Allahabad- The Triveni Sangam and other places around it

125 Kms from Varanasi is the sacred city of Allahabad where the three greatest rivers of India meet, and continue their journey further. The Ganga weaves her way down from the Himalayas from Gangotri, passing places made sacred by her arrival, like Rishikesh and Haridwar, and passing through the industrial city of Kanpur, before arriving at Allahabad to join her sisters as she makes her way to Kashi. Yamuna also begins her journey in the Himalayas, at Yamunotri, and passes through Mathura and Brindavan, made more sacred by the association of Krishna, and finally arrives at Allahabad where she joins the Ganga to merge her identity with her. Saraswati arrives at Allahabad from god alone knows where, for she is an underground river, who remains unseen to mankind, making her presence felt at certain, extremely special places. She renders the holy Ganga and Yamuna even more pure, more sacred by her association with them at Allahabad. The place where these 3 rivers merge is the Triveni Sangam, a place where thousands and thousands congregate to pay their respects to the rivers and pray for their well being and forgiveness for their sins.


The Many hues of the water at the Triveni Sangam
The three rivers maintain their identity and are visibly different as they merge. While the Yamuna is deep but calm and greenish in colour, the Ganga is shallow, but forceful and clear. The Saraswati remains hidden, but the faithful believe that she makes her presence felt underwater. During the monsoon, when the rivers are in full flow, the confluence of the rivers is seen clearly due to the force of the water, but the same force makes having a dip at the confluence difficult. I was told that during the monsoon, most devotees bathe at the riverbank for safety, while the more ardent ones who are willing to pay for the risk involved go to the confluence in a boat, where a shallow area is created by the presence of a number of boats with a kind of net suspended in between, and bathe there. In May however, there was enough water to bathe, but no too much, so we did not have any trouble in going to the centre of the rivers where they meet in a boat. A sort of platform had been constructed there, from which we climbed down into waist deep water. We had a wonderful time bathing in the river. We could have stayed in the water for ages, if it hadn’t been for the rites and rituals we had to perform back at the mutt where we were staying. It was a wonderful experience and I would advise people to visit Allahabad in March/April when the water will be less and the weather would be pleasant. Of course, it will be quite crowded at that time. May-end is actually a good time to visit if one wants to avoid the crowd and have fun in the water.


Heading towards the Sangam on a boat
A number of rituals are traditionally performed at Allahabad, mainly for appeasing our ancestors. There are a number of Mutts there who perform the rites. As at Kashi, there is no standard charge, but varies according to the rites one wants to perform and the budget.

An interesting ritual performed at the Sangam is that of Veni Daanam. This is a practice followed by married women for the long life of their husbands. The husband is supposed to comb and plait the wife’s hair and after decorating it with flowers, the end of the plait is cut off and offered to the rivers. Some men even shave off their hair/beard and offer it also to the rivers. This procedure is performed while travelling by boat to the Sangam and the hair is offered along with flowers, etc at the confluence. There is nothing interesting in itself about this. What is interesting is that hair, being light normally floats on water, but at this place, the hair sinks straight to the bottom. Though hundreds of people offer their hair everyday, there is not a single strand of hair seen floating on the river. Of course, there could and will be a scientific explanation for this phenomenon, but whatever it is, it gives us proof that nature is a wonderful thing….. Call it God or simply nature, it is indeed inspiring!


The Platform at the confluence.


The temple of Veni Madhava (one of the trio along with Sethu Madhava and Bindu Madhava, as I have mentioned before) is a little way inside the city. It is a small temple, with a small idol of Vishnu representing Veni Madhava. According to the legend painted on the walls of the temple, there was once a rakshasa who troubled all the Devas. Narada sought an audience with him to find out his weakness, and found that he suffered from a skin infliction. He told the Asura to bathe in the Triveni Sangam at Allahabad, which the Asura proceeded to do. Amazed at finding himself cured, he wanted to possess the 3 great rivers who had cured him, and began drinking them up! When the rivers pleaded with Vishnu, he arrived in the form of Veni Madhava and killed him, restoring the rivers to their rightful place.


