The big orange flood comes to Pune usually in the month of July after continued rains for a week or more. It always comes as a surprise and it is like a day of festivities for lovers of the rivers like Mumbiram.
Mumbiram had great curiosity about how the floods look at different points up and down the river. The Mula Mutha Sangam, the place where the two rivers meet each other, was one such place. As Mumbiram arrived there on this day, as we see in this painting, several enthusiastic groups of men and women playing Vajantri pipes and Tashe drums carrying pitchers of water with flowers and leaves, dancing, singing and throwing yellow bhandara and red gulal. What a surprise that was. It must have been already planned. It was the month of Shravan after all.
There are Shiva temples spread all along the rivers of Pune. This spot of confluence of the rivers is no exception. There is the main Sangameshwar, “Lord of the Confluence”. But there is also a very attractive stand-alone Shiva temple that we see here in this vision. It was built by Ahilya Devi Holkar, the lady who built temples all over India, including at Varanasi. The festivities here were spontaneous and enthusiastic. The location and atmosphere were perfect inspiration for such an event. The rivers were full and gushing but the sky was open and sunny. The sun was going down but the night was still far away.
Mumbiram thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere as can be seen in the detail he has shown of various activities that the celebrants engaged in.
Like many other spots along these rivers this spot also has important landmarks that not everyone knows. The Mutha is coming here from the left. The Mula is arriving from the front. Together they are going downstream to the right. Right in front on the wooded hill is the district magistrate’s residence.
