TRYEST WITH MYTHOLOGY: A MYSTICAL JOURNEY TO TRIVENI SANGAM
In the thick of our exhilarating and spiritually elevating pilgrimage in the fabled land of lord Shiva and the Buddha, on the 3rd day of our sojourn at Varanasi, as per the planning of the trip leader our friend and co-traveler Sri R.S.Patnaik - a strict itinerant, we left for Allahabad (Prayagraj) a distance of 131 km in a 7 sitter luxury cab on N.H-2 route to complete the mystical detour and arrived at the Triveni Ghats by 9.30 AM. Kashi(Varanasi) and Prayag(Allahabad) two most old cities in India, serve as the center for Hindu religion, are located along the banks of River Ganges and occupying the Hindu psyche since time immemorial.
The Hindu mythology has a lot to do with these locations; further the presence of River Ganges makes them all the more sacred for the Hindus. Prayagraj is the repository of all that is considered to be spiritual and sacred in Hinduism. Prayag is also called Tritha Raja (Prayagraj), king of all holy places in the Hindu belief system. Prayagraj is a beautiful city situated at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna. Allahabad’s influence on Indian religion, spiritualism, education, history and politics cannot be overstated. A fusion of history, religion, tradition, sanctity and architecture, Prayagraj draws the attention of pilgrims and heritage lovers. The city opens the tourist to a world of mythological and spiritual wonders. When we got down from our vehicle near the ferry ghat, a swarm of boatmen approached us soliciting to avail of their facilities to cruise us across the river up to Triveni Sangam. After a little bargain we opted a full boat for a return trip to the Sangam area for Rs.1500. Rowing around the Sangam area, amid large flocks of migratory gulls hovering around the boats, lured by the grains thrown at them by the pilgrims in the winter morning, is a spectacular, pleasurable and unforgettable sight and a great experience .The boat ride in the Sangam area amidst a fleet of decorated boats ferrying pilgrims to and fro ,with lots of white gulls hovering in circles, evoke an unforgettable surreal feeling .
TRIVENI SANGAM: Ideally situated at the confluence of three rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati; Prayagraj, considered to be most sacred by the Hindus, where they perform rituals and immerse the ashes of their deceased near and dear ones to help them achieve Moksha after death. Sangam has been considered as the most honored spot in the entire course of the Ganges from Vedic period. Here the water is not that dirty as it is in Varanasi. A dip in the holy water at Sangam, said to flush away all of one’s sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. The rivers maintain their visibility and can be identified by their different colors. The water from the Ganges is pale white; Yamuna is greenish in color while the presence of the Saraswati can only be felt underneath the water. Here the river Yamuna conjoins into the Ganges and this meeting point is famously known as Triveni Sangam and many TrithaYatri take boats to bathe in the sacred spot and perform immersion of ashes of their relatives .We took a dip in the icy water and offered puja to our ancestors with the help of pundits who were perched on make-shift wooden platforms with the puja accessories, in the midst of the flowing river. Though initially hesitant for the plunge into the icy water, after a dip, I was feeling like never to come out from Sangam - so soothing, calm and tranquil .We were overwhelmed seeing a large numbers of boats forming a barricade like divider between the Ganges and Yamuna. There are numerous makeshift wooden platforms in the river water to facilitate the pilgrims, perform the rituals.
The Triveni Sangam area is considered as one of the major sites of the Kumbh Mela which are held in every 12 years. There are 5 types of Kumbh Melas that are held in India;
1. Maha Kumbh Meal, comes in every 144 years, it’s held only in Allahabad.
2. Purna Kumbh Mela-comes in every 12 years, It’s held in 4 Kumbh Mela places – Allahabad ,Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain on rotation.
3. Ardha Kumbh Mela is held every 6 years only at Allahabad and Haridwar.
4. Kumbh Mela happens every 3rd years, rotating through 4 different places –Haridwar, Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad organized by respective state governments.
5. Magha Mela-is called mini kumbh and held annually only in Allahabad. This annual fair is usually held on 14th January on Makar Sankranti day and held with great pomp and enthusiasm.
Kumbh Mela is a one- of-a kind experience where devotees from across the world gather in humongous numbers to take a dip in the holy river confluence .It is believed that during this auspicious period of Kumbh mela the water of the holy rivers get charged with higher energies of natural and etheric world and act in so many mystical ways to benefit the believers who take a dip. We experienced a rare feeling as if our body got rejuvenated with soulful spiritual nourishment after taking a dip in this holy spot. We could see preparations at break-neck speed going on in the vast sandy river bed, in-between Ganga and Yamuna in the last week of December for the ensuing Kumbh Mela. During Kumbha Mela the Triveni Sangam area turns into a virtual modern city affording all types of basic amenities to enhance pilgrim’s experience of all converging from all corners of the globe; from the caves of Himalayas to India’s southernmost tip, Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari), in the winter months of January and February for a period of 45 days. The authorities gear up its agencies to tackle the mammoth challenges during the Kumbh Mela, being one of the largest human congregations on the Earth .The army with its expertise in medicine and disaster management used to set up camps for visitors to lend a helping hand.