The Veni Madhava Temple
The Shayana Anjaneya temple is an important one right on the banks of the river. Here, the idol of Hanuman is larger than life, carrying Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders. Only, the idol is lying down. There are many stories about this temple. According to one, hanuman stepped over the rivers without their permission, angering them. They rose up and threw him to the ground, and crushed his ego. According to the locals, every year, the river rises and covers the whole idol before going back, which they consider absolute proof of this story. Another legend mentions that this is where hanuman emerged with Rama and Lakshmana after defeating the king of Patala, the netherworld, Ahi Ravana. Whatever the story, the temple is a simple and nice one.

The Adi Shankara Vimana Mandapam, a temple built by the Kanchi Mutt is right next to this temple. This is a 3 storeyed temple with idols and sculptures of various Gods and Goddesses. It is worth a visit.

The other paces of interest in Allahabad are-

The Allahabad fort, on the banks of the Yamuna, where we take a boat to go to the Sangam.

The Bharadvaj Ashram, where Sage Bharadvaj lived

Anand Bhavan- the birthplace of our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

We were unable to visit these places due to lack of time. I hope to visit them when I next get the chance.

75 Kms from Allahabad is Sita Madhi, or Sita Samahit Sthal, where Sita is believed to have merged with mother earth. This place has recently been developed by the UP Tourism Dept, and made into a tourist spot. There is nothing remotely religious about it now, but children seem to enjoy the attractions of the place which are a huge statue of Hanuman with an artificial cave under it, a Shiva lingam inside a cave, and the Sita temple flanked by a river on all sides, and a statue depicting Sita entering the ground.


A Statue of Hanuman and

The Sita Temple at Sita Madhi


75 Kms from here is Vindhyachal, where the temple of Vindhyavasini is one among the Shaktipeethas. We were unable to visit this temple too.

I would advise my readers to start early in the morning and visit Allahabad first. It is possible to have a dip in the river and visit all the temples, fort and other places by afternoon, if one does not have to perform all the rituals there. On the return journey, visit Sita Madhi and Vindhyachal, both of which are on the same route.

Sarnath- A journey to the land of the Buddha

Varanasi may be home to the most popular and ancient Hindu temples, but it also has the distinction of being one of the most sacred destinations for Buddhists too. Sarnath, about 20 Kms from Varanasi, is where the Buddha taught his first few disciples. This sacred place, which Emperor Ashoka tried to immortalize by building the greatest Stupa, fell to ruins like many Hindu temples in the vicinity. However, archaeological excavations have unearthed what is left of them, and efforts are on to not only preserve the remnants, but also to find out more details about them. Credit must certainly be given to the Buddhist Society, because of whom this site has been preserved as much as possible.


Sarnath is easily approachable from Varanasi. An auto wala charges about Rs.150/- for the trip (to and fro). A number of people hanging around act as guides, though a guide is not really necessary. All the structures have detailed descriptions and explanations on boards. All you need is the patience to read them! The guides are useful, though, if you want to see the temples constructed around recently.


The Stupa

Buddha was born at Lumbini, now in Nepal, and attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. It was here he came next, to impart his teachings to his first 5 followers. It is believed that Emperor Ashoka constructed the Stupa at the exact place where the Buddha sat. The Dhamek Stupa is the only structure left standing in the entire area. It is 28m in diameter at the base and 43.6m in height, built partly of stone and partly of brick. There are intricate carvings on the lower portion of the Stupa.


The Stupa amid the ruins of the ancient structures
The Stupa and the ruins of the ancient temples are protected monuments and one has to pay a minimal amount to view them. They are maintained by the archaeological society in association with the Buddhist society. The grounds of this enclosure are huge, and each ruin has detailed descriptions of the nature of the original structure and its history. It is a good pace to take children. Though they understand nothing much of history, unlike most places around Varanasi, here they have ample place to run around and enjoy themselves. Samhith had a good time here, and he was actually curious about what the broken down structures were. It is probably a better idea to bring children to such places to teach them history, rather than spending time poring over boring books!

It is here that the original of the Ashoka pillar was found with the distinctive emblem of the four lions, which is now preserved in the museum. The museum, I have heard is very good, and worth a visit. However, the down side is that is open only from 10AM to 4:30PM, and we were unable to visit it.


