DEVGHAT DARSHAN AND ITS RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE TO THE HINDU PEOPLE

There is a unique country that is located between India and China. Many people may know about the country and many may not. However, the country is incredibly unique in many aspects which is worth knowing. The name of that amazing country is Nepal and Nepal is something else entirely. The country located between India and China is famous for many things and among them, one reason is gods and goddesses. Nepal is sometimes called the land of gods and goddesses.

Various reason is present there for calling the country the land of the gods. One of the main reasons that people visit Nepal or make Nepal among other countries is its religion. Yes, the country is incredibly beautiful and people love it for the mountains and natural resources. However, there is more than the country than natural resources and now let us know about it.

The country has the holiest sites of the Hindu religion and Buddhist religion. Pashupati Nath, Mukti Nath, Lumbini, Devghat, Krishna mandir, are some of the major religious sites of the country where yearly many people visit to pay their respect and worship.

Nepal

As we have already talked about where Nepal is on the map. Now, let us talk about this country in detail. Nepal was founded in 1768, before that the area where India is and where Nepal was composed of many smaller kingdoms and many kings. It was Prithvi Narayan Shah who united the smaller states and gave birth to unified Nepal.

Nepal lies below the Himalayan range that separates it from China while the plains of Terai are on the border of India on the southern side.

Nepal is known for its beauty and culture in the world. The country has many unique things to share with the world however this thing comes to the top when talking about the country. Let us keep the beauty and natural resources of Nepal and get immersed in the gods of the country.

Why is Nepal called the land of gods and goddesses?

Nepal is often called the land of gods and goddesses. As we discussed there are several reasons for it. The main reason for that is the country has the holiest site of Hinduism and Buddhism. There are even places where the people of the Hindu religion and Buddhist religion worship at the same place.

Another reason is the country is filled with temples and Stupas that are extremely ancient. Some are so ancient that they belong to hundreds of years. The oldest temple of Nepal is Changu Narayan that is believed to be 3000 years old. Some other monuments and temples follow the same pattern of being extremely ancient.

Nepal has temples and stupas in every part of it. Even the most remote parts of Nepal have temples and monasteries that are dedicated to various gods.

Nepal mostly follows Hinduism and we all know how many gods and goddesses are in Hinduism.

Due to the reasons like these Nepal is sometimes referred to as the land of gods and goddesses.

Devghat

Devghat is located at 150Km southwest of Kathmandu valley. The intersection points of Kali Gandaki and Seti Gandaki. It is one of the holiest sites for Hindu worshippers and they wish in their life one time to visit this spot. The big settlement around this region is Narangath which is 7km away from it. Not just the intersection points of the rivers but the entire area is holy. In the Devghat area also there is a decent settlement of people.

There are many houses and many people live there in various regions. Some choose this place as they want to get involved in the Dharma and do the good deeds and recite the name of the almighty by being there, some are here for business as many people arrive here for religious purposes. More the people better the business booms. While some live here because their parents lived here and it is where their home is.

Temples of Devghat

Devghat is not a temple or a certain small area it is a huge location with many things. More than the religious site it is a religious area where there are many temples and monuments. Radha Krishna temple, Sita Ram temple, Laxmi Narayan temple, Bageshori temple, Goddess Sita’s cave, Basistha cave, Galeshor temple, Maula Kalika temple are some of the major temples of the area.

There are many other temples and monuments in this area also. Each of these temples has its religious value and role in the religious activities of Devghat. While these temples have a great part in the religious activities of Devghat they are not the only places here where religious activities are performed.

Dharamshala’s of Devghat

Devghat is also famous for its Dharamshala’s. A Dharamshala is a place where people can rest and live for some time. They are public property and anyone who is in a problem or does not have the place to stay can go there and stay. These places are constructed around the places where there are huge holy sites. In the huge holy sites, many people come some from extremely far away and some even from other countries.

Dharamshala is the place where they can rest and be in shade on sunny days and be safe in the rains. Devghat is one of the holiest sites of Nepal and Hinduism has many Dharamshala built in its territory

Events of Devghat

Devghat is a noticeably big and holy site with high divinity and spirituality. Various rituals are performed here to keep the divinity intact of the places and of the people who perform it. Hindu religion revolves around puja, rituals, and various holy activities.

The performing of Yagya and other holy rituals have been mentioned in the scriptures and texts that are believed to be thousands of years old. The Hindu people performed these rituals for various purposes. Some of the Yagya and rituals were believed to be so powerful that they were able to change the laws of nature itself. Spatha, eka, Yagya, Puran, Graha Shanti, Nawa, are some of the activities that are performed here.

