8. Tirtha Mangal 3 Bijayram Senbisharad

Travels of Bengalis in the past

----- Sumana Dam

             (Continued from the last part)

Krishnachandra Ghoshal and his fellow travelers arrived again at Fatwa, where the Punpun River merges with the Ganges. There, they performed Shraddha and Tarpan, making offerings of pindas. By the leader's command, everyone abandoned cooked rice and betel leaves. Next, they reached the Hilsa sahar, which had beautiful gardens. They stayed there, and to avoid the sun, Ghoshal mahasaya started traveling by boat at night. They then arrived at Islampur, a very beautiful city where people drink water from the Indara or well. After traveling by boat at night, they reached Gaya at dawn.

The leader, along with everyone, traveled in a palanquin and on horses. On the way, they had to pay fees at various checkpoints, supposedly to a wealthy person named Madhab Ram. The leader stayed at the garden house of King Ramnarayan. On that day, prominent people from Gaya came to meet the leader. They learnt about the Falgu River, the lofty mountains, and other details. The women of Gaya were described as exceptionally beautiful and moved gracefully. Everyone practiced restraint, as misdeeds would lead to hell. Ghoshal mahasaya and all the travelers then proceeded to perform the Shraddha rituals in Gaya. With the help of Gaya’s priests, they made donations and offerings of food to Brahmins by the Falgu River, and gave a penny each to fakirs and Vaishnavas to complete the rites.

The next day, they visited Ramshila and the site of the crow sacrifice. At the extremely high Ramshila, everyone made pindas. They bowed to the statue of Lord Ram at the mountain peak, offered pindas in the Ram lake and completed shraddha at Kakboli before returning. The following day, after bathing in the Falgu River and visiting the Preta Shila, they made pindas and then offered Tarpan at Brahmakund. In the heat, everyone returned home and had curd with rice. He remarked that nowhere else was curd as good as in Gaya. The next day, pindas were offered at the Panchatirtha. The five holy places are Uttar Manas, Udeechi, Kankhal, Dakshin Manas, and Jivalol. Afterwards, the leader traveled in a palanquin to Dharmaranya, a place full of beggars.

They then proceeded to Bodh Gaya, which had many stone statues of deities. The following day, after bathing and performing Tarpan at Brahma Sarovar, they continued their journey. The leader provided a feast for the Brahmins. In the morning, pindas were offered at Vishnu Rudrapad.

For two days, pindas were offered at the sixteen Vedis, as described by the poet in this text: Brahmapad, Kartik Pad, Satya Path, Dakshinagni Pad, Ahvaniya Pad, Chandrapad, Dadichi Pad, Ganesh Pad, Surya Pad, Karan Pad, Matanga Pad, Krouncha Pad, Panchganesh, Kashyap Pad, Abasthya, Gharhpati, and Agastya. The poet also described the Eight Pilgrimages as follows: Ramgaya, Sita Kund, Gaya Shir, Gaya Kup, Mundapith, Adi Gaya, Dhautapad, Bhim Gaya, Goprachara, and Gadalol. Krishna Chandra Ghoshal made pindas at these eight places. He made a generous donation to the Akshay Daan Sagar, giving gold jewelry, five hundred rupees, and other items to the Pandit. The other travelers contributed according to their means.

The next day, they visited Vishnu Pad and gave eight tolas of gold. They performed additional worship of Gadadhar and Gayeshwari. On that day, with a cook from Maharashtra, they prepared a feast for fourteen Gaya residents. (To be continued)

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