The Mulagandha Kuti Vihara


Anagarika Dharmapala from Sri Lanka who built the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara
The most recent structure here is the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara. The original Mulagandha Kuti temple lies among the brick ruins. This recent temple was built by the Sri Lankan Buddhist Monk, Anagarika Dharmapala, who founded the Maha Bodhi society. The story goes that he came on a pilgrimage to India, to visit the most sacred places in the life of Buddha, and he was appalled by the condition of the shrines at Sarnath. He had this temple constructed as a place of worship for Buddhists who came here from all over the world. He also collected some of the bones of the Buddha and had them kept in a casket in the temple. Over this casket is placed a beautiful image of the Buddha, made in stone, but covered with gold.


The Buddha Statue inside the temple placed on the casket containing the bones of the Buddha
On the walls are paintings depicting incidents from Buddha’s life, painted by the renowned Japanese painter, Kosetsu Nosu. He also brought a cutting from the Bodhi tree at Sri Lanka (which in turn was grown from a cutting of the original tree at Gaya), which he planted in an enclosure near the temple. Around this tree are kept statues of the first five disciples of the Buddha as well as statues of the earlier Bodhisattvas. There is also a complete script of the first discourse of Buddha, in various languages.







The Paintings inside the temple

One thing which I appreciated about this place was the serenity that was maintained in spite of the crowd visiting it. This probably has something to do with the atmosphere of the place itself, and which is probably why the Buddha chose this particular place for his first sermon. One thing to appreciate about the society is that one is allowed to click photos inside the temple. There is no ticket for cameras, but there is a placard telling us to put Rs.10/- per camera in the donation box. There is no one to actually make sure that one does put the money in. it is left to one’s conscience to do the right thing, and probably what the Buddha would have expected us to do. It is a good system that seems to work here, and will probably work in other places too.

Once upon a time, when the Buddha came here, this was a forest with a number of deer, whom the Buddha was specially attracted to. In his forms as the Bodhisattva, He had frequently taken the form of a deer. The name ‘Sarnath’ is believed to come from the word ‘Saranga-nath’, or the Lord of the Deer, as the Buddha was known here. In recent times, till about 20 years back, there was a deer park here. This park has now given way to a small zoo with birds like parrots, parakeets and peacocks, and water birds like the pelicans and storks, and also a few crocodiles. There are quite a few deer around too. This mini zoo was something Samhith enjoyed thoroughly. We did not see any crocs, though we did see the deer and the water birds.





 
Animals and Birds in the Mini Zoo


The constant influx of Buddhists from all over the world has led to the construction of new Buddhist temples. Among these is the impressive sandalwood temple built by the Japanese. This temple is built using sandalwood (so our guide told us). Inside is a life size statue of the Buddha in the pose in which he breathed his last. There are also statues of his first disciples, each made of a single block of sandalwood. The carvings and the decoration of the temple are beautiful, and make a visit to this temple worthwhile. When we visited, a form of aarti or prayer was in session with people singing and beating cymbals. Though I couldn’t understand a word, the music was soothing, and I could have stood there for ages listening to it, if it wasn’t for my boisterous son, who was running around, distracting people.


The Japanese Sandalwood Temple


Inside the Temple

I had thought that was the end of my Sarnath trip, but it wasn’t to be. As I have mentioned earlier, the name ‘Sarnath’ is believed to come from ‘Saranga-nath’ or Lord of the Deer, referring to the Buddha. However, our guide had a different take on it. He took us to a small temple near the Japanese one, where there were two lingams in the sanctum. Here, he said the two lingams represented Shiva and his brother-in-law (Sati’s brother and Daksha’s son) whose name was ‘Sarangnath’. Hence, he said, the name ‘Sarnath’ for this place. Whether it was simply wishful thinking of Hindus to have the name after one of their Gods, or whether it was really true, I have absolutely no idea, and honestly, I can’t think that it matters very much. After all, it is not the name which matters, or the god or the guru we believe in. it is our action that judge us, and not our beliefs. No religion teaches us to fight or kill. They all try to teach us tolerance, and that is what we ought to learn.

