Suguna Nibhanapudi : 2017

Lord Sudarshana, Mata Vijayavalli and Hanuman beside us all through the Yatra

Prati bhata sreni bheeshana
Jani bhaya sthana tarana
Nikhila dushkarma karsana
Jaya Jaya Sri Sudarshana
Jaya Jaya Sri Sudarshana

Muktinath was one of the toughest pilgrimages I ever undertook. The temple is situated in the middle of Himalayan ranges in Nepal.

The pilgrimage to Muktinath was arranged by Sudarshana Sewa Satsangam of Delhi with the divine blessings of Vijayavalli and Lord Sri Sudarshana Alwar. One of my friend who is a member of the satsangam called me and informed me about the trip. It was a long trip including many places in India and Nepal. It was a good opportunity to visit many holy places.

18/05/2012
On stipulated time all the members reached the house of Mr. Sripathi at Mandir marg, by 18th evening. By 9 pm all the members reached. Me and my sister were the early birds. By the time we reached Sudarshana Homam was in progress. After that we all recited Vishnu Sahasranamam and boarded the buses.

There were three AC buses with the names S for Sudarshan, V for Vijayavalli and H for Hanuman. So all of us were divided into three groups and given a leader for each bus. We were asked to board the bus named H. Me and my sister got in and selected middle seats for us. After all of us got settled in our seats we were given water bottles and packed food. Our first stop would be Naimisharanya.

19/05/2012

Naimisharanyam is 89km north of Luck now. We reached there 0n 19^thmorning and our lodged at Hanuman gadi. As we reached the place, all of us got in and waited in the central area for our luggage and rooms to be allocated. Our luggage was brought in, we were then given rooms according to the beds available in the room. We then took our luggage and went to our room. After having tea/coffee we all went to Chakarateertham. It is a place where the holy disk fell.

According to the legend after Sri Krishna’s Avatara samapti in Dwapara yuga all the sages predicted the onset of Kali yuga. They were afraid that people in Kaliyuga would not follow dharma, they will become cruel, indulge in all sorts of sinful and cruel activities. So they all approached Lord Brahma to show them a place where they can meditate peacefully till the end of Kaliyuga. Listening to this he created a Mahamaya disk and asked the sages to follow the disk wherever its ‘Nemi’ touches the ground they can stay there. That is the place where Kali will not be able to enter. And the disk touched its Nemi in Naimisharanya. It is believed to be the centre of the earth. River Gomathi flows by the side of it. It was earlier called nemisharanya and with the passage of time it became Naimisharanya.
This is Tapo bhumi, Yoga bhumi. This is the place where great sages like Suka, Shounaka, Vedavyasa and many other sages spent their time in Tap, Yagna, Dhyana, Dana and other divine deeds. This is the place Sage Veda Vyasa seperated the vedas and named them. The sages had many disciples whom they taught Vedas and many virtues of Hundu Dharma. Even now there are sages who does penance here but they are not seen to us. After having morning tea/coffee we all went to take bath in Chakrateertham. I saw People holding hands together and go round the disk. After going back many of our group members performed Pitru Karyam.

Sudarshana Homam at Naimisharanya

Hanuman carrying Ram and Lakshman
Lakshman is not visible on the other side of Ram due to my poor photography

Sudarshana Homam was also performed. Whatever jap, tap or Homa you do here gives you ten times punya. I was glad to witness the Sudarshana Homam being performed here. After lunch in the evening we visited temples of Pancha Pandav, Hanuman Dham here Hanuman carries Ram and Lakshman on his shoulders after releasing them from (Ahiravan, brother of Ravan)

Vyas Gaddi, Sri Venkateswara temple who is swayambhu and known as Devraj and his consort Varalakshmi. Seeked the blessings of Goddess Lalitha Devi. This place is considered to be one of the Shakti peethams. She is Swayambhu. It is said that after the chakra fell in Naimisharanya water came gushing out and would not stop. So Lalita Devi came here to protect the sages and Devtas and to stop the water that was coming out from the earth. Adi Shankaracharya worshipped her and recited Lalita Panchkam here. I felt myself blessed to have set foot on such a holy place and to have visited so many temples. At Gomti river we just did prokshnam and left for Ayodhya at 10pm.

