My Spiritual Travelogue - Part 1

      

                        

MY SPIRITUAL TRAVELOGUE - PART 1

We (family members and friends) undertook a Spiritual Tour to Shirdi, Pandharpur and Mantralayam in March 2013 through Bharat Darshan of the IRCTC.  The entourage assembled at the Chennai Central station on that morning from 2.00 a.m. onwards.  As is visibly seen with everyone,  inspite of having a disturbed sleep over  the previous night,  their mindset  is only on the Spiritual fervor. There were about 450 tourists accommodated in 8 coaches and  the  gleaming  eyes reflected their comfortness for the train journey.  The train departed at 3.30 a.m. at the appointed hour for our  spiritual journey. 

                      

All meal was served in the train.  Food served on board was so delectable.  Nobody was neither left hungry nor complained  and they fully enjoyed every item served.   

See how they enjoy their food served on board….!!!

        

                   

SHIRDI VISIT

Our first halt was at Gopergaon – reached next day at around 11.00 a.m. which is about 15 Km from Shirdi.  We were dropped at Shirdi by mini-vehicles arranged.  Our stay at Dwarawati Bakthaniwas of Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust was pre-booked. Accommodation at Dwarawati was very decent and very comfortable.

After freshening up, we proceeded to the Shri Saibaba Mandir  for Darshan.  It was great and unforgettable moment for everybody in their life time to step into His Samadhi Mandir and get His graceful benign Blessings. 

                                                                      

Shri Sai Baba is revered as one of the greatest saints ever seen in India, endowed with unprecedented powers, and is worshipped as a God incarnate. (SAI meaning Sakshaat Ishwar) - GOD THE ABSOLUTE.  No harm shall befall him who sets his foot on the soil of Shirdi. – Saibaba.  Nothing can be compared to that ecstasy.

After His darshan, we visited Gurustan where He was first spotted seated under a Neem tree. This place came to be known as Gurusthan.  Baba first came to Shirdi in the form of Bal Yogi - a child ascetic. He was first spotted seated under a Neem tree. This place came to be known as Gurusthan.  There is a small shrine in Gurusthan. On a elevated platform of this shrine a big portrait of Lord Sai Baba is placed. On the side is a marble statue of Baba. In front of the portrait is a Shivling and the Nandi. Photos of twelve Jyotirlingas are also kept in the temple. The branches of the Neem tree have come out through the roof of the temple. At a short distance lies Baba's CHAVADI. Baba used to sleep here every alternate day. The Chavadi is divided into two parts. One part of the Chavadi has a large portrait of Baba along with a wooden bed and a white chair belonging to him. There is a cottage of Abdul Baba, an ardent devotee of Shri Sai Baba, in front of the Chavadi. The Lendi Baug was looked after by Abdul Baba. There are photos and various things which were handled by Sai Baba and Abdul Baba in the cottage. There is a Maruti Mandir located at some distance from the cottage of Abdul Baba. This mandir was visited by Baba for the sat-sang with Devidas, a Balyogi, who lived at the Mandir ten to twelve years before Baba arrived. There are also temples of village deities like Khandoba, Shani, Ganpati, and Shankar to be visited.

 





Gurusthan











Samadhi Mandir







Chawri





Dwarakamai





           



                                                   

                                                       Lendi Garden



    

Sri Khandoba Mandir

                                                       

The days when Shri Sai Baba was physically living in Dwarkamai Masjid, he used to sleep in Chawri on every alternate night, between the year 1910 to 1918. This  sojourn at Chawri on every alternate night was preceded by a ‘palki’ procession with all regal paraphernalia accompanying Baba from Dwarkamai to Chawri. This tradition of ‘palki’ procession continues with the same fervour and devotion. Today it starts from Samadhi Mandir, which is the eternal abode of Shri Sai in ‘Samadhi’. From Samadhi temple it goes to Dwarkamai Masjid, from Dwarkamai to Chawri and returns to Samadhi Mandir, after which the ‘Shej Aarti’ is offered to Him. Palki Darshan is another important event in Shirdi.  Every Thursday at 9.15 p.m. this event will start. 

http://www.shirdibaba.org/album/palkiss.htm   

Palki Procession photos slide show

Then, we mixed within the queue to get Saibaba’s Udhi, which has got its miraculous healing powers; it conferred health, prosperity, freedom from anxiety, and  many other wordly gains.  So, the Udi has helped us to gain both our ends – material as well as spiritual.

NASHIK VISIT

Next day morning, we set ourselves to Nashik to visit Panchavati and Triambakeshwar temples.  Our journey to Panchavati was 2 hours and 30 minutes by road. 

Reached Panchavati

Mahathma Gandhi Memorial

Situated nearby is Gandhi Lake (Talav) having a memorable monument made out of white marble, in memory of the Father of the Nation. The ashes were dropped in Ramkund after Gandhiji passed away on 30th January 1948. Mr. Nehru was also present on this occasion.

Panchavati is a place of religious significance and a pilgrimage spot.  In Hindu theology and epic Ramayana, Panchavati was the place in the forest of Dandakaranya (Danda Kingdom), where Rama built his home along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman during their exile period.

The name is derived from the Sanskrit pañca five vata Banyan Tree. The area of five Banyan trees are situated on the banks of River Godavari in Nasik . It has been proposed to identify it with the modern Nasik, because Lakshmana cut off Surpanakha's nose (nasika) at Panchavati. In Panchavati today, there are five trees marked, one of which is an Ashoka Tree.







