The travels of Bengalis in the past
-- Sumana Dam
(Continued from the last part)
The author and his companions left Jaipur and reached a place called Bogru (Bogru). There, the queen has a garden with an established Shiva idol and a sweet water well. In front of it, there are the king's soldiers and six cannons. They stayed there for the night. The next day, they crossed Padu and Bandarisundari (Bandar Sindri) and arrived at Krishna Garh (Kishan Garh). The king here is independent. The capital is very beautiful with excellent arrangements for peace and order. There are lovely gardens and rest houses. The writers explored the palace, fort, and the city. On the following route, they came across the Ban river (Old Canal?). This river produces sambhar salt. After that, they crossed Kauroi and reached Bura Pushkar, which is a large lake with paved ghats around it. On the fifth day, they arrived at Brahma Pushkar.
Here, there is a Shiva temple and a guest house. The author mentions that Pushkar is the foremost among all pilgrimages. There are three Pushkars here: Bura Pushkar, Madhya Pushkar, and Kanistha Pushkar. These three Pushkars are the yajna sites of the trinity of deities: Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. Bura Pushkar is dedicated to Shiva, Madhya Pushkar to Vishnu, and Kanistha Pushkar to Brahma. It takes five krosh to circumambulate the lake. Around the tank are temples and settlements. The water in the lake is pure, with white lotuses blooming, enhancing its beauty. The lake is home to various aquatic animals, including fish, crocodiles, and other creatures. The Pandas (priests) of Pushkar are learned and content with whatever is given to them. There is a three-krosh high hill known as Sabitri Parvat with a temple of Sabitri Devi at its peak. The temple houses an idol of Saraswati. A Bengali widow Brahmin lived in complete solitude on this desolate hill for about forty years, performing penance for Sabitri. Even at night, the priest would descend from the hill, but the ascetic remained alone. The mountain is home to various ferocious animals. In the middle of the path on the mountain, an ascetic, who must be over a hundred years old, resides alone and practices penance.
Pushkar has fifteen ghats, such as Chandra Ghat, Varaha Ghat (where there is an idol of Varaha), Sabitri Ghat, Raj Ghat, Brahma Ghat, Saptarshi Ghat, etc. To the west of the lake is Brahma's temple, where he performed yajna. On the left side of the idol is the idol of Gayatri Devi. There is also an idol of Narada in the temple's courtyard. Near the ghat, there is a Shiva temple called Atmateshwar. It is situated eight hands below the plain. Atmateshwar is the primordial deity of the Pushkar pilgrimage. Initially, worship of this Shiva is required before worshipping all other deities. In some remote and solitary pilgrimage sites, a few ascetics or hermits reside alone in Pushkar. The Pushkar pilgrimage is five-kros h long, with a path through mountains. There are many pilgrimage sites within, including the hermitages of Rishi Marichi, Angira, Atri, Pulastya, and others. There are also pilgrimage sites like Nag Kund, Bamdev Kund, Bhrigu Kund, Kapil Kund, etc. Kapil Ashram is located in a cave in the mountain, and within four hundred hands inside is Kapileshwar Shiva. In another cave, one must navigate through a long tunnel to see Neeleshwar Shiva. After spending some time in Pushkar, the author and his companions set out for Ajmer.
From Pushkar to Ajmer is an eight-krosh hilly path. Ajmer has many wealthy residents and beautifully carved white stone buildings. However, there is no proper drainage system. The place is ruled by the king of Jodhpur, and his fort is situated on a hill. The city has various shops, including those selling white stone utensils, deities' idols, thrones, couches, and Kedara. In Ajmer, there is a revered pīr called Khwaja Sahib, who is highly venerated by both Hindus and Muslims. The author explains this. Earlier, there was a place dedicated to Shiva called Chandranath. A Muslim water carrier was resting with his water container on a tree. Drops of water from the container fell on Shiva's head, which pleased Shiva. Shiva then told the water carrier that he wanted to grant him a boon. The carrier asked Shiva to make his name known instead of Shiva's name. Shiva granted this boon, and a mosque and a grave were built on the Shiva's place, and he became known as Khwaja Sahib. After his death, his descendants have maintained this tradition. The fakirs offer daily worship to Shiva and Khwaja Sahib's offerings together. It is believed that vows made here are fulfilled. The king of Delhi constructed various stone pillars and other structures in the mosque. In the Natmandir (dance temple) in front, dancers continuously perform dance, song, and music. Many fakirs stay in the guest house.
The author with his companions returned to Mathura from Ajmer, passing through Krishna Garh (Kishan Garh), Parasni (Parasoli village), Dudugram (Dudu), Bogru village (Bogru), Baroena village (?), Baudi (?), and on the fifth day reached Jaipur. They visited all the deities and explored the city again. They enjoyed seeing tigers, deer in the king's garden, and water birds in the Pushkarini (tank). After that, they traveled through Ghat Darwaza (Ghat Gate, Jaipur), Mohanpura (Mohanpura), Dosha Gram (Dosa), Sekendra (Sikandra), Beshora (?), Chokrawar (?), Gagraani (?), Shok (Shongkh), Sasa (Shonsha) and on the tenth day arrived in Mathura.
In Vrindavan, the author had the opportunity to witness the Jhulan Yatra (swing festival). Various temples are decorated with golden swings (Hindola), chandeliers, large mirrors, and various items. Festivals and fairs are organized around this event. During the Falgun Purnima (full moon of Falgun), there is a Kumbh fair every twelve years at Vrindavan. After the fair, people go to Haridwar. During this time, Vaishnavas, ascetics, Goswamis, and Naga sadhus from various countries come to Vrindavan and stay on the banks of the Yamuna. The surroundings are filled with devotional songs and prayers. There are twelve akhadas (religious centers) in Vrindavan. At this time, the heads of the akhadas come from their respective seats, accompanied by elephants, horses, camels, nilgais, deer, and blue monkeys. The head of each akhada rides an elephant adorned with silver howdah and golden silver banners. They are served with white cowhide fans, and accompanied by three to four hundred naga guards with golden and silver spears.
After witnessing the Jhulan Yatra in Vrindavan, the author and his companions proceeded towards Haridwar.
(To be continued)
In this episode, the period of the diary is from 24th Ashadh 1261 (8th June 1854) to 4th Chaitra 1261 (18th March 1854).
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