ALLAHABAD FORT: This historic fort stands on the bank of the River Yamuna near its confluence with the Ganges. The ancient fort was said to have been originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the great, but was worn out and decimated due to the ravages of time. The great Mughal Emperor Akbar, (1556-1605) during his consolidation drive of his vast empire, camped at this place and felt the strategic importance of the spot located on the confluence of River Ganges and Yamuna and built a massive and stunning structure in 1583. It is believed that Allahabad Fort is the largest fort built by the invincible Mughal Emperor. The fort presently under control of the Indian Army; houses a garrison and vast ordnance depot .Since it is a sensitive area, there is restriction for public entry, but a portion of the fort having popular tourist attractions, like the Patalpuri Temple and Saraswati Koop, is open to public for visiting these popular tourist attractions.The Akshayvat tree, in the Patalpuri temple complex, has been held in highest esteem and sacred by the pilgrims. The Patalpuri temple was there before Emperor Akbar built the fort. The Patalpuri Temple is one of the most famous and oldest temples not only in Allahabad but also in India .During construction of the fort; the emperor did not touch the temple structure, rather fortified it and passed orders not to damage the Patalpuri Temple to his successors. The Saraswati Koop (well)-a symbol of Goddess of learning and the mythological river named after her, which has a confluence with Ganga and Yamuna, is considered to be the source of the holy water flowing from this well. About the Akshayvat, which is near the Patalpuri Temple, it is said that this tree would stand firm even when the entire world gets destroyed. The ancient Asvat tree is considered one of the manifestations of Lord Vishnu. Lord Sri Krishna says in vibhuti yoga of Sreemada Bhagabat Gita (10:26)”Asvatha sarva vrikhanaam” (I am asvatha of all trees). It is this peepal (Asvatha) also, under which Siddhartha got enlightenment and became the Buddha.
ANADABHAWAN: After a memorable visit to the Allahabad Fort, we drove to the historic Anadbhawan which houses a splendid museum that depicts the life and times of Nehru family.This building an iconic architectural marvel was constructed by Pandit Motilal Nehru a senior and successful lawyer and national leader in 1927 as Nehru family residence. The building popularly known as Swaraj Bhawan, became the cradle of the freedom movement against the British Raj, is a mute witness to so many parleys held here, between the patriotic national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Acharya Kriplani, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and other front ranking congress leaders of that tumultuous pre independence period .The building was not only instrumental in helping Indian gain freedom but also gave India three Prime Ministers .A special feature is, a separate room dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, where he used to stay during his visit to Allahabad. The building was donated to the Indian Government in1970 by Smt. Indira Gandhi and converted into a Museum. There is a planetarium named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, which was built in 1979. As it was lunch time, we enjoyed our sumptuous meals in nearby Sagar Ratna pure Veg. restaurant. On our return journey, before the Shastri Bridge over the Ganges, we came across a number of fruit venders selling large sized guavas in attractive yellowish-white, green and red colors. This fruit with medicinal properties to contain diabetes are grown in Allahabad and Kaushambi distrcts in the Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh in huge quantities and, supplied throughout the country, earning a sobriquet for Allahabad “The City of Green Gold”. After purchasing some mouth watering guavas in exotic red, we started for Vindhyachal Dham via Mirzapur by 4PM.
VINDYACHAL DHAM: After driving 73 km on N.H-76E, we arrived at Mirzapur and took a tea break for half an hour. Then we drove to the Vindhyachal Dham the sacred seat of Goddess Amba popularly called Vindhyabasini, situated on Vindhya mountain range on the bank of river Ganges, 8 km from Mirzapur. We reached the temple, climbing few steps from the underground parking area. Shops are lined up, along sides of the road leading to the temple on top of a hillock, displaying eye-catching souvenirs, Puja accessories, varieties of flowers and photographs of Maa Vindhyavasini . As dusk was descending over the Vindhya mountain range, the golden rays of setting sun offered a mesmerizing and panoramic sight. This enchanting Sunset scenic beauty has been stirring the poets’ imagination since Mahabharat era and beautifully captured by Maharshi Ved Vyasa in the Vana Parva(3rd of Eighteen Parvas) of Mahabharata and by the medieval Sanskrit poet Shriharsa in his lyrical epic ‘Naishad Charita’-an immortal saga of Nala-Damaynti. As the legend has it, shakti peethas were created on earth where body parts of sati fell. But Vindhyachal is the only shakti peetha where the Devi had chosen to reside after her birth. At the time of the birth of Krishna as 8th child of Devaki-Vasudeva, Maha-Yogini Mahamaya has taken birth at the same time as a daughter to Nanda-Yoshada and as per the instruction from Vishnu Bhagaban, Vasudeva had replaced Krishna with this girl child of Yashoda. When Kansa tried to kill the girl child, she escaped from the hands of Kansa and turned into Devi form (Bijuli kanya) and warned him that you fool Kansa; the one who will kill you is already born in Gopapura and vanished from the prison of Mathura. Thereafter, she chose Vindhyachal Mountain to reside, where her temple is located at present. The presiding deity is popularly called Kajala Devi. Goddess Kali is adorned in the form of Vindhyavasini Devi, a benevolent aspect of Devi Durga .As it was a winter evening there were few devotees at the shrine and the priest offered aarti and puja on our behalf, invoking the divine benediction of the presiding deity with loud chanting of prayers, to shower her blessings on all of us .We were so mesmerized by the graceful flower bedecked Vindyavasini idol; that we were oblivious about the time to return to Varanasi. As darkness was deepening with progress of the winter night, we begged leave of the benevolent mother Vindhyavasini and proceeded to the abode of Lord Kashiviswanath, soaked in the holy effusion at Sangam and blessings of Goddess Vindhyavasini.
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