Pachavati – Five Banyan Tree

There is one beautiful story about Surya, the presiding deity of the sun planet, he had a beautiful and a chaste wife of the name Usha . And Usha had very difficult time with her husband because he had such a glaring effulgence around him, it was difficult for her to look at him. So she wanted perhaps to give her eyes rest for some time , so she came to the earth planet and began to live at the hermitage of Kanva Muni one of the great rishis of the Puranas meanwhile Surya was very much anxious to be in the company of his consort, so he came down to the earth. As he was approaching the hermitage of Kanva Muni , Usha saw him coming and so  she wanted  to escape , so she took the form of the female horse , and began  to run away, so Surya took the form  of a male horse and chased after her and he caught her, then they began to perform lovely pastimes together as horses. Now there were five Rishi kumaras and they happened to be watching this that the great demigod Surya and his queen Usha  are playing pastimes in the form of horses , so they began to laugh , Ha !! Ha !!!!! .So Surya cursed them to become trees in that very spot, so the five Rishi kumars became five Banyan trees at this very place. In fact right here we can see five Banyan trees, since that time this place is known as Panchvati – the place of the five Banyan trees. Hare krishna !!!!!

Since that time this place has become a very very holy place. In fact , Sita and Ram decided to reside here during their exile and they took residence right under these five trees , just behind it you will see this temple , Sita Gufha , it is  the cave in which Sita and Ram resided while living here in Panchvati .”

There is also a cave here called Sita Gupha. Sita, Ram and Lakshman prayed here to Lord Shiva. The ancient Shivalinga still exists in the small temple in the cave and is visited by devotees.

According to Hindu legends and Ramayana Rama, along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, stayed in Panchavati during their Vanvasa period. The Laxman Rekha is located in Panchavati about a kilometre away from Sita Gupha. It was from here that Ravana abducted Goddess Sita. Today this area is a major pilgrimage and tourist attraction.  You can see here some of the ‘Ramayana’ epic scenes sculpted by sculptors -

Panchavati has many temples like Kalaram Temple, Goreram Temple. There are also many temples in Tapovan which is very close to Panchavati.  Panchavati is spread across 500 acres of land. Its people are proud of its culture and its five thousand year old tradition. Festivals such as Ganesh Utsav, Gokul Ashtami and Rangpanchami are celebrated with full enthusiasm by the people.Previously it was under the rule of Ashish Padhye.

On auspicious occasions like Mahashivratri, Rangapanchami, Makar Sankranti people take baths in river Godavari at Ramkund which is considered to be one of the most important places in Indian theology. According to Hindu theology, it is believed to be the place where a few drops of 'amrut' fell while the kalash was carried to the devatas.

Shree KalaRam Mandir

This temple was built by late Mr. Odhekar, a knight serving with Peshwas. There are great processions and utsav on Ramnavami, Dasara and Chaitra Padwa (Hindu new year day). The specialty of the temple is that it was built with black stones.The stones were brought from Ramshej 200 years ago. It took 23 lakhs of rupees and 2000 workers to build the temple in 12 years.

            

Elephant sculpture at the temple.       

Shree Goreram Mandir is in Panchavati area at back side of Kapaleshwar Mandir. This is one of the famous temple in Nashik city for Lord Rama. This Temple is having similar importance as that of Kala Ram Mandir in Nasik.

Kapaleshwar temple 

 

Kapaleshwar is among the very oldest temple one in Nashik city located near Ramkunda, Panchavati. It is about 2 KM from CBS towards North-East. This Temple is renovated by "Peshwe".

The story behind it is that lord Shiva by mistake killed a cow ("GOHATYA"), to clean his sin the Nandi told him to go to NASHIK and take a bath in Ramkund. As per Nandi's instruction Lord Shiva came at NASHIK and cleaned his sin by taking a bath in RAMKUND. And after that he done some JAP, the place where now the Temple is located

                           

Then we were on our way to Triambakeshwar temple.

Midway,  we halted for lunch at a dhaba like restaurant where Hot & spicy Andhra food was served.   Really awesome, Andhra food in a Nashik highway…!!!!.

Triambakeshwar Temple

Triambakeshwar - one of the holy places of not only Maharashtra but the whole India is near Nashik. Trimbakeshwar is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India. The following verse shall explain the importance of this sacred place and the next one gives names of the Twelve Jyotirlingas in India. This says that anybody who visits Tryambakeshwar attains salvation. There is no sacred place like Tryambakeshwar, no river like Godavari, no mountain like Brahmagiri etc. The reasons for its being so sacred are  - Godavari river originates in this place, its a place of Tri-Sandhya Gayatri, the birth place of  Lord Ganesha, a place of the first Nath of Nath Sampradaya consisting of Gorakhnath and others,  a place where Nivrittinath was made to imbibe the holy knowledge by his Guru Gahininath, a place where Nivrittinath made his brothers and sister attain the self by his preaching. This is the holiest place to perform Shraddha ceremony. Nirnaya Sindhu - a religious book of Hindus, mentions that this place, where Sahyadri mountain and Godavari river exist is very purifying on the whole earth and is therefore very important for performing Shraddha ceremony

These kind of people  draw welcome tilak symbols on foreheads of the tourists who visit the temples.  They dip the small paterns in the paste made of  sandal powder or gopi stick and draw  symbols of Siva viz. Linga, Trisul etc. and of  Vishnu viz. Namam etc. Tourists will comfortably feel that they are very much devoted to the god at that moment. This way, the person who draw symbols will earn some money for his livelihood.

              

 

                                                                                                       (Continuation in Part -2)