20/05/2012

Reached Ayodhya at 5am and stayed at Hanuman bagh. After having tea we all left for Sarayu snan. I had the opportunity to have Sarayu snan along with lord Sudarshan and Goddess Vijayavalli and Hanuman. I was just visualizing Lord Rama with his brothers and all the citizens of Ayodhya going to heaven. What a blissful moment.

Alwar being taken to Sarayu snan

Went back to the lodge and witnessed Sudarshan Homam and had lunch. Later on we were to go to temples. We were asked to be ready by 4 pm. As we went out there were vehicles (Shared Autos) standing in line. These were hired by the organizers for going around Ayodhya. I wholeheartedly appreciated the efforts of the organizers of the trip for their excellent arrangement. As far as possible they tried to see the comfort of the devotees. Mainly because most of them were senior citizens. I always fall behind all these people while walking anywhere.

Deities at Sarayu

After the Purnahuti at Ayodhya

We visited the model of Ram Mandir, which is supposed to be built at Ram Janma Bhumi. We saw a Swamiji who is strongly supporting building of Ram mandir and had been sitting there for long time. Many people have given their contributions here. Then we saw huge Hanuman Mandir, Had darshan of Sita, Ram and Lakshman. From there we went to see Dasarath raj Mahal and Ammaji ka Mandir.

Dasarath Raj Mahal

Swamiji with the model of Ram Mandir

Visiting Ram Janma bhumi took us long time. Here we are not supposed to carry mobile, camera, purse or wear belt. If by mistake somebody is found to have one of these he has to go back very far to keep in a shop. This area is full of security personnel. There will be a security check as you enter. Later on as you proceed in the enclosed barricades, many security checks follow as you walk the lengthy path. On one side there are security personnel and on the other side you find lot of monkeys. Thankfully there are taps as we walk on so that we can wet our parched throats. Finally we reached where we could see the idols of the deities. We all had good darshan of Lord Rama and again set on our return journey to reach the main road. Fortunately our autos were waiting there at the exit point of temple. We had Night halt at Ayodhya. We were served steaming hot food along with delicious sambar and curry prepared by the cooks. Half of our tiredness was gone and Nidra devi set in (felt sleepy). We were asked to be ready by 4.30 am. That means we have to get up at least by 3.30 to take bath and get ready. I slept so well that my sister woke me up at 3.30.

21/05/2012
We left Ayodhya at 4.30 am and reached Gorakhpur by 9.30 am. Visited Gorakh nath Mandir. We were given break fast and lunch packed at Ayodhya. We left Gorakhpur at about 12 noon and reached Sunauli, Nepal border. There we had to wait for long time to get permission to enter Nepal due to Bandh and curfew in Nepal. All of us were lodged in a hotel called Ashoka International. After refreshing we all kept on reciting Vishnu Sahasranamam. After having dinner finally the pilot vehicle for which we were waiting arrived. We were stopped at many places for security checks.

At Hotel Eliya

daily puja of Sudarshan Bhagwan

22/05/2012

Reached Pokhra at 5.30 am and lodged in three different hotels all adjacent to each other. We stayed at Eliya. A very well maintained hotel. I went to a local telephone booth adjacent to my hotel and called my children as calling from mobile was very expensive. After lunch we had to stay in the hotel and take rest as there was dawn to dusk curfew in Nepal. At 5 in the evening we went for sight seeing. There was a huge lake and a temple of Varahi Mata in the middle. There were boats to fetch you to and fro and these are mostly rowed by women. We seeked the blessings Varahi Mata and came back to hotel and recited Vishnu Saharanamam.

