Jai Badri Vishal Ki!
ManiBhadrapuri (Mana Village), Vasudhara and Muchukunda Gufa
Manibhadrapuri (Mana Gaon)
Badri Kshetra is one of the most outstanding and ancient pilgrimage tirthas on the Himalayas. Bhagavan Narayana Himself resides here. The next day, after MahaAbhishek at
Badrinath, we headed towards Mana village. Mana is known as ManibhadraPuri in ancient
literature. It is dedicated to Yaksha Chief Manibhadra. Mana is a heritage village in the
district of Chamoli. It is about 3 km from Badrinath temple at an altitude of 3200 meters.
On one side of the route, the flawless Alakananda River enchants every viewer. Gorgeous mountains rise up on the other side of the route. Mana is the last village on NH 58, before the Mana pass and is 24 kms from the border of India and Tibet/China. Mana pass is located within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. It is the source of the Saraswati River, and one of the longest Ganges tributaries, the Alakananda River. Alakananda trickles through several scenic small ponds between the Mana pass and Lake Deo Tal three km southwest of the pass.
On one side of the route, the flawless Alakananda River enchants every viewer. Gorgeous mountains rise up on the other side of the route. Mana is the last village on NH 58, before the Mana pass and is 24 kms from the border of India and Tibet/China. Mana pass is located within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. It is the source of the Saraswati River, and one of the longest Ganges tributaries, the Alakananda River. Alakananda trickles through several scenic small ponds between the Mana pass and Lake Deo Tal three km southwest of the pass.
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| Gantakarna temple: Mana |
The people at Mana are very calm,
hard-working and quiet Indo-Mongolian tribes. Each wooden house with some
stones has a backyard kitchen garden where they grow vegetables, fruits and
nice flowers. People are seen making their own masalas for cooking. We walked through the entire village and even visited their
adhistatri devata, the Gantakarna temple. Women are not allowed to enter this
temple. The walk was very refreshing in midst of heavenly Himalayan surroundings.
Kuwari villagers of Mana offer a woolen shawl/coat to Lord BadriNarayan on the
closing day of the temple, which is put for the winter.
Seshnetra
Before we reached Mana we visited Sheshnetra: This is on the route to Mana. Situated in the lap of Nar Parvat, it is a boulder
having an impression of the legendary snake, Sheshnag (Adhiseshan). The formation of an eye on
the boulder is natural. It is situated at a distance of 1.5km from Badrinath.
Anantha Sesha guards the sacred temple of Lord Badrinath.
Keshava Prayag
Keshava prayag, is the place, where
River Saraswati emerging from the glacier confluences with river Alakananda. On
banks of Saraswati at Keshava prayag there exists Śamyāprāsa Tirth.
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| Keshava Prayag |
Nara Narayan Parvat
On the way, we got a beautiful view
of Nara and Narayana parvat. In-between Nara and Narayana mountains, beautiful Alakananda flows. Badri
Vishal temple is located on Narayana parvat. When Bhagiratha brought Ganga with
force on to the earth to pass through Himalaya, Himalaya stopped it. Then Airavata (Indra’s elephant),
pierced the Himalaya through his ivory, which created split in the mountain as Nara and Narayana
parvata, and let the Ganga flow in between.
South of Saraswati coming from the mountains is Indrapad Tirtha, where Lord Indra conducted Tapasya. Indra dhara is about 1.5 kilometers north of the town Badripuri. Devotees do Sukla paksha trayodashi snan and vrat here.
South of Saraswati coming from the mountains is Indrapad Tirtha, where Lord Indra conducted Tapasya. Indra dhara is about 1.5 kilometers north of the town Badripuri. Devotees do Sukla paksha trayodashi snan and vrat here.
People in
India may visit the temple of Nara-Nārāyaṇa at Badarikāśrama just to learn how
the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Nara-Nārāyaṇa engages
in austerities to teach the people of the world how to achieve
self-realization. It is impossible to realize oneself simply by absorbing
oneself in speculation and material activities. One must be very serious about
self-realization and the practice of austerity.
(Srimad
Bhagavatam--5:19:9).