We were also taken to a sari shop where the weavers were Buddhists, and the proceeds were used to provide facilities for the poor. We had already bought enough saris at Varanasi, and my husband accompanied us unwillingly into the shop, but our attention was captured at once by a simple cotton sari with a motif including the word ‘Sarnath’ in the pattern. It was certainly unique, and we were told that saris with this pattern were only available in Buddhist shops at Sarnath. Anyway, even my husband loved them, and we ended up buying a couple more. After spending more than our budget allowed us, we traced back our steps to Varanasi, tired after spending more than 3 hours at Sarnath, filled to the brim with memories we shall treasure.

The Sari with the Sarnath Pattern

The Ramnagar fort and Palace

Kashi might be the abode of the gods, but it also been ruled by various kings, who left their imprint on the city. The Raja Ghat on the river, for example, was built by one of them, and history tells us that one of the kings actually jumped from one of its high turrets while trying to escape the British troops during the mutiny, and actually succeeded!

Our first view of the Ramnagar Fort from the boat
The last remnant memory of the kings of Benares is the Ramnagar Fort and Palace on the opposite banks of the Ganga, in a section of which the present scion of the royal family still resides. The palace is about 15Kms away by road, and an auto takes about half an hour to reach there. We however chose the longer, but more interesting and relaxing option- that of taking a row boat to the palace across the river. The journey took us a good one and a half hours, but the sheer bliss we experienced made every minute worth it!

The palace has now been converted into a museum, which closes around 4:30PM. If you want to have a leisurely stroll among the various antiquities displayed, make sure you keep at least 2 hours for the palace alone.

The entrance to the fort- the Lal Darwaza

Kashi- Then And Now......What Does the Future Hold?

What’s Varanasi without the Ganga? The river is the lifeline of the city. The city revolves around the river with everyone coming there to have a dip. With its source in the Himalayas, the Ganges never dries up. Of course, with the kind of pollution that we are creating, and the kind of garbage that is put into the river, only the lord knows if this will last!

Saints of Varanasi

Sant Tulsidas and Kabir both have a close connection with Varanasi. While Tulsidas came to Kashi after visiting all the holy places, and breathed his last in this holy city, Kabir started his life and work here, and went on to other places later in his lifetime. Associated with both of them are a number of sacred spots in this city.

The Sankat Mochan Mandir, where Hanuman blessed Tulsidas is one of the most important and crowded temples in the city; The TulsiManas Mandir has the entire Ram Charit Manas engraved on its walls; and the ghat where Tulsidas merged with his beloved Ram is known after him as the Tulsi Ghat.

There are a number of places associated with Kabir's life here, the more important being the Kabir Mutt and the Laher Talav.

Other Ancient Temples in Kashi

Kashi is a place of pilgrimage and people come here to visit temples. It is therefore no wonder that wherever you turn, you come across a temple. Some are ancient, some recent, and the others fall somewhere in between. Some are architecturally beautiful; some have an interesting history, while the others attract you simply for their sanctity. It is practically impossible to make a complete list of the temples in Kashi, and I will not even try to make that attempt. I will, therefore stick to describing the temples I have visited, and the temples I have heard of, but could not visit.


The Varahi Temple

Varahi (Photo Courtesy:Internet)

Varahi is considered to be one of the Saptha Matas or seven forms of the Divine Mother. She is the Shakti (Power) of Vishnu when He took the form of a Boar (Varaha) to kill the demon Hiranyaksha and save the Earth.

The Varahi temple is on the Tripura Bhairavi Ghat, and is within walking distance from the Vishwanath Temple. I had never heard of this temple, and visiting this temple threw up a couple of surprises.

Annapurna Temple

Food is one of the basic necessities of life, and it is no wonder that we say ‘Annam Brahma’, food is God. It is the mother who provides food for the child, and it is again no wonder that we pray to the goddess Parvati as Annapurna, the one who gives us food. It is believed that Parvati gave Alms to Shiva, and she is depicted with a bowl in one hand and ladle in the other, serving food to Shiva, standing in front of her, with his begging bowl in His hand. The most popular temple of Annapurna is at Kashi followed by the one at Horanadu, in Karnataka. There are two other temples of Annapurna, one in Kerala, and one in Gujarat. I have not yet had the pleasure of visiting these last two temples. When I do, I shall surely write about them. Meanwhile, read about my visit to the Annapoorna Temple at Kashi