Aashram of Devghat

There are many Aashram in Devghat. This Aashram plays an excessively key role in maintaining the religious atmosphere of Devghat. In ancient Hindu texts, an Aashram is a place where a spiritual leader lives and teaches his student’s various religious practices and gives them the knowledge that he has.

There are various Aashram present in Devghat. Hari hara, galeshor, Mahesh Sanyas, Sharana gati are some of the most famous Aashram of Devghat. All these Aashram are led by one or multiple religious Gurus and they have a significant role here in Devghat. They are the spiritual leaders and they plan and do the activities that need to be done to maintain various things there. In the Aashram many children stay there to study.

The main work of Aashram is to provide education to the children. Here various gurus and spiritual leaders instruct the children. The children of various places of Nepal come here to study and they must stay there to learn from the teachers. In the Aashram the children are taught the Sanskrit language and various other Hindu rituals.

They start from an incredibly early age and by the late teenage, they are very fluent in the Sanskrit language and the Hindu rituals. The children also help in the activities of Mela to conduct it safely acting as the volunteers there.

Mela of Devghat

In the Makar Sankranti there is a huge mela at Devghat. Hindu people take bath in the early hours of the day of Sankranti, it is one of the rituals they do. Many prefer to take bath at the holy rivers during Sankranti. Also, there are 12 Sankranti in total and some of them are associated with rivers and specific rituals.

On the first day of Magh month is the Makar Sankranti and there takes place a huge mela at Devghat. People from various places of Nepal arrive in Devghat to take bath at the joining of Seti Gandaki and Kali Gandaki. After, taking bath at the river people worship the temples and the holy caves there. It is believed those people who bathe in the holy waters of Devghat get their sins and bad fates washed by the water there.

Shradh

Shradh is a Hindu ritual where the living relatives provide pinda to their deceased ones. The son is the one who gives pinda to his parents and other elders who have passed away. It is done on the tithi on which they had left the world and on the Sora sarad which is done before the celebration of Vijaya Dashami. Devghat is one of the holiest sites there is and the merge of the holiest rivers of Hindu mythology.

It is believed that if pinda is given to the people who have passed away by their relatives then they can achieve moksha and become one with the god himself. There are several places in the world where people offer Pinda to their passed loved ones and help them to gain moksha. Gaya, Devghat, Gokarna, are some of the places where these rituals are performed.

Briddha Aashram

Briddha Aashram in English is simply the old people’s home. In Devghat also there are many old peoples home. In the Briddha Aashram live and dedicate their lives to God and his name chanting. Some of the old people live here by their own decision and decide to come and live there.

They say that they had run after many things in life after family, wealth, and such things. Now, they do not want to run after anything and dedicate their remaining life in the service of God and leave this life in that holy place.

Kali Gandaki river

Kali Gandaki is one of the rivers whose intersection is Devghat. It has great religious importance. However, Kali Gandaki as a river also has such religious importance and is one of the holiest Hindu River there is. Kali Gandaki is famous in the world because it is the only place in the world where Saligram stones are found. They are the shiny black stones that are believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

When Brinda curded lord Vishnu to be the stone, then Vishnu appeared in the form of Saligram. There are also varieties of Saligram, some are so big that it is even hard to lift them by a single person while some are exceedingly small. The type of Saligram symbolizes the ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu also and is of many types. Due to this reason, Kali Gandaki is regarded as sacred among the rivers of Nepal.

Mythology of Devghat

There is the mention of Devghat in various Hindu mythology, Bhagavat, Ramayana, and others. It is also said that Sage Vasistha used to meditate in Devghat. There is also Vasistha gufa in Devghat.

Many mythologies are surrounding Devghat. However, these mythologies do not exactly tell how Devghat was originated. The water of the Holy kali Gandaki and Seti Gandaki makes the holiest of the places in Hinduism. After all, Saligram is the stone form of Lord Vishnu and the river itself becomes special.

There are also some stories regarding Devghat. It is said that various gods occasionally come to visit the place and even to bathe in the holy waters of Devghat.

In ancient times, Lord Vishnu took the form of a boar to kill Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha was an immensely powerful demon and was blessed by Lord Brahma to make the wish. He wished him to not be killed by the things and organisms whose name he was going to tell Lord Brahma. Boar was the only thing he forgot to tell the name to Lord Brahma.

Thus, Lord Vishnu to kill Hiranyaksha took the form of the boar which was the only thing that could kill him. The battle waged on many times and finally, Lord Vishnu took the life of the demon.

Lord Vishnu completed the purpose for which he incarnated as the boar but his anger and rage did not calm down. Then Lord Vishnu in the form of angry boar war going here and there to calm his anger. In time he reached Devghat and after bathing in the water his ager got down, according to Varaha Puran.