Always together and always smiling

At Jomsom

23/05/2012

On 23rd early in the morning we departed to Jomsom by Air in batches. The aircraft was very small and could accommodate only 15 passengers at a time. It was a lifetime experience. The ride was very exciting and kept everybody on the edge of their seats. The little plane flies in the gorges between huge Himalayan cliffs gaining altitude steadily in order to reach high station Jomsom. I was so fascinated to be on the mighty Himalayas. On this ride I could really see how high the Himalayan cliffs are. There were many tiny villages on the hill tops of smaller cliffs. The villages were so isolated. I wondered how many days it takes for the villagers to reach another village or motorable road. The cliffs clearly raise above the cloud cover. That may be the reason the lower Himalayas are green and water rich.

The aircraft over the gorge between two Himalayan cliffs

The sight of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges from the flight was simply superb. I just could not believe my eyes that I am seeing all these mountain ranges. Dhaulagiri is the 7th highest mountain in the world. It just took 20 minutes for us to safely land at Jomsom. We suddenly realized that the air was much cooler here. As I looked at the Annapurna ranges I thought of my elder son who was so fond of Himalayas. After seeing all these pics he asked me 'Mom could you see Everest'? I wonder how much these mountains fascinated Him. In fact when I was climbing the steps in Muktinath I thought how much he would have enjoyed. I did tell him after coming back.

Jeep stand

View of Annapurna from our hotel

Now let me come back.
Tara, Agni and Yati these are the three flights that operate between Jomsom and Pokhram From 7 am in the morning to 11 am these flights take 2 or 3 sorties depending on the weather. The wind velocity after that does not permit them to land in Jomsom. We waited at a hotel for the other members to arrive. Meanwhile we clicked the pictures of overlooking snow covered peaks of Annapurna ranges. Pokhra and Jomsom are well maintained places. They were very neat and clean. Indian currency is accepted.They ask us IC (Indian currency ) or NC (Nepal currency) If it is IC we pay three rupees less and vice versa.

Steps to reach temple

Finally all our members arrived and complimentary tea was given by the hotel which gave us much relief from the cold and we all appreciated the gesture of the hotel. I did not know that from there I had to trek three km which would sweat me in that cold weather. After having tea we all started to walk crossing a small wooden bridge on River Kali Gandaki. We reached a place where you can see only stones and pebbles in the riverbed of Gandaki, as far as your sight goes. The river flows like a stream. There were Jeeps waiting for us to take us to another destination.

Kali Gandaki

Travelling through Gandaki river bed

Though the ride was bumpy, we were very excited to be in that riverbed and enjoyed our ride by the side of the river. After going for about 4Km uphill we were dropped at a place called Ranipuwa where motorcycles were waiting for us. The credit goes to our organizers who made all the arrangements beforehand. The ride on motorcycle exclusively depended on the skill of the Nepali boys who ride them as the route is very narrow. I held the boy who was riding very tightly and did not dare look back. The ride uphill was so dangerous and risky. These motor cycles dropped us at the footsteps of Muktinath. Now is the most difficult task. We have to climb about 200 steps; For me the best way is to have a water bottle in hand. Drink water climb the steps. Finally we reached the top.

Now there are 108 dharas of water from the above glacier flows through the Gomukhs. It is believed that these represented by 27 birth stars and 4 Padas. We have to run through all the 108 dharas to make sure that we did not miss our birth star and pada. The water is ice cold and it requires courage to take bath here and after that there are two kundas a dip in them is believed to wash away negative karma and graha dosha. The water is so chill that the body becomes numb with cold. Then we went to have the darshan of Lord Muktinath. The lord is in a sitting posture and there are Sree Devi and Bhu Devi on both his sides. The idol is of gold. It is Swayambhu. A rituals are done by Nepali priests. I was overwhelmed with joy as I stood in front of Muktinath. It is believed to be one of the 108 divvya desams. I whole heartedly thanked him to have given me strength to reach him and bow in front of him. For me it was once in a lifetime pilgrimage. I have read somewhere that many saints tried to reach there but failed after reaching halfway through. Except for Swaminarayan (Akshardham, Delhi). At the age of 11 he left home visited all the pilgrimages and acquired powers by penance to visit far off places like Muktinath. We can see him the temple. It is not my greatness that I am standing in front of the Lord it is because of the accessibility to reach the place. In earlier days there was no proper route and the place was inaccessible.