Ganesha Gufa
In Mana, we visited Ganesha Gufa where Lord
Ganesha wrote the Mahabharata while Veda Vyasa narrated it. There is also a
very interesting story related to the place that explains the broken tusk of Lord Ganesh. When Vyas was composing the
Mahabharata, he needed someone to take down his dictation and asked the learned
Ganesha for the same. Ganesh agreed but he had a condition – That Vyas would
not stop even for a moment or else he would stop writing and leave. What
ensued further was a mini competition between the two. Vyas dictating as fast
as he could, and Ganesh bent down over the script pages. His pen was racing
furiously in the wind. Finally, His reed pen broke. To which, He broke off a
part of his tusk to be used as a pen thereon.
Vyasa Gufa
From here, we went to Veda Vyasa
Gufa, where Veda Vyasa maharshi resided and composed four vedas. The gufa is
also called Vyas Pothi on the accounts of river Saraswathi. There is life size
marble idol of Vyasa Maharshi here writing a granth. Next to him, there is white idol of Vallabhacharya. In addition to Mahabharat,
Vyas Maharishi composed 18 puranas (legendary stories), Brahma Sutras and
classified the Vedas into 4 parts – Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. This is the great place where MahaBharatha and Srimad Bhagavatham were written. It is
only in this cave that Adi Shankara is believed to have met Maharishi Vyas and
discussed his Sankara Bhashyam (explanatory notes) for Brahma Sutras.
Rock formation inside the Vyas Gufa
appears to resemble the orderly stacking of palm leave manuscripts – oldest
writing material and is worshipped as Vyas Pusthak. Maharishi Vyas is also
considered, as reincarnation of Vishnu. While Vyasa was narrating Mahabharata,
river Saraswati was flowing with great noise. Since that was disturbing him,
Vyasa requested Saraswati to flow calmly. On refusal, Vyasa maharshi diverted
Saraswatl’s course and flow as a hidden river. We can see Saraswati river upto a
point and then she confluences with Alakananda at Keshava Prayag. Another stream of hers flows as AntarVahini (hidden river) and merges with Ganga and
Yamuna at Prayag in Allahabad Sangam.
Once upon a
time he (Vyāsadeva), as the sun rose, took his morning ablution in the waters
of the Sarasvatī and sat alone to concentrate.
The River Sarasvatī is flowing
in the Badarikāśrama area of the Himalayas. So the place indicated here is Śamyāprāsa
in Badarikāśrama, where Śrī Vyāsadeva is residing.
(Srimad
Bhagavatam--1:4:15).
We sighted some saints here Vyasa Gufa and took their blessings. They also gave us some Badri berries which were edible and tasty. Near the Vyasa Gufa is “India’s last tea shop” at Mana. Each tourist does stop at this tea stall to have tea for sure.
Bhim Pul
From here we went to Bhim Pul, a
huge rock formed as a bridge across river Saraswati. Panch Pandavas went to
Satopanth through this route. When Pandavas were crossing this river on their
Swargarohini, Draupadi could not cross. Then Bhim lifted a huge rock and placed
it over the river to form a natural bridge, thereby making it easier for her to
cross the river. The view from the bridge is truly spectacular.
Saraswati River and temple
Saraswati River gushing out in between rocks is a very spectacular site. Saraswati is Goddess of
knowledge. River Saraswati flows to the north of Brahma Kund. Lord Vishnu established the Vagdevi River as Deva Rupi Vedas, Jnaana Rupi Vedas, Pitru loka and Bhuloka all of which is concentrated in Badrikashrama which is the confluence of Three Lokas. Bathing at Saraswati river, its worship, Stuti would indeed enhance a devotee's vocal and mental power and ensure that the ensuing generation's abilities would never ever fail.
