Brahmaputra is of great importance in Hindu religion as it is associated with numerous incidents in Hindu religion. These incidents are found in various Hindu scriptures. The river is referred to in the Mahabharata and Puranas and is connected with the legend of Parashurama Avatar, one of the ten incarnations of Bhagavan Vishnu who is said to have bathed in the Brahmaputra to wash off the sin of killing his mother Renuka at the insistence of his father.
There is a large pool in the river known as Brahmakunsha. Parashurama,
it is believed, threw his parashu (axe) here after exterminating kshatriyas,
members of the warrior caste, from the Earth.
Some important places sacred to Hindus are located on this
river, including the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati in Assam and Bhasmachala
(Bhasmakuta) where Shiva is said to have burnt Kamadeva, the God of love. A bath
in the Brahmaputra River at this place is said to be equal to the performance
of an Ashwamedha Yajna (the famous Vedic horse ritual). Bhagavan Sri Krishna is
believed to have rested here in the course of his wanderings.