Gill Braulik

Indus River dolphins

When a milk woman was late bringing a pir his supplies of milk, he was very upset about it. As a punishment, he pushed her into the river, saying, "You will swim in the river and say 'push, push' all the time". Ever since then, according to local folklore, the milk woman swims in the river in the guise of a dolphin, and makes a "push, push" sound.

Amazon River dolphins

According to local legend, Amazon River dolphins are sometimes disguised as mermaids who lure fishermen down to the bottom of the river. At other times, a dolphin may appear looking like a handsome youth wearing a white suit. He then carries off the prettiest girl in the village to an underwater dolphin city that has electricity, streets and glass buildings.

Amazon Indians and long-term settlers have great respect for dolphins. They believe that if a dolphin is harmed, it may take revenge by bringing sickness or disaster to the person's family.

Ganges River dolphins

During ancient times, a benevolent king named Bhagirath prayed to Lord Shiva for more than a thousand years to bring a great river to his people. When Shiva was satisfied with the King's devotion, he created a wonderful river from his long flowing hair. To spread the news that the river was coming, Shiva created a dolphin which was named Bhagirath in honour of the King who brought the Ganges River to the people of Nepal and India. Bhagirath, the messenger dolphin, became the husband of the river, forming a sacred bond between dolphin and river that cannot be broken.

Long ago two newly married daughters-in-law went down to the river to bathe. After a while their senior brother-in-law came to the river to get a drink. He was so distracted by his thirst that the did not notice the two young women. But, as it was already too late for the women to cover themselves with their clothes, they hid to prevent him from seeing their bodies. One of them fled into the forest and took the form of a porcupine, while the other dived into the river and became a dolphin. Since that day, dolphins are believed to be a form of woman, and humans should avoid harming them.

Once there was a king who went into the jungle to hunt wild animals. After roaming around all day, he had still found nothing to shoot. Upset, frustrated and empty handed, he eventually returned home to his palace. When he finally reached the palace, it was midnight and the doors were securely locked. Although he called many times for his wife to open a door, she was fast asleep, snoring so loudly that she did not hear him. Already in a bad mood, the King lost his temper, cursing his wife and telling her to commit suicide by jumping into the river. The Queen, waking up in time to hear the King's order, immediately obeyed it by jumping into the river and drowning. She took the form of a dolphin, and to this day the Queen can be seen coming out of the water to watch over her husband, hoping that he will relieve her of his curse.