The purpose of this trip :- To perform rituals to our departed ancestors during Pitru Paksha. Pitru Paksha is a word derived from Pitru Loka meaning the ancestral world. Paksha is the phase of the moon. Normally 365 days is equal to one single day in pitruloka. This period of Pitru Paksha comes every year, for a time span of 15 days and is the occasion where the eldest member of the family offers homage to their ancestors by way of performing rites.
Lord Krishna says to Arjuna that there is an element in the body that never gets destroyed,according to sutra in naryana shastra the quality of the tree is determined by the quality of the seed.
You are made of pitra’s you are the tree of their seed,according to yogic view point when you are offering to the ancestors you are being grateful to them for your existence the meaning of shraadh is shradha(trust,faith,acceptance)by offering your shradha you are purifying yourself.
Normally the rites are performed by offering pinda(Rice ball preparation )and Til (black sesame seeds )called Tila- Tarpana along with water. The names of 3 generations of the departed soul are recited with Gothra, of both paternal and maternal side. It is recited with Vedic rituals normally in presence of a pandit (priest )
Subsequently to Prayag Raj by cab.
14th morning we commenced our rituals @7:30am . Ganesh Shastrighal from shiva madham was our Pandit (priest ),we conducted the rituals under his able guidance. He is a simple, renowned and down to earth person ,he explained the 3 basic aspects of performing rituals at Prayag , Kashi and Gaya, over and above the Shradham rituals to be done for our pitarkal at these 3 places.
Firstly ‘Mundan’at Prayag ,this is done for cleansing our past deeds and actions i.e.accumulated Papa-Puniya by Karma. By mundan (shaving /hair cut )we are surrendering ourselves to lord Vishnu and Brahma.
Secondly ‘Dhandan’at kashi i.e.Paying obeisance to Mahadeva for all our past Karma .
Finally ‘Pindan’at Gaya to liberate all the departed souls.
At Prayag we performed 1) Sankalpam 2)Venidhanam 3) Triveni Sangama Snanam 4)Theertha Shradham. After all rituals are done, the dothi & 9 yard saree worn during the Shradham is given as dhanam (chairty). Here we prayed for all our ancestors, by performing Theertha Shradham.
Triveni Sangham : The point where the 3 holy rivers Ganga ,Yamuna & Sarswathi meet together is known as ‘ Triveni Sangham ‘ Here Saraswathi is virtual (not seen) and hidden deep inside. The significance of this place is that, here the Kartha ( the person performing the rituals ) brings ‘Sethu Madhava’ (Sand from Rameshwaram temple ) makes a Shiva Lingam from the same and then performs tila-tarpanam & pooja. Subsequently the lingam is immersed at the triveni sangham.
Next the ‘Venidhanam’ ritual is performed. Here both the partners perform rituals, the wife washes the feet of her husband , next the husband combs the wife’s hair and ties a plait , the 3 crossed pinnal indicates the Ganga Yamuna and Sarswathi. In this place we get a chance to purify our past Karma’s. Here both the partners cut their hair (slight tip of the hair ) as an antonement of their past Karma’s
Banaras :-Ancient city of India older than history itself. ” Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together “- Mark Twain .
It is a belief in kashi that : 1) Flower’s lack fragrance 2) Dogs don’t bark 3) Corpse do not eminate foul odour 4) Cattle are friendly 5) Crows are rarely sighted. We also found this true, to a very large extent.
The Do’s :- 1)Whenever you meet a pandit greet him with pranam. Whenever you visit Kalbhairav do collect the kalbhairav black raksha thread and carry this with you. When you visit matha Annapoorneshwari do collect the akshata prasad, as it is very auspicious, this akshata is to be kept in the container where you store your daily cooking rice. This signifies that throughout your life, you will never have any problem eating annam ( rice ) 2)When you visit a restaurant do check for Sathvik food (served without onion and garlic) 3)Do have early morning darshan at ghats, as normally it is less crowded 4)At your convenience, do visit Mahadev mandir early morning for Mangal Aarti between 3am to 4am, Sparsh Darshan between 4pm to 7pm and Sandhya Aarti 7pm to 8:15pm.
Dont’s :- 1)Avoid carrying heavy luggage, as normally you will have to commute through narrow lanes .2)Avoid going deep into the ghats while having a dip in the Ganges, at times it could be dangerous because of the cross current .3)Avoid ice-cold drinks at times this could upset your stomach 4) Don’t depend on your GPS timer, as normally many roads are closed due to traffic congestion. Traffic is then diverted through narrow lanes. Hence your schedule can go for a toss.
Ganges early morning view :- According to Indian Purana there are 5 key ghats – stone river bank having steps which provide access to the Ganges.
