Day 5 -
After having bath and finishing morning prayers at our hotel, we went to the banks of Shivala ghat where a boat had been arranged by the Vadhyar. This was a motorised boat and about 6-7 other couples were also present - mostly old couples. We were the youngest couple in the group.
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| Boat used to go across various ghats for pinda danam |
We were to do the Panch Theertha Shraadham also known as Panchaghatta Shradhham on this day.The process entails visiting 5 holy spots in Ganga - Assi ghat, Dashashwamedha Ghat, Adi Keshav Ghat located where Varuna & Ganga rivers meet, Panchganga Ghat where 5 holy rivers viz Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Kirana and Dhutpapa are believed to spiritually meet and Manikarnika Ghat where Shiva gives moksha to departing souls.
We went in the motorised boat inside the river Ganga and performed Pinda danam (17 pindams) at each of the ghats mentioned above. The cooking of the rice, the preparation of the pindams and the danam rituals were all conducted within the boat. A vadhyar accompanied us to help in the process. The ladies were busy preparing pindams and the menfolk with the rituals. This was done at each 5 different holy spots within the river. So, rice cooking and pindam preparation and danam were done 5 times within a span of about 3 hours. That was quite a task especially for the ladies who had to cook in a rocking boat on makeshift stoves.
We were supposed to have ritual bath at each holy spot but, as the water was deep, we were content in taking mugs of water and pouring it over ourselves in the boat itself. So, we were wet most of the time during the boat ride.
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| Bindu Madhavar |
At one ghat called 'Assi Ganga' we disembarked and had a darshan of Lord Vishnu at the Bindu Madhavar temple. This entailed a climb of nearly 100 steps to reach the small but very vibrant temple. The main deity is a large Shaligram which gives out powerful vibrations. This is a must visit temple during any visit to Kashi.
After we finished all 5 pinda danams, we returned to the Shivala ghat and performed Ganga pooja there. This was a brief 10 minute affair wherein we offered flowers etc. to the holy river Ganga.
After this, we went to Vadhyar's house and performed Dam-pati pooja of Kashi Vishweshwar and Annapoorna. A local brahmin couple was invited and the deities were invoked into them and a full pooja was done including gifting them with Veshti- Angavastram and 9 Yards Saree.
Later, we had lunch at a local mami's house (Lalitha mami). This was excellent home made food served with love. The meal, served on a banana leaf, consisted of rice, sambhar, kootu, vegetables, curd pachadi, rasam, buttermilk etc. The atmosphere was almost like we were having a traditional meal at home.
After lunch, we left for Gaya by car. The route to Gaya is excellent - it is a tolled four lane highway. Just before reaching Gaya, we went to Bodh Gaya and had darshan at the famous Buddha temple there. It is an excellent must visit place. Keep sufficient time for this place - at least 3 hours.
After reaching Gaya, we went to a local Vadhyar's place who was referred to us by our Vadhyar in Kashi. He has a 2 storied building with about 10-12 rooms in each floor with common toilets. The rooms are compact and have hardly any furnishing. As it was very warm and the rooms had little ventilation, our bedsheets (which we had carried) came handy here as we slept on the floor. We didn't use the bed in view of the heat, although we got thick mattress and pillows from the vadhyar.
At night we had light tiffin & fruits that we had carried from Kashi. Power supply is a big problem in Gaya. Frequent cuts and fluctuating voltage. Please make sure you carry a torch if you are visiting Gaya.
To be continued...
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