After doing a short reiki of the Vindyavasani temple yesterday we decided to visit the temple for the morning prayer the temple opens from eleven am to one pm. So after having a filling breakfast of poori, aloo and jalebi we decided to head towards this very ancient and famous temple in Mirzapur district. I also came to know about another amazing g fact about Mirzapur that the line of the Indian Standard Time passes through the clock tower at the centre of Mirzapur City.

Vindyavasani Devi Temple

We arrived at the foot of the temple and the just walked up towards the entrance the temple area is full of shops selling flowers, Prasad and garlands. We managed to get a shop owner who allowed us to keep our shoes in his shop. We also got some people who would help us transcend the daily morning rush and take us through a much faster VIP route right to the deity itself. We had to [ay a few thousand for this extra fast service right up to God. Who says God comes cheap in today date. After that e picked up a basket of flowers and garlands and moved towards the long due gadded towards the sacrum of the great idol. The Devi was waiting for me, and I just tore through the tick line of devotees as my helpers pushed other aside so that I could pass and move fast through the line. The helpers were making room for me, and I managed to by-pass the line. There was a lot of pushing and shoving right up to the brass bells.

I was excited and I climbed with all my strength, I even managed to ring the huge brass bells a few times till as pushed by a cop and came inside the sacrum were the idols kept. There was heavy police presence at least two dozen cops monitored each movement of the devotees. I got a few seconds to look at the idol and I managed to say a prayer as well. It was all great fun but one had to hustle to get a good look at the idol. In just a few minutes I was out of the temple into an open courtyard. I managed to venture into a huge marvel room where havan’s were going on and people where lighting Diya’s.

The only thing a bit negative about this place is that a lot pandits and beggars keep chasing devotees all over the place asking for money and even the temple pujari’s I found to be very greedy. But apart from that I found the place very spiritual and purifying.

This Divine Shakti Pitha is situated near the backs of the holy river Ganga. Vindyavasani is the reincarnation of Goddess Durga and the is Gul Devi for people of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Vindhyachal was also the place where Lord Rama and Sita came when they were sent to exile with Laxman.

The place was full of Lions, Elephants and other wild animals. It’s as also the place where the dreaded thugs the Pindari’s once operated. It is the only place that has the individual temples of all three goddesses Laxmi, Kali and Saraswati. The place of vindhyachal is also famous for tantra and other tantric practices. The war between Goddess Durga and the demon Mahisasura took place here.

The Devi also known as Yogmaya was the sister of Krishan who prophesied to Kansa that the boy who would finally slay and kill him has already been born, saying that the goddess vanished and flew into thin air.

A must visit is the Rameshwar Maha Dev Temple. The temple is part of the Maha Trikon of Vindhyachal region. This was where lord Rama had placed the idol of lord Shiva. The temple is dedicated to Maha Dev and is thronged by worshippers. One has to climb a few flights od steep to get to the inner scan of the temple. What stands out are the huge brass bells at the entrance of the temple.

Maha Dev Temple

The high black sone the Linga and it is at the centre surrounded by the idols of Nandi and lord Ganesha. One can sit and mediate around the Linga and say their prayers. There are huge trees around the temple area and flower shops all around. The locals will often guide you to the Linga. One just need to be patient with the village folks as they are always asking for money, apart form that it is a peaceful place, tranquil and serene away from busy traffic and marketplaces at the centre of the city.

It is one kilometer form the Vindhyavasani temple and situated near the Ram Gaya Ghat. It is here that Lord Rama performed the shard of his father at the instance of the sage Vashisth.The Vindhyavasani, The Ashtha Bhuja and The Rameshwar Mia Dev Temple are the triloka of Vindhyachal region.

Devotees like to walk around all the three temples as part of a ritual called the Triloka Parikrama.

The most amazing discovery was finding the star of David symbol on the whitewashed walls of the Tara Devi Temple in Mirzapur. These five stared symbols I had previously seen in the few Jewish Synagogues I visited in Azerbaijan. The star of David is also an ancient symbol in the Sanatana Drama, and it is also a tantric symbol closely associated with tara Devi. There was also a tantric mantra written on the wall with the five-star symbol on either side.

Tara Devi Temple

The Devi and the power of the Devi is worshipped and revered in the smaller towns and villages of eastern UP. This is because Devi is associated with fertility and prosperity and the people here are involved in farming for them fertility is very sacred.

