VISITING PLACES - AYODHYA - SARAYU RIVER

Monday 18th February 2019

AYODHYA - Believed to be birth place of Legendry Rama of Epic Ramayana, is important place for pilgrimage. It is located in the Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh.

There is dispute about the place as it believed that Babri Masjid is built on Sri Rama Janma Bhoomi and the case is in the Supreme Court for many many years. Present Sri Rama Mandira is in a temporary shed and to reach there is herculean task because of several times security checks by police CPRF and army units. One has walk through a long caged pathway to have darshan of Temporary Rama Temple. It pains to see the holy place is disturbed by human clashes and disputes.

We had to spend more than an hour for darshan, after passing through 4 - 5 security checks.

Other places to visit were Dasharatha Bhavan, SitaDevi's kitchen and Hanumana Gaddi on top a small hill having to climbabout 80 steps.

Back to the hotel "Manasa Bhavan"which is huge building with large rooms and wedding hall and dining place without chairs or tables.

Posted Tuesday, 26th Feb. 2019

VISITING PLACES - KUMBH MELA @ PRAYAGRAJ

Tuesday, 19th Feb. 2019
PrayagRaj (AllahaBad), Uttar Paradesh.

Kumbha Mela is mass Hindu Pilgrimage where hindus gather to bathe in the holy (sacred) river. In PrayagRaj, Mela taking place once in 12 years,  is the confluence (sangam) of Ganga, Yamuna and Invisible Saraswathi rivers and bathing in this place, it is believed to cleanse the body and sins.

The other places where Kumbh Melas take place are Hardwar, Nasik and Ujjain periodocally.

We started off from Ayodhya to Prayagraj, a distance of 130 km by bus and reached around 12.00 noon and the crowd was massive and security and police stopped the bus about 10 km from the venue of Mela. We hired auto to take us to nearest point from there, we had to walk almost one kilometre to the site of bathing. The arrangement for bathing for lakhs of people converging and cleanliness of the place is amazing. The Uttar Pradesh Government headed by Hindu firebrand Chief Minister Yogi Adithyanath is fantastic.

We had dip in the confluence of holy rivers and spent about an hour. Ladies had some rituals to perform after which we walked back to auto stand  and from there to bus parking area.

We left at 4 pm and had lunch on the way and reached Varanasi at 8.30 pm due to heavt traffic on the way.

Posted Monday 25th Feb. 2019

GAYA - BODHGAYA

Saturday, 16th Feb. 2019

After travelling in the bus for almost 10 hours from Varanasi, we were in BodhGaya. Checked in at a decent hotel Shiva for the night.

Next morning we were at Karnataka Bhavan to perform PITRUKRIYA, a ritual to remember all those in the family who passed away and pray for their salvation (Moksha). 108 rice balls (pinda) were prepared and offered to three to each of the departed soul. Ramakrishna Maiyya, purohit from Saligrama, performed the ritual which took for about two hours.

VishnuPada Mandir, an ancient temple on the banks of Phalguni river, dedicated to lord Vishnu. The temple is marked by footprints of Lord Vishnu, called Dhramasila, where one third of "pindas" were offered. In the temple complex, there is also "arali mara" where second part of pindas were offered and third being offered to river for cows food.

BODHAGAYA - is religious site and a place of pilgrimage associated with MahaBhodhi temple Complex. It is believed that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment , under what became known as Bodhi Tree. We visited the temple, which is holy place for Buddhists, after serious security checks.

Next day, we also visited number of other Budhist temples established by different countries like Nepal, SriLanka, Japan, Malaysia etc.

There also a huge 80 ft Buddha Statue situated in BodhaGaya along with number of smaller statues of Buddhist monks.

It was time for us to leave after lunch to Varanasi.

Posted Sunday, 24th Feb. 2019

VARANASI (KAASHI, BENARAS)

Sunday, 17th Feb. 2019

Varanasi (Kashi) is in of the Hindu holy cities, believed to acquire Moksha, others being 

2. Ayodhya, 

3. Mathura, 

4. Haridwar, 

5. Kanchi, 

6. Avanthi and 

7. Dwaraka ....(SaptaPuri)

Varanasi is one of the oldest, holiest cities on the banks of river Ganga (Ganges), Pilgrims come here to wash away their sins by dipping in sacred Ganga river, visit the oldest Vishwanatha Temple.

The part of our tour was to visit temples in Varanasi, take a dip in holy waters, boating and watch Ganga Aarthi in the evening. The Ghats of the river fully decorated, people who to witness take a ride in a motor boat, sit in the boat to watch the celebrations of AARTHI by large number of people, accompanying by melodious music and singing of bhajans. That was a splendid sight to watch and mesmerizing. 

Then it was time to visit few of other temples around, last one was being Sri Kalabairaveshwara Temple, where people with different personal problems go to get a relief by the rituals performed by the Pandas, they call them. They, so many of them, sit with broom like object, blurt out many sentences in praise of God, pat on the back of the pilgrims and ask for money for the service they rendered. That was amazing sight to see and how people are mesmerized.

Night streets are also busy with so many processions with loud music and people dancing on the streets. Purchase of Sarees are also one of the activities in the city, as Benaras sarees are famous.

Posted Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019