108 Dharas which represent birth star and pada

Muktinath Temple

As we bow in front of him we are relieved of all the pain and hardship we went through to reach the place. Hindus believe he gives salvation. It is one of the 108 divyadeshams. A must visit temple in lifetime. There is a Yagna shala built by Jiyyar Swamiji and towards the left of the steps there is a small mandir believed to be of Dakinis. If we put our head inside we can hear the flow of water. After performing Sudarshana homam in the temple premises, we had lunch that we carried from Pokharam and set back on our return journey by the same modes of transport.

I was so exhausted that after reaching Jomsom I just crashed on the bed. . I could not even go for dinner. My sister got me to the room and forced me to eat little. The next morning I was little better.

Getting ready for the Vishnu Sahasranamam
in the premises of Jomsom Airport

Jomsom Airport

24/052012

After the night halt at Jomsom next day early in the morning we all walked down to the Air port which was a walkable distance. A few yards away from our hotel. After all of us gathered at Airport we all sat down to recite Vishnu Sahasranamam. Daily at least once we used to recite Vishnu Sahasranamam. While traveling by bus or waiting for the flight. Once at Pokhra while walking from Varahi Mandir to our hotel we all recited Vishnu Sahasranamam. Not only Vishnu Sahasranamam, while travelling by bus devotional songs, Hanuman Chalisa were recited and the sacred vibrations that produced gave us energy to get ready for our onward journey. I personally feel without the divine energy it was not possible for me to undertake such a journey.

After reciting the Sahasranamam we all started to leave in batches. Ours was the third batch waiting with the boarding passes and the flight was delayed due to wind conditions. Somehow it landed and we hurriedly boarded the flight. We could feel the air pressure on the aircraft but landed safely at Pokhra. As we landed the pilot got off the flight so we inquired if he would go back to fetch the passengers. He refused saying the wind pressure was too much. After that all the flights got cancelled. Half of our group members were stranded at Jomsom. There was no provision of refund by Airlines. They would provide the services the next day or whenever the flight takes off next. Because of our tight schedule all the stranded passengers had to travel by bus and reached Pokhra by 12 in the night. the journey took them 12 hours.

Gupteshwar Mahadev cave

Devi' water fall

Vindhya Vasini Temple

We had full day with us. We visited Vindhyavasini temple and Devi's water fall and Gupteshwar mahadev cave. At Vindhya Vasini temple the atmosphere is so serene between the green trees and cool breeze, I felt I could have more time to spend there. Mata here is ever beautiful and her eyes are full of kindness and radiance. I somehow liked the Divine Mother here. There are many small temples around the complex.

Due to constraint of time we had to leave to go to Gupteshwar Mahadev. I have come to know that this is the longest and attractive cave in South Asia. There are about 100 steps to go down the cave. (I did not take the risk of going down and climbing back immediately. Myself and my sister and a few other members stayed back. But I gathered full information about the cave). From the entrance approximately 40 meters down you can find an ancient idol of Lord Shiva. One can also see the images of Parvati, Ganesha, mouse and Naag . Further down at the bottom of the cave you can see the water of Devi’s water fall and mesmerizing lime stone. The area is well lit and comfortable for the visitors. The cave is open from 6 am to 7 pm and during rainy season it is closed for visitors. After that we did some shopping. By 12 in the night all the stranded members returned from Jomsom. 25th we stayed in Pokhra.

26/052012

The next morning we left Pokhra visiting Vindhyawasini temple and Devi’s water fall for the sake of those who missed yesterday and we were happy to be blessed by Vindhyawasini once again. We left Pokhra for Mankamna.

Man Kamna Devi

We Reached Mankamna Devi at about 1pm. Man Kamna means wish fulfilling. She fulfills the wishes of those who visit her and worship her. Mankamna devi is believed to be an incarnation of Devi Parvati. It is located on top of a hill at about 1300 meters above sea level. There is a cable car facility and it takes about 10 minutes to reach the top. The cable rides over a rivulet and lot of greenery giving the rider a picturesque view. In the absence of this cable car it would have been very difficult to reach the temple by foot. On the way to the temple there are many shops selling various puja items and other gift items. We went inside and had the darshan of the divine mother. The priest there smears vermilion on the forehead. Man Kamana Mata is in the form of a large pind. We can see Lord Shiva too by her side. It is said that the Priest does the morning rituals in closed doors. After that the doors are opened for the public.

