History Behind Naming Gaya

• • Bihar, Gaya
History Behind Naming Gaya

At Gaya, near Vishnupad temple, we met Dr. Mahesh Lal-Tirth Purohit, who was very busy due to Pitr Paksha. Upon request, he narrated the History Behind Naming Gaya and the importance of Pitr Paksha.

Gaya tirth was earlier also known as Magadh desh. The King of Magadh was Jarasandh, but the story is from Satyug.

In Gaya, there was a demon named Gaya Sur, son of Tripura Sur. Kolahal mountain is on the southern side of Gaya, where Gaya Sur was meditating for 10,000 years. Because of meditation, his body becomes so pure that anybody, just by touching i,t immediately reaches heaven. Due to this, there was worry among the Devtas. Devtas think that if a demon becomes so famous and powerful on earth, then nobody will think about them and worship them. They will be lesser known or not known in the days to come. To solve this issue, all the devtas visited Lord Vishnu and narrated their worries and requested to solve it.

Lord Vishnu said: Let me call Gaya Sur to know what he wants to end his meditation.

Gaya Sur, upon request, arrived and said: Lord, I need three wishes to be fulfilled by you, then only I will stop the meditation.

Lord question – What are those three wishes?

1. The location of the meditation and the nearby area to be known as Gaya.

2. Whoever dies, his burning should be done here near Falgu River.

(It is said that during that time, there was no burning procedure, and people just dropped dead bodies into the Falgu River)

3. Whoever dies for Moksha Pind Daan should be done here in Gaya.

Lord granted all his wishes and said: Gayasur, your body is the utmost pure. I want to do a Yagya on it. Gayasur was ready.

On Yagya day, Gayasur lay down on the earth while keeping his head in the south and feet towards the north. Lord put Dharamshila on top of Gayasur and took a Gadadhar roop to start Yagya. During Yagya, Lord Vishnu with his right leg pressed Gayasur’s chest. Thus, Vishnu’s feet imprint was done, and this is the location where Vishnupad Temple is, and we offer Pind Daan at the feet of Lord Vishnu.

Vishnupad temple’s height is 100 feet.

It is believed that Gayasur’s body is in five kos (one kos = more than 3 km) and the head is in one Kos.

Panch kosam gaya chetram, kos ekam gaya sirah

In short, Gaya tirth is in 5 kos, and since those days, the importance of Gaya tirth established.

There are three most important historical locations to offer Pind Daan:

1. Narayan Shila at Haridwar is considered as the navel of Lord Vishnu.

2. Vishnupad temple at Gaya (feet of Lord Vishnu)

3. Brahma Kapal at Badrinath i.e., Head of Lord Brahma

I question: The importance of Pitr Paksha?

Dr. Mahesh said: During Pitra Paksha, we do not invite Pitr to accept Pind Daan. They themselves arrive at Gaya tirth in the hope that someone from their family will visit to offer them Pind Daan.

Gaya Shraddha is of 17 days also known as Tripakshiya Shraddha. Though all days are important at Gaya for Pind Daan but these 17 days are the most important.

It is said that after death, a person may enter any other yoni out of 84 lac yoni. If one does Shraddha for dead ones, the dead person’s soul enters into God’s yoni in peace, or else will wander into the birth cycle again and again, or maybe become a ghost.

Jau ka Aata, Kala Til, Madhu (Honey), Rodi, Agarbatti (incense sticks), Abeer, Abrak, Panchmewa, Supari (betel nut), Flowers, Deepak, etc, etc are pujan samagri. Pind Daan is only done after one year of the death date.

Thanks very much. Very useful information. Knowledge enhanced.

And I offer a donation for sharing The History of Gaya Tirth. Thanks again.

Dr. Mahesh also narrated another story about Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, and Lord Laxman. While returning from their exile, they stop at Gaya tirth to offer Pind Daan in the name of their father, Dashrath.

A similar story was narrated by Dr. Mahesh.