There is a small Saraswati temple facing the river. Inside, there is a small idol of Devi Saraswati. The sight of huge mountain and the steep valley, and the gushing Saraswati River, makes one speechless. We could spot beautiful rainbows as well. The bridge connects one mountain to another. This is the path towards Vasudhara falls. The fierce and gushing holy River Saraswati with her tremendous force and sound makes one tremble. She falls down in a deep gorge. There is Manasodbhed-Tirth here. There are many people who risk their life to touch Saraswati River flowing into gorge as waterfall. We got bottle of Saraswati River collected from the falls. There is a small flow of Kailasa Manasa Sarovara water flowing in here. We drank water from here and did prokshanam.
There is a small Saraswati temple facing the river. Inside, there is a small idol of Devi Saraswati. The sight of huge mountain and the steep valley, and the gushing Saraswati River, makes one speechless. We could spot beautiful rainbows as well. The bridge connects one mountain to another. This is the path towards Vasudhara falls. The fierce and gushing holy River Saraswati with her tremendous force and sound makes one tremble. She falls down in a deep gorge. There is Manasodbhed-Tirth here. There are many people who risk their life to touch Saraswati River flowing into gorge as waterfall. We got bottle of Saraswati River collected from the falls. There is a small flow of Kailasa Manasa Sarovara water flowing in here. We drank water from here and did prokshanam.
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| Water from Manasa Sarovar |
Vasudhara falls
Vasudhara falls is a very important
piligrimage place in Badarikashram. One can go-to Vasudhara and return back to
Badrinath on the same day. 5 km from Mana village, the Vasudhara falls, 125 meters
high, against the backdrop of snow covered mountains and glaciers is a
captivating sight.
At most of the places there is a well laid stone pebbled path. It takes around 2 hrs to reach this place from Mana. On an average, the path to Vasudhara falls is not very steep.
The views are awesome as one walks towards Vasudhara falls. One can sight Badri bushes on the way. The torrents of water come gushing down and are diffused in fine showers and soft mist by wind blowing from different directions. Close to the falls are prominent peaks of Satopanth, Chaukhamba and Balkum. One is also able to see the glacial snouts from where the river Alaknanda emerges. One will feel as though Vasudhara is loudly and ceaselessly singing the glory of God. This place is truly filled with divine joy.
At most of the places there is a well laid stone pebbled path. It takes around 2 hrs to reach this place from Mana. On an average, the path to Vasudhara falls is not very steep.
The views are awesome as one walks towards Vasudhara falls. One can sight Badri bushes on the way. The torrents of water come gushing down and are diffused in fine showers and soft mist by wind blowing from different directions. Close to the falls are prominent peaks of Satopanth, Chaukhamba and Balkum. One is also able to see the glacial snouts from where the river Alaknanda emerges. One will feel as though Vasudhara is loudly and ceaselessly singing the glory of God. This place is truly filled with divine joy.
The Mahabharata says ``virtuous one, one should next proceed to Vasudhara adored by all. The
moment one arrives at that tirtha, one acquires the fruit of the
horse-sacrifice. And, O you best of the Kurus, by bathing there with subdued
soul and rapt attention, and giving oblations of water unto the gods and the Pitris
one ascends unto the region of Vishnu and is adored there. In that tirtha,
O bull of the Bharata race, there is a sacred lake of the Vasus. By bathing there
and drinking of its water, one becomes regarded of the Vasus. "
Astavasus did tapas for 1000 years here.
Astavasus did tapas for 1000 years here.
At Vasudhara the stream is sometimes cut off by the fierce winds that blow through the gorge. It appears that the water fall ceased for a minute or two. Locals regards this as a sign that someone of evil temperament or one who has committed tremendous sins has come to absolve himself by touching the source. The water from this falls
is very fierce. One will be completely immersed in the immense beauty of nature at this spot. We were completely wet. We chanted our astakshari mantra
japa at this place. This place is perfect for meditation.
We had taken pitthus for my mother and son to get to this place. On our way back, clouds were engulfing and chilly winds started blowing.
We had taken pitthus for my mother and son to get to this place. On our way back, clouds were engulfing and chilly winds started blowing.
According to Tibetan Buddhist culture, Vasudhara means "Stream of Gems" and she is the consort of the Wealth deity She is depicted as being with three faces and six arms and carrying all her wealth bringing implements. Vasudhara not only brings abundant material wealth, but spiritual wealth as well which is of most importance. She helps one to develop an attitude of generosity.