I am told that he is the seventh generation priest from the same family since 17^th century. The story so goes that A Gorkha king was ruling Nepal in 17^th Century His wife had diveine powers that he doen’t know, She had a shishya (desciple) named Lakshman Thapa. One day the king comes to know that his wife is a Devi and he dies. According to custom prevailing in those days she prepared herself for “Sati” (to go to the funeral pyre along with her husband). Knowing this Lashman Thapa cries profusely. She consols him saying that she would come back again. After six months one day while workers were ploughing the field they found milk and blood oozing out of the ground. When they informed Lakshman Thapa he rushed to the place and did some tantric puja. The flowing of blood and Milk stopped and a stone appeared. He knew that she was the same Devi whom he prayed so much. He called her Man Kamna Mata. Since then his family members does the daily puja in the temple. The temple architecture is of Buddhist Pagoda style, which lies on a square pedestal. Mankamna is shakti sthala and she is swayambhu. It is a must visit temple if one goes to Nepal. May the Mankamna mata’s blessings be on all of us. We left for Khatmandu from ManKamna Devi.

Guhyeshawari Devi Temple Kathmandu

Navagrahas in one of the temple

27/05/2012

There was power cut and water shortage in the hotel. The hotel management tried their best to keep us comfortable. There was lot of difference in Hotels of Jomsom, Pokhra and Khatmandu. The city is also not clean and neat. We somehow managed to take bath had breakfast and went for sightseeing.

In Khatmandu we visited the Swayambhu one of the sacred Boudha Stupa. There are stairs to gain access to the stupa. Hindu as well as Budhists visit this place. Then we went to take the blessings of Lord Pashupatinath. This temple is located on the banks of Bagmati river. It flows from the backside of the temple. Dead are brought here for the cremation. Like in Benaras, He is the ultimate. He gives salvation (Mukti).

Temples in the premises of Pashupatinath temple complex.

We are not allowed into the Santum Sanctorium. It is like the temples in South India. You can have Darshan of the Lord from outside. Here they say he is the head of all the Jyotirlingas. While visiting all the temples and sanctifying them Adi Shankaracharya went to Nepal to visit Pasupathinath. Here he set the rituals to be done according to Vedic Dharma and the main archaka was called from Dakshinamnaya peetham. These priests have been looking after the rituals here. There are nuns who perform the daily puja. Except them nobody is supposed to touch the idol. The Lingam here had 5 faces and unlike in India the idol is covered in cloth. After having the good darshan of Pashupatinath. We went around to see other deities in the premises.

There is a huge (Unmatta) KalaBhairava which measures up to 6 to 8feet with 8 hand and kapala mala around his neck. He is the Kshetrapalaka of the temple. Without his permission we would not have entered the premises. We bowed in front of him and even touched his feet. So far the temples I visited all the statues are in black colour vermilion smeared on them. There were many other temples in the complex. As we exit we could see the statues of all the Saints(Alwars). We are not allowed to take our camera inside. So registering all the gods pictures in our mind we just came out. This reminds me of my Son Ravi's 1st sentence in his travelogue, 'A camera can never catch what an eye can'. From there we went to see Chaitanya Shanti stupa. In the evening we went to seek the blessings of Guhyeshwari devi. The consort of Pashupatinath. It is one of the Shakatishalas. when Lord Shiva was carrying the body of Parvati (Sati) after the Daksha Yagna Lord Vishnu cut her into pieces to stop the Tandavam of Shiva. Her body fell in 108 places which are known as shakti shala. One of them is Guhyeshwari Devi. Here also photography is prohibited.

