| The first one
contains eight tirths, Ballal, Varanashi, Manikarnika, Gangasagar, Rama - Lakshmana,
Shali, Kanchan and Ahalya - sangam. The texts ordain that for a proper completion of
religious yatra, the vidhis or rites of snana, dana, shraddha etc. should be performed at
each of these places. The second category that of Pancha - tirths , contains the
Kushavarta, Ganga-dwara, Bilva, Nilaganga and Kankhal. A pilgrimage in conformity with
accepted traditional rituals leads to complete salvation. In addition to the tirths there are various temples and shrines at and near the
village. The chief of these, that of Tryambakeshvar Mahadev is already described. There is
a shrine devoted to Ganga. Here the object of worship is a gracefully cut image in white
marble of Ganga-devi, established in 1879. A big festival is held here during the month of
Magha to celebrate ‘Ganga-avatarana’, the descent of Ganga. This event, as
already noted, took place on the tenth day of the month of Magha. From the first day of
the month to the tenth, apart from ceremonial worship, kirtans, recitation of mantras etc.
take place. On the tenth day food is distributed and a great deal of lighting takes place.
Then there are some other Shiva shrines like the Jareshvar,
Kanchan- eshvar, Tribhuvaneshvar, Kedarnath, Rameshvar, Gautameshvar, Kashi vishvanath and
so on. Each tirth has some shrine near it. There art also temples to Rama, Parashurama,
Krishna, Balaji, Lakshmi- Narayana, Maruti etc. Each of these celebrates its annual
festivals with pomp and fanfare. Most of these are constructed by rich devotees who have
made provision for annual grants as well. The large number of tirths and shrines of this
kshetra are indicative of the influence the kshetra enjoyed and enjoys even today. |