There are 87 Ghats in Banaras. Each ghat has a history of its own. The prominent ones are Assi Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Kedar Ghat, Panchganga Ghat , Dashashwemedh ghat, Harishchandra Ghat and Adi Keshav Ghat .
Hanuman Ghat Plays an important role as many of the Pandit’s (Priest’s) reside near this location , Dasaswamedh ghat is very sacred ,as Lord Brahama performed ten ashwamedha sacrifices. Here in the evening you will witness the Ganga Arathi. Normally all rituals are held near this ghat. Meer Ghat is an excellent location for serene beauty and meditation.
Best Ghat to have an holy dip :-3-important ghats are Manikarnika, Dasaswamedh and Panch Ganga ghats
To take bath at the above 3-Ghats is called as Tri-Tirtha Yatra
We had our accommodation booked in Ganapathi guest house, situated on the banks of the holy Ganges. Due to this reason, the guest house is mostly frequented by international guests. This place is also very near to Gadolia chowk, which is the heart of Banaras and is a prominent, strategic location .
Superb stay at Ganpathi guest hous. It has rooms with a majestic view of the holy Ganges. In earlier days prior to the British rule ,there were haveli’s ( palace ) dedicated to the Princely Province of different regions. Each of these provinces had set up their own haveli’s near the ghats. Ganapathi guest house is one of the. This structure is over 80 years old, the restaurant serves Satvik food. The staff are very courteous and cooperative. Since the place is situated at the ghat the lanes are narrow, this restricts the movement of vehicles.
All the famous temples mentioned earlier, are situated in the close vicinity of this location, which is another great advantage .
Street Food at Kashi :-Few to name are 1) Laxmi Chai Wale 80-year old joint famous for tea and toast butter. 2)Shree Cafe serves some authentic Indian cuisine 3)Kashi chat Bhandar signature dish Tamatar chat ,Aloo tikki ,Dhai Phalak Chat 4)SriRajbhandu Mistan their speciality is Ghilorie sweet wrap made of Mawa stuffed with dry fruits , vaikunth Rajbhog – tastes good. 5)Sardhar Papadwalla near Katchori wali Galli next to manikarnika ghat, famous for its varities of Banarsi Papad
Kashi culture and practices
Kishan maharaj
15/9/22 got up at 3:30 am to witness the early morning activities at the ganges. At 7am proceeded to Hanuman ghat to perform our Religious rites under the able guidance of Sri Mahadeva Ganapadigal we performed 1)Shankalpa Maha Prayaschitham 2)Manikarnika chakra Theertha Snanam3)Teertha Shradham Pravana 5)Pancha ganga pinda shradham 6)Dampati pooja. Travelled by boat to perform Pancha ganga pinda shradham. The 5-Ghats were 1)Assi Ghat (Haridwar teertham)2)Dasashvamedh ghat (Rudra Sarvara Teertham)3)Mani Karnika Ghat ,(Mani Karnika Teertham)4)Panch ganga ghat (Panch Maha Teertham)5)Trilochan ghat (Vishnu Padodhaka Teertham)
1)Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirling Mandir.
2)Kashi Vishalakshi .
3) Annapoorneshwari .
4)Sankata Mochan hanuman.
5)Kala Bhairava.
6)Dhundi Ganapathy.
7)Tridev Temple .
8))Dhandapani temple .
9)Bindu Mahadev .
10)Kowdi Mata.
11)Tulsi Manas Temple.
12)Gowari Kedareshwar *Near Kala Bhairava ,Daranagar
Finally do visit the Mahamrityunjay Mahadev temple. As this is the only temple dedicated to Mahamrityunjay.
Gaya :17/9/22 Reached Bodhgaya by Nandan Kanan Express at 23:30Hrs Checked into hotel Polymax. On 18/9/22 reached Karnataka Bhavan at 7:30 On that day there were 80 families performing their rituals these families were from Kerala ,Karnataka,Andhra&TN.
At Gaya we performed 1)Palguni Teertha Shradham 2)Vishnu padha shradham 3)Akshyavata Annashradham 4)Trupthi Prasanam Shambhala vasanam. Over 256 pindams were offered to all our Piturkals, all known acquaintances and also for all unknown souls. The above rituals commenced at 9:30am and concluded by 6:30Pm
At Akshyavata performed the last rites – Gaya
Ganga pooja At Maheshwari Bhuvan
Ganga pooja was performed at home, indicating the conclusion of our yatra to Prayag ,Kashi&Gaya. Pooja of the holy Ganga water along with devi Annapoorneshwari idols was performed. Subsequently we distributed the same to our family members.
The Divine Yatra 