The travels of Bengalis in the past
Sumana Dam
(Continued from the last part)
After spending about a month in Vrindavan, the author Yadunath Sarvadhikari set out on the twelve forests circumambulation, or the 84 krosh circumambulation. First, he visited Bhojontila, where he saw that Lord Krishna had once taken alms and dined with the sages. There was a temple on the hill with Krishna depicted in the attire of a cowherd. Next, he went to Akroor Ghat, where Akroor had bathed in the Yamuna River while bringing Krishna and Balarama to Mathura. Here, there were idols of Krishna, Balarama, and Akroor. Then came the temple of Bhuteshwar Shiva and Patala Devi or Maheshwari Devi.
The author proceeded to Madhuban, where he bathed in the sacred pond Krishna Kund and had a vision of Madhubihari Thakur. He then traveled two krosh to Talban. In Kumudvan, he saw Kumudvihari Thakur, Kumudkund, and the temple of Kapil Muni. He returned to Madhuban and spent the night there. The next day, he bathed in Shantanu Kund, had a vision of Shantanubihari Thakur, and visited Behulakund and the Radha Krishna temple in Behulavan, where he stayed overnight.
On the following day, he visited Ashta Sakhi Kund and saw Shyam Kund, Radha Kund, and the pedestal with Radha Krishna's footprints beneath the Tamala tree. There was a guesthouse for devotees to stay, with many fish and turtles in the kunds, which were not harmed. The forest had many peacocks and monkeys.
The author then set out to circumambulate the Govardhan Hill, which is large but not very high, covered with grass and trees. On the hill was a statue of Gopal. King of Bharatpur had donated many divine properties to Govardhan Hill. He visited Kusum Sarovar, Narad Kund, Bhanu Kund, Manasi Ganga, Chakra Tirtha, Rupa Sanatana Goswami’s bhajan kutir (where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had visited), Brahma Kund, Pap Mochan, and many other holy places.
From Govardhan, he went to Deeg village or Lathaban, where the residence of the King of Bharatpur was located, which was very well decorated. There were arrangements for travelers to stay at the royal guesthouse. From Deeg, he moved to Kamyavan, visiting Bimal Kund and Bimala Devi. The next day, he saw Yashoda Kund, Surya Kund, Lukluk Kund, Charan Hill, and Krishna Kund in Kamyavan, and the temples of Sri Govindji, Gopinathji, and Madan Mohanji.
In Govindji’s temple, there were temples of Vrindadevi and Jagannathji on either side. He saw the Yajna site of Yudhishthira’s forest exile, the house of the 84 Pillars, and the idols of the Pandavas and Draupadi. During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, all the deities of Vrindavan were kept in Kamyavan. From Kamyavan, he went to Barsana, where he visited Deh Kund, Vrishabhanu Kund, the Narayani Temple, and the Ashta Sakhi Kund.
On the way from Barsana to Nandgram, he saw the statues of Sanket Vat and Yogamaya Devi, and reached Nandgram. There, he visited Nand Ghosh’s residence, the statues of Nand, Yashoda, Krishna, and Balarama on the hill, Ayravat Kund, the Keli Kadamba tree, and the Pavan Sarovar. From Nandgram, he visited Swas Kund, Kadamb Khandi, Surya Kund, Kishori Kund, Jabut, Rassthali, and Khadir Van before arriving at Kokil Van, visited Kokil Vihari Thakur temple.
He then saw Vishnu’s Ananta Shayana deity and the Kshir Sagar pond at Sher Shai. Next, he visited the temples of Govindji, Gopinathji, and Madan Mohanji. The following destination was Nandghat, where Sri Jiva Goswami’s bhajan kutir is located. He first saw Bhadravan and then the Banyan tree of Bhandeer, which is Gopal’s pasture field. Next, he went through Bel Van, Pani Ghat, and Andi Nandi Van to arrive at Baldev.The priests of this area are very cunning and deceitful, causing harm to travelers. The next destination was Mahavan or Gokul, which is Nand Ghosh’s home. His house is on a high mound and at that time had an office of the Tehsildar. The author visited all places associated with Gopal’s memories. Three krosh north of this place is Raowl village, which is the residence of King Vrishabhanu, and the birthplace of Radha Rani.
Having visited all these places, he crossed the Yamuna near Kograam, ascended to Nawarangabad, and arrived in Mathura. This circumambulation took about 15 days, covering 84 krosh, or approximately 250 kilometers. Although the Vrindavan circumambulation still exists today, most of these places are now lost.
( To be continued )
In this episode, the period of the diary is from 25th Jyeshth 1262 (7th June 1855) to 19th Magh 1262 (2nd February 1856).
Dear Reader : Your feedback matters! Please take a moment to leave a comment and share your thoughts on this post. I'd love to hear from you!
No comments:
Post a Comment