I even managed to take a tuk tuk inside the villages of western Uttar Pradesh. Pope was sitting outside their huts some tended to their cattle and buffaloes the other chopped wood. The women combed their hair and gossiped around charpoys. Old men smoked pukka and sat under tress as children played around the streets. This was the typical village life around the small towns of Uttar Pradesh, this was a part of India which I still had not explored. Poverty mingled with God and spirituality in this land. I managed to get some great snaps and was able to capture the mood of the place.

At the Tara Devi Mandir I performed prayers and even maned to see a tantric Pooja being performed by a Kali Bhatt, the man looked fierce and was meditating and praying to Kali Ma. This was under a huge Pipal tree near the banks of the Ganga.

The story dates back over 250 years although a king called Bhupendra Sen had a dream and vision of the goddess Tara who instructed him to build a temple in her honour so that she could bless her devotees. There are he brass bells that adorn the temple and the sculpture of Nandi as well. I managed rot mediate in-font of the idol of the Devi and did the Parikrama of the temple as well.

What fascinated me was the tantric rituals which were being performed to please the fierce goddess, Kali. I stood the priest perform the Pooja’s and recite the powerful mantras. It’s as all very magical and spiritual.

Today I got the real feel of Mirzapur and the daily lives of its people. I have also developed a taste for Poori Aloo, Barfi and Lodoo.  The other fact that the temple priest told me was that it was the toe of the goddess that fell where now the Vindyavasani temple was built that is why it was a Shakti Peth.

I had always been fascinated with gangster films, when I was in Bollywood, I became a part of one such gangster murder mystery. So, I was thrilled when Tiwari decided that we would be travelling to Mirzapur to pay homage to the Vindhyachal Devi in the district of Mirzapur. The city so synonymous to gangsters’ typical UP style and the web series by the same name was a huge hit in Mumbai. I was also curious to see this city and get a flavour of real interiors of Uttar Pradesh. These where the small yet significant towns and cities of this vastly populated sate of the Union of India.

Mirzapur

We took the Maha Nagri express and sat in the ac coupe, which was very comfortable the journeys as two hours long and we had the company of a trained astrologer on the way. This genial non descriptive looking timid guy was good at reading palms, and I asked him to tell my flute as well. We were just having fun as he took out my horoscope on his smart phone through an app. I chatted with him for a while and munched on biscuits, we got samosas for snacks and before I knew it, we had reached the Vindhyachal Devi Station just close to Mirzapur city. By the afternoon we had parked ourselves in a comfortable local hotel which served vegetarian food. Because of its religious significance only vegetarian food is served throughout the city and if one wants to eat nonveg when has to travel a few kilometers away from the city.

The Vidhyachal Devi mandir is a Shakti Peth and is situated on the banks of the holy river Ganges.

Mirzapur is famous for its brass works and carpets, it exports these items and this a strong industry of Mirzapur. Many pilgrims come to the temple of the Devi as it is famous throughout the region.

The city has around two lakh inhabitants and has been popularized through Bollywood web series. In the evening, I ventured out into the city and its markets we took a around the Devi temple as well and then took an auto around the dusty streets of the city. The hotels have Wi-Fi and there are nigh ATM’s around so one can get cash easily if the need be. The city is old and dusty the roads as a mess and so are the pavements, but that’s what inner UP is old and smutty. I felt that the air was stuffy, but the weather was relatively cool. I did manage to get some pictures of the night life of Mirzapur and Vidyachal Devi.

The evening was lite up by a visit to the latest meditation centre in India built for human development and yoga. This is the Swarved Maha Mandir, and it is situated on the out skirts of Varanasi. It is spread over 300000 sq. feet and houses more than twenty thousand meditation practitioners.

Carved on its walls and pillars are the verses form the Swar Veda. The pillars have intricated carvings of elephants and other animals as well and the place has been built for worship and spiritual growth. The place further enhances the reputation of Varanasi as a place of spiritual and religious tourism.

Swarved Maha Mandir Varanasi

One can find out more by going to their website https://www.swarved-mahamandir.org/

Seekers can also donate to the cause through the website. The place was initially inaugurated by non-other than our Prime Minister Modi ji and the state’s Chief Minster Yogi ji has played a huge part in developing this project.

The centre specialises in a branch of yoga called Vihangam Yoga.The estimated cost of building this Mandir was Rs 1000 crore, it has seven stories and a seating capacity of Twenty Thousand. It has a lotus dome with 125 petals that look amazing and enhance the beauty of the temple. Entry is free and one has to go inside bare foot. In the centre of the dome, bhajan and kirtan happens where people can just sit and meditate.

Enjoy some pictures of the day …