BUJAGALI FALLS
The Bujjagali Falls are one of Uganda`s best scenaries and is located in Jinja close to central Uganda . Its part of the majestic Nile River
and has proved to be useful in more ways than one . Apart from providing water for domestic and industrial use it also has provided space for the building of a dam which has helped pull Uganda out of the days of darkness and into the light of constant supply of electricity.
HISTORY
13,000 years ago movements in the tectonic plates overlapping at the edge of the Western Rift Valley shifted the outlet for Lake Victoria (Nalubale) east to a point beside what is now known as Jinja – place of the rocks - Uganda’s second largest urban centre. This exit point, the only major outlet for the lake, was partially dammed by a granite outcrop that came to be known as Rippon Falls, the start of the River Nile, while the source (defined as the furthermost point in the catchment area) is in Rwanda and the southernmost point in the catchment area is in Burundi.
Lake Victoria formed with the gradual filling of a wide, shallow depression in the centre of the African continent about 400,000 years ago. It has dried up at least 3 times since then and most recently re-filled about 14,700 years ago [Wikipedia]. Water from the lake flowed down towards Lake Kyoga and carved through the surface layer of red soil to the granite base 40m below forming down, forming white-water cataracts.
In the 1st millennia BCE Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from West Africa into Great Lakes region. The Bantu expansion introduced agriculture into those parts of East Africa either not reached previously by Nilo-Saharan farmers or too wet for millet, slowly intensifying farming and grazing over all suitable regions of East Africa, including the Nile valley.
The first large cascades on the Nile downstream from Rippon Falls came to be known as Bujagali FALL.
The west bank forms the boundary of the Buganda Kingdom and the east bank is the boundary for the Busoga Kingdoms (united since the early 1900's into a single kingdom under the Kabazinga of Busoga.
Bujagali Falls has for long been held as spiritually important by people living in the area. It was named after the River spirit called “BUDHAGALI”. This spirit has manifested itself in over 30 human spiritual leaders. Whoever claimed to be the new spiritual leader was given a task of floating across the river on a piece backcloth, to demonstrate his/her magical powers. If he/she managed to perform this task successful, then he was acclaimed as the new spiritual leader, the title “MANDWA BUDHAGALI” now meaning being reincarnated by the Budhagali Spirit. The investiture ceremony took place in the presence of other spiritual leaders, the local chiefs and the residents.
The current Mandwa Budhagali succeeded his father in early 1970s. He is over 80 years old and has maintained his spiritual status up the present. There are 5 shrines near his home in Budhagali Village, where he can be consulted. These days there are many churches and mosques in the area but some people still visit the witchdoctor for advice, herbal medicines and regarding spiritual matters.
GALLERY
The Bujjagali Falls are one of Uganda`s best scenaries and is located in Jinja close to central Uganda . Its part of the majestic Nile River
and has proved to be useful in more ways than one . Apart from providing water for domestic and industrial use it also has provided space for the building of a dam which has helped pull Uganda out of the days of darkness and into the light of constant supply of electricity.
HISTORY
13,000 years ago movements in the tectonic plates overlapping at the edge of the Western Rift Valley shifted the outlet for Lake Victoria (Nalubale) east to a point beside what is now known as Jinja – place of the rocks - Uganda’s second largest urban centre. This exit point, the only major outlet for the lake, was partially dammed by a granite outcrop that came to be known as Rippon Falls, the start of the River Nile, while the source (defined as the furthermost point in the catchment area) is in Rwanda and the southernmost point in the catchment area is in Burundi.
Lake Victoria formed with the gradual filling of a wide, shallow depression in the centre of the African continent about 400,000 years ago. It has dried up at least 3 times since then and most recently re-filled about 14,700 years ago [Wikipedia]. Water from the lake flowed down towards Lake Kyoga and carved through the surface layer of red soil to the granite base 40m below forming down, forming white-water cataracts.
In the 1st millennia BCE Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from West Africa into Great Lakes region. The Bantu expansion introduced agriculture into those parts of East Africa either not reached previously by Nilo-Saharan farmers or too wet for millet, slowly intensifying farming and grazing over all suitable regions of East Africa, including the Nile valley.
The first large cascades on the Nile downstream from Rippon Falls came to be known as Bujagali FALL.
The west bank forms the boundary of the Buganda Kingdom and the east bank is the boundary for the Busoga Kingdoms (united since the early 1900's into a single kingdom under the Kabazinga of Busoga.
Bujagali Falls has for long been held as spiritually important by people living in the area. It was named after the River spirit called “BUDHAGALI”. This spirit has manifested itself in over 30 human spiritual leaders. Whoever claimed to be the new spiritual leader was given a task of floating across the river on a piece backcloth, to demonstrate his/her magical powers. If he/she managed to perform this task successful, then he was acclaimed as the new spiritual leader, the title “MANDWA BUDHAGALI” now meaning being reincarnated by the Budhagali Spirit. The investiture ceremony took place in the presence of other spiritual leaders, the local chiefs and the residents.
The current Mandwa Budhagali succeeded his father in early 1970s. He is over 80 years old and has maintained his spiritual status up the present. There are 5 shrines near his home in Budhagali Village, where he can be consulted. These days there are many churches and mosques in the area but some people still visit the witchdoctor for advice, herbal medicines and regarding spiritual matters.
GALLERY
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