Sudarshana Homam at Jal Narayan

Jal Narayan

28/05/12

The Next day we went to see Budha NeelKanth or Jal Narayan. It is believed to be centuries old temple. Budha Neelkanth means old blue throat. It is carved on a single stone and brought here which started floating in water. Here Maha Vishnu is in reclining position on Seshnag in a pool of water. So he is called Jal Narayan. It is an open temple and we can have darshan from little distance. There are other temples in the complex. We all took part in the Sudarshan Homam and after that we all had delicious lunch and left for Khatmandu.

Marwadi Athithi Bhawan at Janakpur

In front of Marriage Hall of SitaRamuu

Early morning we all reached Khatmandu airport. We were given packed food. While waiting at the airport we had our breakfast. Then we all slowly moved inside got our boarding passes. It took us around 1/2 an hour to reach Janakpur by fight. This is a very small city. We all lodged at Marwadi Athidhi Sadan. It was a huge building and we were all given rooms. Myself and my sister were in one room. There were rooms on all the four sides with a huge hall in the center.

In the entrance there is one Khatushyam temple. After having lunch we all walked down to see Janak mahal. It is a huge building visible from a long distance. A very huge gate welcomes us and as we enter we walk a few furlongs and reach a temple dedicated to Ram and Sita. It was a scorching hot afternoon and we reached the temple complex. The temple was not yet open there were cows along with the devotees. it was blessing in disguise that there was a tap in the compound we could drink water from that hand pump. After a short wait, the temple was opened and we all had darshan of the lord. Then we all went around the mahal. There were many rooms used for meditation, some were used as stores and some others were closed. In one of the rooms we could see many sizes and shapes of Salagramams.

Marriage hall of Sita and Ram

Khatu Shyam Mandit

Saligramams in Janak Mahal

Then there was a huge hall where Ram married Sita. There were small temples dedicated to Ram, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughn along with their wives, around this hall. We came back to our lodge. Recited Vishnu Sahasranamam, had dinner and went to sleep. The next day Sudarshana homam was performed and in the evening there was Sita Rama Kalyanam.

outside view of Marriage hall

Procession of Lord Sudershan

waiting for the barat

The highlight of the Janakpuri trip was the Kalyana mahotsavam. The hall and outside area was decorated with rangoli. Bhagwan was taken on procession. We all felt blessed to witness and be a part of the Sita Rama Kalyanam where it actually took place. The Mithila Nagari where Maharaja Janak known to be a very learned and saintly king ruled. I was so indulged in the whole proceedings that I missed to take the pics. Let Lord Ram and Sita bless us all. We were served dinner just like in marriages with sweets, pulihora and other items. We slept there that night and the next day we left Janakpur for Gaya. It was the last leg of our pilgrimage in Nepal. At Sunauli a Nepali guy got in our bus, he must have been a guide of sorts hired by the organisers in case of any problem during our stay in Nepal and enrout.

At a Dhaba on our way to Gaya

He left at this place.

29/05/2012

We started off in wee hours and passing through Sitamarhi, crossed Nepal. Enroute we crossed many villages, small shops and barren land. There is no development what so ever. These places were very dirty and poverty was visible. We reached Gaya by morning around 7. Gaya needs no introduction as it has mythological importance to both Hindus as well as Buddhists. After lodging and having our coffee/tea etc. We went to Phalgu river. It flows underneath the ground . It is a dry river. We have to dig a few feet to get water from underground. It is curse of Sita to the river. As the story goes Sri Ram and Sita went to offer pind daan to Raja Dasarath. Ram went to fetch something meanwhile Dsarath who came to take the pind daan felt hungry and asked Sita to give him the pind which she made for him. She asked the river, the vatavriksh and the cow to be witness and gave him the pind. As Ram returned he asked Sita about the pind she told him what had happened and asked the cow, the river and vatavriksh. Only the vatavriksh nods its head, the cow's tail moves but head does not move. Annoyed at this Sita cusred the cow that nobody would do puja from her front side and the river to remain dry. We were told by the locals that even during the rains water disappears within no time. She blessed the Vata vriksh to remain evergreen. We all sprinkled the water on our head and went to visit Vishnu pad Mandir.

