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Though
this entire Punyadharitri of Ayodhya and its suburb Saketa is soaked
in Rama mahima i.e. Vaishnavism, it is not bereft of Saivate
temples, nor is it inimical towards Saivates. There are many
Sivaalayas here and there and moreover some Vaishnavate temples are
also
housing Sivalingas or images of Parvathi, Eswar, Ganesh and
Subrahmanya. Sectarian dogmatism is conscious by its absence. Would
Rama endure fanaticism in any shape ? That Dharmavathar holds the
scales even eternally. This is evidenced by the existence of
Nageswara Mahadev shrine on the Swargadwara Ram ghat, one of many
pious bathing ghats that the holy Sarayu river is provided with.
This shrine is dedicated to Mahadev and it goes by the name of
Nageswar Mahadev mandir. It enshrines an enchanting Sivalinga. So
pilgrims taking bath in the Sarayu, offer their first prayer to Siva
only. What an oddity that in a Vaishnavate kshetra, Prathama puja is
offered to Siva ! This is the true spirit of Catholocity that
Hinduism embodies and teaches. And Indianness pervading here in its
untained state. Kudos to the saint seers, who not only advocated
universality through their immortal writings, but caused the
erection of temples to putting into practice their ennobling high
ideals.
It
is a famous All-India pilgrim centre, commanding all transport
facilities from any corner of the world. The last rail head is
Fizabad from where journey can be made by auto, taxi, bus or even by
Tonga.
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