One can get a view of Lakshmi Van, where Goddess Lakshmi meditated and Draupadi breathed her last. Lakshmi Van is at an altitude of 12600 feet and bhuj patra trees grow here. It is 4 km from Mata Murti temple. There is a small Lakshmi-Dhara here. In ancient times, the leaves of Bhuj patra trees were used for manuscripts. There is a path leading directly from the village to its base, where it crosses a bridge and then continues west along the side valley towards the Satopanth mountain. 9kms from Lakshmivan, the Nara and Narayana mountains merge at Chakratirth.
One can get a view of Lakshmi Van, where Goddess Lakshmi meditated and Draupadi breathed her last. Lakshmi Van is at an altitude of 12600 feet and bhuj patra trees grow here. It is 4 km from Mata Murti temple. There is a small Lakshmi-Dhara here. In ancient times, the leaves of Bhuj patra trees were used for manuscripts. There is a path leading directly from the village to its base, where it crosses a bridge and then continues west along the side valley towards the Satopanth mountain. 9kms from Lakshmivan, the Nara and Narayana mountains merge at Chakratirth.
Muchukunda Gufa
Next day we went to Muchukunda Gufa
and Mata Murti temple. To get to this Muchukunda Gufa, one would need a special permit and the help of a guide. The route follows a road under construction for a very short distance. One then has to make an almost vertical climb away from this road near a bridge over a gorge. Since the approach to a point above the road that was away from the gorge was broken, we had to approach this point from a route such that one wrong step would mean falling into the gorge. We would not recommend that elderly people take this risk (even with
Muchukunda of the Ikshvaku dynasty was favored by Sri Krishna after he reduced Kalayavana to ashes. On
coming out of his cave (the place where he received Sri Krishna's grace is far away from Uttarakhand), Muchukunda saw that the human species had been reduced to dwarf-like stature. He realized that it was the end of Dvaapara Yuga. Therefore, he began to
travel north. Eventually came to the Gandhamādana mountain, which was full of sandalwood trees as well as other flowering trees. The fragrance of these trees made anyone who reached this region joyful. He decided to remain in the Gandhamādana Mountain region to undertake tapas for the rest of his life. In Badarikāśrama (at Muchukunda Gufa) he remained immersed in devotion to Lord Narayana as long as he lived.
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| Krishna Paduka |
One can see the Krishna Paduka at the entrance
of this gufa where Muchukunda got divine darshan of Lord Narayana. We did our
meditation at this place. There is a mela, which is held annually, in which
people trek to this place and enter the gufa and get out of the gufa at other
end where there is big open ground. Some people also call it as Kalaapagrama. We
could not enter into the gufa as it was completely dark and we had not come
equipped to get inside.
Mata Murti Temple
While coming back, we visited Mata
Murti Temple: On the right bank of Alaknanda opposite the Mana village is a
small temple of Mata Murti dedicated to the mother of Shri Badarinathji (Nara
and Narayana) and wife of Dharma.
This is called Dharma-Kshetra. Belief is that Mata Murti has the power of granting Vairagya to those who sincerely meditate here. This temple is on other side of Alakananda. It started to lightly drizzle when we headed to this place. During the month of Avani, Shukla paksha Dwadashi, Sri Badrinath arrives here to pay respect to his mother. It is celebrated as Sri Mata Murti Mela annually.
One will have to cross Alakananda to get to this place. The Maninag Parbat is located near this temple. Near this mountain, Yudhistira supposedly answered all questions put by Yama and brought back all his brothers who had lost their lives because they could not answer Yama’s question during Yakshaprashna. It is also believed that couples with no children will be blessed with progeny if they meditate at Mata Murti temple.
This is called Dharma-Kshetra. Belief is that Mata Murti has the power of granting Vairagya to those who sincerely meditate here. This temple is on other side of Alakananda. It started to lightly drizzle when we headed to this place. During the month of Avani, Shukla paksha Dwadashi, Sri Badrinath arrives here to pay respect to his mother. It is celebrated as Sri Mata Murti Mela annually.