Homam in progress at Gaya

Purnahuti

We can see the foot prints of Lord Vishnu at Gaya. It is said that Lord Vishnu sent Gayasur below the ground pressing his head with his foot. when he pleaded for food Lord Vishnu gave him a boon that daily some body or the other offers food and this is taken by Gayasur. This place is known as Siro gaya the other two being Nabhi Gaya in Orissa and Pada Gaya in Andhra Pradesh (Pithapuram). I have explained the story in my other article in the same blog (Mytrip to East Godavari).

River Phalgu

Vishnupad temple

After coming back from there we all took part in the Sudarsana Homam. Some members of our group performed Pitru karyam. After the rituals we had lunch and a few of the lady members got together and hired a vehicle and went to have darshan of Mangala Devi. One of the shakti peethams. It is said that the breast of Parvati fell here.
It was so hot that our feet got burnt while walking bare foot. You have to climb a flight of stairs to reach the temple. The sanctum sanctorium is in a small dark place you climb few steps and enter inside and have to strain your eyes to see the deity, carved in the wall. From the hot sun we entered a dark place and there was so much of rush. To tell you very frankly I could not see it properly. Where as, I was instrumental in taking all the ladies to this temple. Let mother Mangala Devi's blessings be on all of us. That night we left for Benaras.

30/05/2012

We reached Benaras early in the morning at 3.30. Beneras is the oldest city probably in the world. It is the mukti kshetra. I felt blessed by Annappoorna and Vishweshwar to have given me the opportunity to set foot on this holy land. The streets are very narrow, City is dirty, there are power cuts with all these short comings people would love to stay there. Because it is the Mukti kshetra. Those who die here gets salvation.
We were lodged at Sankara Matham. Our bus could not enter the lane. We all got down and walked to the Matham and our luggage was brought by cycle rickshaws. We all waited in the central hall. after getting our luggage and allotting the rooms, we took rest for some time had our coffee and then walked down to Ganges to take a dip and wash off our sins.

Bindu Madhav

Homam

There are about 100 ghats in Kasi on the banks of River Ganga. A few among these are owned by King of Varanasi like Kalighat and few others. Varana and Asi these two rivers together make Varanasi. Between these two rivers Varunaghat and Asi ghat, all the ghats have mythological significance. we can take bath in any of these ghats.We went around all the ghats in boats. The names of the ghats can be seen from the boat. I gathered little information about these ghats.

Manikarnika ghat is one of the sacred ghats of Kasi.
It is here that Mata Sati's Karna Kundal (ear ring ) fell while Lord Vishnu's chakra cut her body in to 51 parts after the Daksha Yagna on seeing the unending sorrow of Shiva. It is believed that those who are cremated here attain moksha. Then there is Harishchandra ghat, Kedar ghat, Manmandir ghat built by Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur, Lalita ghat by Nepal king, Kalighat and Sivala ghat by the King of Kasi.

From there we went to Bindu Madhav temple. Bindu Madhav is the kshtrapalaka of the holy city Kasi. We came back from there and took part in Sudarsana Homam. Some members purchased beautiful Benaras silk sarees. In Pokhra beautiful beads of different shapes and sizes were on sale everywhere. One retailer of beads was called to our hotel for our sake. Here I too purchased a few beads.

In the evening we went to Vishwanath temple. The temple is very small. The sanctum is even smaller. It is hardly 10/10 ft. You can see the lord in a corner in a rectangular place slightly lower than ground level. There are two entry and two exit doors. By seeing Lord Viswanath you get a message that however big or popular you may be,it is the humbleness, modesty that shows your personality. Vishwanath means the Lord of the Universe. He gives mukti to all those who die in Kasi. I read in some book that Rama Krishna Paramahamsa has seen Lord Shiva standing by the side of each body that is brought for cremation in Kasi. People accompany the body up to the cremation ground and leave after the cremation. Then I heard Chaganti Koteswar Rao garu saying in one of his pravachanams, it seems the soul cries seeing everybody leave him. Then Lord Shiva comforts the soul telling him that 'I am there with you'.

