| Temples & Legends Of Bihar |
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| Temples & Legends Of
India |
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MANDAR HILL |
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| The hill
consists of a huge mass of granite overgrown near the summit with low jungles. There are
two temples near the top of the hill, approached by steps cut out of the rock. Mandar Hill
is held very sacred in Hindu mythology and finds mention in the Mandar Mahatmya-a portion
of Skanda Purana. An idea of the antiquity and legend of Mandar Hill can be had properly
in the light of the antiquity and tradition of the district where Mandar Hill is situated. Bhagalpur
district is a part of ancient Anga and is an area hoary with traditions and legends.
Atharva-veda mentions the people of Anga. It is said that Titikshu, the second son of
Mahamanas, the, seventh in descent from Anu, had founded the kingdom Anava and named it
after its ancestors. The Asura king Bali had five kshetraja sons from his wife Sudeshna,
namely, Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Sumha.
The Anava kingdom was expanded under that Asura king and five kingdoms were carved out
of it and named after his five sons. Separated from Magadha by the river Champa, Anga
comprised of the modern districts of Bhagalpur and Monghyr. Malini was the capital of Anga
desha and later on, in Matsya Purana we find mention of Champa Malini as the capital.
There is frequent mention of the place in the Vana Parva of Mahabharata as a place of
pilgrimage. |
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