One will have to cross Alakananda to get to this place. The Maninag Parbat is located near this temple. Near this mountain, Yudhistira supposedly answered all questions put by Yama and brought back all his brothers who had lost their lives because they could not answer Yama’s question during Yakshaprashna. It is also believed that couples with no children will be blessed with progeny if they meditate at Mata Murti temple.
Pancha Shilas
Located close to Badrinath temple are the Pancha Shilas: Naradi, Narasimhi, Varahi, Garudi and Markandeyi. They grant bliss and contentment.
Narada Shila: Sage Narada once performed severe Tapasya on this rock in order to get darshana of Lord Vishnu. When Sriman Narayana along
with Devi Lakshmi gave darshan, Narada asked for ever lasting
devotion to Him and creating a
Tirtha nearby which would cleanse the sins of those who bathe in it and
worship Narayana. This shila is located near Tapta Kund. Narada performs puja to Badri Narayan during the six months (in winter) when the temple is closed.
Markandeya, the great devotee, performed penance at Badarikashrama by reciting the astakshara mantra (as advised by Narada at Mathura). Bhagavan Vishnu appeared before him in full
glory with Shankh, Chakra, Gada and Padma. After
extolling Sriman Narayana to his heart’s content, Markandeya desired freedom from the cycle of birth and death as well as devotion to Narayana that would become stronger as time passes. Markandeya also desired that He should be always be present at the rock where he was
having the darshan of Bhagavan and that He should bless devotees when they
visited that rock. That rock came to be known as Markandeya Shila.
Garuda was the son of Sage Kashyap and Devi
Vinata. His ambition was to emulate the example of his brother Aruna who was
Surya Deva’s charioteer. As a result, he had the intense desire of becoming the Carrier of
Bhagavan Sriman Narayana. He chose Badari Kshetra on the top of the adjacent ‘Gandhamadan
Parvat’ performed intense tapas with unmatched grit and devotion. When Lord Narayana finally gave darshan, Garud extolled Him as
Trividha Murti integrating the Forms of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara as also of
‘Ashta Shaktis’(Eight Powers) and the Supreme Might of the Universe. Vishnu was
pleased and materialised ‘Panchamukha Ganga’ or the five-faced Ganges with the
waters of which gave the unique opportunity to Garuda to wash His feet. In addition, He made him His personal ‘Vahan’ (Carrier), made him invincible by any force in the Three Worlds, and made him a never-failing
personal devotee of Bhagavan. He also blessed Garuda that He would fulfill the desires of those who visit
the Garuda Shila and worship Bhagavan Narayana. This is near Adi Kedareshwara sannidhi in Badrinath.
Narasimha Deva in one of Lord Vishnu’s
avatars annihilated the Demon Hiranyakasipu and saved the great devotee Prahlada; He looked like Fire while killing the Demon with His sharp
nails. In addition, He was in an infuriated mood. The frightenedDevas prayed to Him to
calm down. After somewhat calming down, He declared that He would settle
at Vishalapuri (Badarikashram); all the Sages were extremely delighted that
Narasimha would be present at Badarikshetra. He resides in the Narasimha Shila in order to bless Bhaktas visiting the Shila.
Bhagavan Varaha pulled up Bhu Devi from the
underworld of Rasatala and destroyed Demon Hiranyaksha thereby saving the Vedas and Holy
Scriptures. The Varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu appeared at Vishalapuri as
Varaha Shila and continues to bless the devotees at the Shila.
We were blessed to have stayed at Badri Kshetra for five days. It was indeed His grace. Prasad at Badrinath temple is of great importance. It gets rid of Pancha Maha Patakas. Lord's Badrinath's darshan is one of the best and most heart fulfilling experiences in my whole life. Nothing remains to be achieved after His Divine Darshan. From here we proceeded to Vishnu Prayag with prayers to Lord Badri Narayan with "Punar Darshanam Prapthirastu". We also prayed we could get Paramapada (Moksha) and render our services with devotion at His feet all the time.
Copyright 2017 by Jayashree Badarinath
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