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Kashi is known as the land of Shiva. Everything in Kashi not only revolves around the main temple of Vishwanath, as Shiva is known here, but He is also believed to be in control of everything that happens in this holy city. Normally, in Hindu mythology, the nine planets, or Navagrahas, who govern our actions, are independent, and perform their duty without interference from the Gods (a case of not even God interfering with nature and her rules). However, Kashi is a special city, an exception to this rule, where Shiva even governs the Navagrahas. It is believed that Lord Shaneeshwara (Saturn) once came to catch Shiva for the period of 7 ½ years (what is commonly called Saade-saati), and found himself unable to enter the temple. He is believed to have stayed outside the temple, and hence the temple of Shaneeshwara outside the Vishwanath temple is much frequented by pilgrims who light oil lamps here, hoping to escape the clutch of Shani.

The Annapoorneshwari Temples of Horanadu and Hosanadu (Kodyadka) and Kalaseshwara temple at Kalasa.

The Annapoorneshwari temple at Horanadu is a famous one, and is on the itinerary of most people who visit Mangalore or Sringeri. Horanadu is about 2 hours away from Sringeri, and is an extremely beautiful temple. The idol of Annapoorneshwari is life size, and covered with gold from head to toe. This is quite an ancient temple, and is regarded as the kula devathai, or the household deity of many people residing in Chickmanglur district.

The entrance to the Horanadu Temple
Just half an hour away from Horanadu is the temple of Kalasa. This is a temple on a hill, on the foothills of which flows the Bhadra River. This place seems to be a picnic spot, as it was filled with people even in may when there wasn’t that much water in the river. One has to climb a few steps to get to the temple. At the entrance of the temple are the statues of two elephants, regarded to be Ganesha and a she-elephant, his wife. It is believed that there was an Asura here, to kill whom, Ganesha descended on earth. The magical Asura took the form of a tree, and Ganesha assumed the form of an elephant to uproot him. Seeing the struggle, a she elephant in the forest came to help, and along with Ganesha succeeded in uprooting the tree and putting an end to the Asura. Since he had touched the she-elephant during the fight, Ganesha married her, and decreed that she should take her place by his side at this place. Both the elephant statues look identical, except that the male one is depicted as trampling the Asura beneath his foot. The idol of kalaseshwara, a lingam, is believed to be Shiva who manifested himself in a kalasam, a vessel in which water is kept, to the great rishi, Agasthya.

Entrance to the Kalaseshwara Temple (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
Both these temples are quite well known, and are visited by a great number of people. However, the internet is a great place to find new places and temples, and one such is the Annapoorneshwari temple at Hosanadu. I read about this place on the net, and added it to my extensive list of temples to visit. Right from Gokarna, I kept enquiring about it, but no one seemed to know. Finally, at Udupi, the taxi chap told us that he knew the place. Unfortunately, Udupi was too crowded, and we got a room only for two days, and had to leave for Sringeri. Thankfully, the car driver at Sringeri also knew the place, and we visited it on our way back from Mangalore.

The Durga parameshwari temple at Kateel is about an hour away from Mangalore. This temple is a beautiful one that I shall never tire of visiting. The temple is on a small island on a river, and the idea of the goddess killing a demon here adds a touch of adventure to this place. For the best experience, one must visit it in the rains, when the river is in full flow.
Hosanadu is just half an hour away from here. From there, Sringeri is 2 hours away. The temple is on the route from Kateel to Sringeri.

The Hosanadu temple is a newly built one, built by a local family, who, after one of their regular visits to Horanadu got the inspiration to build an identical temple in their village. The idol of the goddess looks identical to the one at Horanadu, except that here, the bowl and spoon that she is carrying in her two arms ( to serve food), are more clearly visible than at Horanadu. The temple complex is huge, and they have ambitious plans for it. Already, a huge statue of hanuman carrying the Sanjeevani Mountain has been installed, a go-shala (cowshed) with a number of cows exists, and there is also a mini-zoo with a few birds and deer. They have also built a huge hall for discourses, and are building one for serving food. This temple, though new, is also worth a visit.

If you are traveling from Mangalore to Udupi, via Kateel, do visit the temple of Durga Parameshwari at Bappanadu. We were unable to visit the temple due to lack of time, but I have read about this temple also on the net.