple. “Now, the stream comes here only during flood. Kanwariyas, who come here during the month-long Shravani Mela, face a lot of trouble, as they have to fetch water from a distance,” he added.

The trouble of the pilgrims could soon be a thing of the past, though.

Bhagalpur district magistrate Narmadeshwar Lal said: “We are trying to bring back the river to its original course. According to the instructions of chief minister Nitish Kumar, we have already prepared projects for organising the Shravani Mela and developing the kanwariya road.”

He added: “The project to bring back the river to its original course near the Ajgaivinath temple is a part of Shravani Mela Development Project.”

Lal also said the proposed project report, along with maps, has been sent to the mela development authority and the state development commissioner for their final approval. “Several agencies have been assigned to prepare estimates for the different projects like shifting the river’s course,” said Lal.

Explaining the process by which the river would be diverted, a source said: “Silt deposits on the banks of the Ganga is the main cause of the change in the river’s course. The sand would be removed and artificial channels would be dug in the riverbed to reroute the stream.”

A similar project was undertaken at Haridwar, where dams and aqueducts were used to create an intricate network of canals in the upper course of the Ganga. Efforts to divert Ganga water to its original bed in the lower course have been made in Calcutta. Planners have tried to revive the adi-Ganga near Kalighat in south Calcutta.

Lal had earlier asked Bhagalpur deputy development commissioner Gajanan Mishra and district panchayati raj officer Arun Kumar Thakur to prepare the blueprint of the projects.

“Our aim was to develop the area for the welfare of the kanwariyas, who arrive in large numbers to collect water from Ganga at Sultanganj before embarking on their journey to Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand,” said Mishra.

More than 10 lakh devotees visit Deoghar every year during the festival.

Referring to myths and legends about Ganga, Mishra said: “King Bhagirath had brought the river to Earth from heaven. We are trying to bring it back to its original course.”

According to Hindu mythology, King Bhagirath of Ayodhya had prayed to the gods to bring Ganga to Earth to wash away the ashes of his ancestors. The river derives its alternative name — Bhagirathi — from the legendary monarch.