I also met Gautam Kumar Dubey, who was very helpful. He is Tirth Purohit for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Gautam said: Maharashtra and Nepal, there is only one Tirth Purohit.

Upon query to know more, he enhanced our knowledge

There are 360 vedis to offer Pind Daan in Gaya, but nowadays only 45 vedis (including Kunds – Surya Kund, Vaitarni, and Sita Kund) are visited in these 17 days. Vishnupad temple was renovated by the Queen of Indore – Ahilya Bai Holkar during the Eighteenth century (1782).

On top of the temple, there is a gold flag and a Kalash – a total of 51 kg donated by Shree Bal Govind Sen (tirth purohit of Gaya).

Shree Shambhu Lal Vithal (temple committee member) further enhanced knowledge. He said Shree Bal Govind Seth’s family also donated 50 kg of silver that is around Lord Vishnu’s feet inside the temple.

Wonderful knowledge. Thanks to all of them. Thanks again.

Mahakala Caves – Lord Buddha for The First Time Meditated Here for 6 Years

• • Bihar, Gaya
Mahakala Caves – Lord Buddha for The First Time Meditated Here for 6 Years

We booked an entire auto for Mahakala Caves (Dungeshwari mountain) near Mahabodhi Temple for Rs. 300 to and fro.

At 9:55 am we started our journey and reached Ghunghari Tand Chowk (Gaya bypass) at 10:15 am. Right turn towards the new bypass to cross the river Falgu and right turn via Sunheri, more we reach Larpur village at 10:50 am.

Sunheri more till Larpur village I guess, must be 7-8 km. The road condition here needs improvement. Rest is fine.

Bodhgaya to Mahakala caves (Dungeshwari mountain) total distance must be approx. 20 plus km.

The path toward the Mahakala caves is well-made but a little steep. 15 – 20 minutes, approx. climbing. If one is unable to walk, one may talk to the palanquin carriers. They charge Rs. 200  to and fro. We hired it as one of the visitors was unable to walk due to old age.

Chandra Kumar Pandey – The priest was inside the cave as it was the first day of Navratri (Ashwin month). He showed us the Dungeshwari Devi idol found by villagers years ago. He also said: This is the cave where Lord Buddha, for the first time, meditated in Gaya for 6 years before attaining enlightenment at Bodhgaya.

Vaishakh Purnima, Ashwin, and Chaitra months, Navratri, lots of devotees visit.

We offered prayers and had a view of Mahabodhi temple from Dungeshwari mountain. Beautiful it is.

While returning, we stop at a makeshift shop on the way.

Shiv Shankar Singh is the owner of the shop selling cold drinks and biscuits. We requested one 400 ml Coca-Cola and a 600 ml Sprite for the palanquin carriers, as the job of carrying a person is a tough job. Cold drinks are a little expensive – Rs. 40 and Rs. 50, but what to do as it has to reach the interiors of the mountain area, and electricity to keep it cool is also an issue – said Shiv.

Anyway, he further enhanced our knowledge by saying that 1484 bigha is Larpur village and 700 bigha is Dungeshwari mountain.

Thank you very much – said I. The auto was waiting. We reached Bodhgaya by 12:50 noon hours. Nice journey.

Sita Kund (Gaya) – Goddess Sita Offered Pind-Daan to Late Raja Dashrath at this Location

• • Bihar, Gaya
Sita Kund (Gaya) – Goddess Sita Offered Pind-Daan to Late Raja Dashrath at this Location

Sita Kund (Gaya) is situated at Ram Gaya Vedi mountain, opposite Vishnupad Temple on the other side of the Falgu river (East side) in front of Deoghat. It is said and believed that Goddess Sita offered Pind-Daan to Late Raja Dashrath at this very location.

To reach Sita Kund, one has to cross the Falgu River via a bridge. Autos are available at Ghunghari Tand Chowk (bypass).

