gaya part-2 a wonderful tour by svkindra

Theertha Vidhi at Gaya Kshetra (Significance of Gaya Shraaddham) It is said that Vayu Purana prescribes elaborately the forms of ancestral rites to be performed at Gaya Kshetra. Entire territory of Gaya is said to be very sacred and holy for performing ancestral rites due to the boon received by the demon Gayasura lying down on the banks of river Phalgu on whose body the trinity of Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara had performed sacrifices. It is believed that it was Lord Brahma who first performed the Pinda Daan ceremony at Gaya and the tradition has continued since then. The entire area stretching from the foothills of Vishnu Mountain to Uttar Manas where the river Phalgu flows is considered extremely holy. Offering Pinda daana at this place helps the ancestors to attain salvation. There are many other holy places capable of providing undiminished virtues to the ancestors but the one at Gaya on the banks of river Phalgu is capable of liberating twenty generations of a man. Entire area of Gaya is considered sacrosanct and performing rituals and offering Pinda daan to ancestors at any place within the territory of Gaya helps the departed soul of the ancestors attain to Brahmaloka. Offering Pinda Daan at Akshayavat would not only liberate all his ancestors but also the coming generations from the bondage of Earth. It is said that one should desire for more sons so that even if one of them goes to Gaya and offer Pinda Daan his ancestors would attain full and final satisfaction and attain salvation. Religious scripts suggest that the sacred rites are required to be performed for seven days at different holy centers in Gaya starting at Prethashila and concluding at Akshaya Vat. But due to obvious reasons majority of the pilgrims are visiting this place to complete the rituals within a day, thereby performing only at three or four places mostly at the banks of river Phalgu, at the Vishnu Pada Temple, and at Akshayavat. Though the sacred texts mentions the presence of hundreds of sites at Gaya for performing the rites, at present there are only 45 vedis where sacred rites are performed out of which only 12 sacred sites are commonly visited by the sacrificers. It is also said that most of the ancient sites are now in ruins and some of them have already lost their identity. It is said that as per a survey less than 10% of the people visiting Gaya perform ancestral rites at all the 12 places whereas the majority visit only three places. After performing sacred rites at the banks of river Phalgu the Pindas (rice balls) are offered to the cow there, at Vishnu Pada temple the Pindas are dropped on the Lotus foot of Lord Maha Vishnu, and at Akshayavat they are dropped at the roots of the Banyan tree. There is also a custom and tradition of asking Gaya Brahmins if they are satisfied after performing the ceremony at Akshayavat. According to the legend Brahmins at Gaya do not get satisfied easily and it is only an attempt to make them satisfy by asking them symbolically. As per the legend it is due to a curse given by Goddess Sita Devi. After the cermonies are over charity is given to Brahmins at Gaya in the form of Hiranya Danam (in cash). Of course charity can also be given in kind also if one is prepared in advance like Rice, Ghee, Jaggery, Honey, Grandha (Book), Vasthra, Paada Raksha (Chappals), Umbrella, Hand Stick, Fan, Sayya (Bedding), Phala (Fruits), Bell (Ghanta), Paathra (brass/silver vessel), Asana (Mat), Nava Dhanya which are called shodasa Danas. The best is Anna Danam, feeding Brahmins. It is said and believed that feeding one brahmin at Gaya brings the same virtue what one would get by feeding one crore Brahmins elsewhere. After performing ceremony under the Banyan tree, one is required to shed for rest of the life at least three food items one sweet, one fruit and a one vegetable (besides eating in the leaf of Banyan Tree). The Logic and philosophy is to only get detached from materialistic things and to begin with the food items. One of the maxims of theertha vidhi prohibits from fasting and getting ones head tonsured at Gaya. Similar prohibition is also mentioned for other places like Badrinath, Kurukshetra, Jagannathpuri (Puri). There is no time restriction on the performance of shraddha rituals at Gaya and they can be performed at any time. Pinda Daana is the most important vidhi to be followed at Gaya Kshetra. The moment one reaches Gaya one should immediately offer Pinda Daana and then only visit the temple of Lord Gadhadhara (Vishnu). Gaya is a place where Vedic rites are performed not only for forefathers but also for any one (a friend, an acquaintance) irrespective of the caste, religion or community. Facilities at Gaya for performing rites Some of the religious mutts, theertha purohits hailing from Gaya as well as from other parts of the country (especially south India) provide guidance and offer facilities to the pilgrims for performing ancestral rites. One such venue where facilities are available (stay, food, guide, and Purohit) is at Karnataka Bhavan, Ram Sager, Nai Sadak Road, Near Panch Mahalla, Gaya – 823001. Contact Person: Sri Shodshi M.N. Bacchu Acharya s/o Late M. Narayana Acharya (Purohit), Krishna Acharya or Raghavendra Acharya Tele No: 0631-2435432 – Mobile No: 99318-40631, 99340-23514 (from Gaya Rly station the auto charges will be approx Rs.75 to 100). Charge for the rituals - Rs.750/- per family. Another venue : Manager, Shri Vidyadheesha Bhavana, Uttaradhi Math, Vishnupadamandir, Gaya 823001 - Phone No: 0631-2426311 How to reach Gaya? Gaya town is well connected to the rest of India and the world by rail and road and airways. By Rail: Gaya is the second most important railway junction in the state of Bihar connected to all the four metro cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkatta). It is also directly connected to other important cities like, Patna, Varanasi, Allahabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Nagpur, Puri (Orissa), Ahmadabad etc. It is on the Delhi - Howrah main line. While coming from Delhi, Gaya will be after Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi. While coming from Kolkatta it will be after Patna. By Road: Gaya is well connected by Road to all important major cities. By Air: Gaya Airport is the only international airport in Bihar and Jharkhand taken together. It is an international airport connected to Colombo, Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore and Bhutan. Gaya airport is approx 20 km from Gaya and about 5km from Bodh Gaya. For further details please read Gaya-The Pithru Kshetra (Part-3)