Hot Spring

Hot Spring natural discharge of groundwater the temperature of which is above that of the human body. Most hot springs result from the emergence of groundwater that has passed through or near recently formed hot igneous rocks. Yellowstone Park in the United States, northern islands of New Zealand, Iceland, Italy, Japan and Vakreshvar (Birbhum, India) are noted for their hot springs. In recent years the depletion of fossil fuels has resulted in a renewed interest in utilising the energy contained in hot springs. This type of geothermal energy is already being utilised in California (USA), Italy, and Iceland.

The sources of each and every hill stream are one or more springs in the slopes of the hill ranges. There is at least one spring practically at the foot of every hillock. These are the sources of drinking water to nearby villagers. It is suspected that there is a hot spring at the bottom of the bagakain lake in Ruma upazila of Bandarban district and the colour of the lake's water changes due to the discharges of that hot spring.

According to the origins of the sakta-pitha are to be found in a popular myth called daksha-jyagya, which is part of the epic mahabharata, the god Vishnu after the gods of heaven, threw a discuss like weapon (chakra) at Shiva and cut the body of the goddess Sati (another name for the goddess Durga) into pieces. These pieces fell scattered on earth. The legend goes that, in this event, Sati's right arm fell near a hot spring at Sitakunda. Presently the spring is no longer in existence, but its site is marked by the temple of Sambhunath just below the Chandranath temple. [Sifatul Quader Chowdhury]

See also waterfall.