There is lot of security. Camera etc are not allowed. There was not much rush we got nice Darshan of the lord Viswanath, Mata Annapurneswari, Kasi Visalakshi and Kalabhairava. The roads are so narrow it is difficult to walk. Both the sides there are shops. We have to walk in the middle of the road giving way to the motorcycles, cows and rickshaws. It is better to walk on these roads rather than hiring a vehicle. After taking rounds of the temples we went to see the Ganga Arti we were all accommodated in boats. We had a good view of the mesmerising Ganga Arti by boat.

At Kasi

At allahabad

31/05/2012

We left Varanasi and reached Allahabad 7.45 am . we did not take the luggage from the bus as we carried a pair of clothes in hand bag to change after the snan at Triveni Sangam. At all these snan ghats in Gaya, Varanasi and Allahabad we were given instructions for sankalpam or any ritual we need to give our names to the organisers. They will arrange the pandas and fix the rates and make payment. Later on it can be settled. because if we talk to them they will all have different rates. This is one thing I liked. We halted at place which has a big hall. I am unable to recollect the name. After having our coffee we all left for Triveni Sangam. Here the Pandas were arranged to tell the sankalpam ect. after that we took bath and came back. We had breakfast recited Vishnushasranamam. After lunch we left for Chitrakoot.

At Triveni Sangam

waiting to be served lunch at allhabad

On the same day we reached Chitrakoot by 7 pm and stayed at Sri Roop Goudiya Math. Here also we left our luggage in the bus. after a few minutes rest we all went to see Kamadgiri temple and Gupt Godavari caves. We missed visiting many more temples. It is said that even today Sri Ram moves around Chitrakoot. We could not halt overnight there. after having dinner we at around 10.30 we left for Bittoor.

Gupt Godavari caves

Children at Veda Pathshala

1/06/2012

We reached Bithoor at around 8am on 31st morning. It is on the banks of River Ganga.
This is the birth place of Lav and Kush. We walked down to the Ganges to take bath after getting down the steps we had to walk down a few yards to reach water. That was the last leg of our trip and the holy bath. We came back and took part in the Sudarshan Homam. I whole haertedly from the core of my heart thanked the Lord for the successful completion of our trip.

Poornahuti after Homam

Sita ki rasoi

SITA MATA

We stayed in the temple complex itself. After lunch we went around the place to see the temples of Luv, Kush, Sitamata, Sita ki rasoi and Sita Kund. Sita Kund is the place where she went inside the earth. Nearby the rasoi there is a well which is used as reservoir

Present day Valmiki

Another attraction of this place is the Deep stambh. It would be a beautiful sight to watch when all the diyas (earthen lamps) are lighted.

Deep stambh

Now if I do not say a word about our caterer I would be doing injustice to him. He was instrumental in providing us with coffee, tea, snacks, lunch and dinner as the situation demands. The food was delicious as well as appetizing. I thank the organizers for selecting him.

It was a wonderful trip and for me once in a lifetime trip. All the members of the tour were very co-operative, caring and helpful. I specially thank Smt.Sujata Devarajan for giving me this opportunity.
I thank all the organisers for the wonderful arrangements regarding food,stay, specially for managing the luggage and for modes of transport at different places. Lord Sudersana's blessings be on all of you.

When we reached Bithoor it was very hot. The above is the pic of the only shop in the premises. The lady sitting far right was selling water and cool drinks. Within no time all the cold water bottles and drinks got exhausted. She immediately called this boy who was studying in a college. He came with supply of ice and water bottles and there on managed the shop. We were in large numbers and while going back in the night we wanted to carry water with us. He did a brisk business providing water to so many parched throats.

Let Lord Rama's blessings be on him.

We left for Delhi on 1st night from Bithoor and reached Delhi early in the morning on 2nd.

Jai Jai Sudarshana Jai Jai Vijaya valli Jai Jai Hanuman

Suguna Nibhanapudi

Thursday, 7 September 2017

My visit to Avantika Devi Temple

Tuesday, 1 August 2017

My trip to Muktinath