Sujata Temple – The Maiden offered Milk-Rice to Lord Buddha

• • Bihar, Gaya • Tags:
Sujata Temple – The Maiden offered Milk-Rice to Lord Buddha

We booked an entire auto near the Mahabodhi temple to reach Sujata Temple as well as Sujata Garh – both near each other and across the river Niranjana, known as Falgu in Gaya. The auto charged us Rs. 200 – to and fro journey. We started our journey at 8:25 am and reached the Sujata temple at 8:40 am. 5-6 km is the distance from the Mahabodhi temple. Road condition – Ok.

Upendra Pathak (0-99730 11760) is a temple caretaker and runs a school in the village. Upon the visit, he narrated The History of the Sujata temple as follows:

This is a banyan tree. For ages, nearby villagers have had faith in and worship this tree, especially during Vat Savitri day or a marriage function. Sujata was the daughter of the village head. She also prayed at this banyan tree in those days and had the wish to have a child. If fulfilled, she will offer milk rice to the banyan tree. During that time, Gautam Siddhartha, in search of knowledge, visited this very place and started meditation under this tree.

Soon, Sujata’s wish was fulfilled, and she became a mother. One day, she sent one of her maids, Panna, to sweep the area around the banyan tree as she had to visit to offer milk rice. When Panna visited, she saw a young man with a weak body meditating under the banyan tree. She went back and narrated this to Sujata. Sujata immediately prepared milk rice and visited the banyan tree while having a thought the man must be the God of the banyan tree. She offered milk rice to Gautam Siddhartha by saying – Banyan God, please accept milk rice as an offering. Gautam Siddhartha opened his eyes and was surprised. He said: I am not a banyan God. I am a simple human being in search of knowledge, wandering here and there. Sujata said: Your body is so weak, you should accept milk-rice as an offering. Again, Gautam Siddharth, without accepting milk rice, went into meditation. At this time, Sujat, along with her friends, sang a song:

hey veena ke vadak, veena ke taar ko itna mat kaso ki taar toot jaye

aur itna bhi dheela na karo ki usse aawaz hi na nikle

That means one should not give too much pain to oneself or enjoy too much relaxation. One should always follow the middle path.

This song was understood by Gautam Siddhartha. He accepted a short break in meditation that was making his body weak, and accepted milk rice. Gautam Siddhartha’s five followers, who were with him from Rajgrih (also known as Rajgir), were watching this. They immediately left Gautam Siddhartha while thinking of him as a hypocrite. Gautam Siddhartha tried to stop them, but they were adamant about leaving. This made Gautam Siddhartha say: Will alone continue the journey in search of knowledge and will follow the middle path. To test whether his search will end with positive results or not, he throws the utensil given by Savitri into the Niranjana river to see whether it flows opposite direction of the river flow or not. And it did. That means the search will end with positive results, and he continues his journey till he is enlightened under the Peepul tree at Bodhgaya.

Thank you very much, Upendra, for narrating history. Upon the query, why two names for the village?

Upendra said: Earlier this village was known as Senani, but now it is known as Bakraur Village. Nowadays, devotees from all over the world visit this banyan tree to offer prayers and flags. The flag is known as Panchsheel. During the fourth week of meditation, five colors emanated from the body of Lord Buddha, and the flag represents those five colors.

Very informative. Thanks again. And we started our journey towards Sujata Garh, which is nearby. Thanks again, Upendra.

Sujata Garh (Bakraur Village) – Dedicated to the Milkmaid Sujata

• • Bihar, Gaya • Tags:
Sujata Garh (Bakraur Village) – Dedicated to the Milkmaid Sujata

Note: The ancient place where Sujata of village Senani (Bakraur) had offered milk-rice to Siddhartha under the Banyan tree is nearby and visible from Sujata Garh. One should visit.

The guide enhanced our knowledge – Dungeshwari Mountain, where Lord Buddha meditated for 6 years, is 25 km from here via Gaya Town. Walking is 6 miles. After six years of meditation without food, Lord Buddha visited Senani Village and, for the first time, had milk-rice as food offered by Sujata.

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