Srimad Bhagwat Geeta is the scared book of the Hindu’s it is the ultimate Dharma Shasta. Swami Adgadanand Ji is the holy saint and guru who has written the Yathartha Geeta, this is an interpretation of the holy scripture. The ashram is built in the glory and name of this great yogi and saint. Adgadanand is now ninety-seven years old, but people can still meet him in the evenings and get his blessings.

Swami Adgadanand

My last stop was to see this great ashram. We had to remove our shoes before we entered. The ashram serves lunch and does a Bhandara to feed its many devotees. There are stall where copies of many of the Maharaj’s books are sold to visitors. One can sit in a large courtyard and get an audience with the great saints. I managed to eat in the ashram a healthy meal of aloo, dal and poori. The ashram has a Bhandara every day and visitors and always feed here. One can consult holy men and mingle with other seekers in the ashram. The place is very clean and serine, it is quite and tranquil, just walking around the ashram is fun.

We also managed to chat up with the guy who ran the Ashram a man by the name of Narad Maharaj, he was always draped in a red piece of cloth. I offered him fruits and peda and he in turn blessed me.

I took some rest to escape the heat under a large tree and was fascinated by the colourful flowers and fruits that grew for the tree, it was really very unique.

But the best part was the journey back form the ashram, we passed through flowing streams, water gushing from the earth flowing wildly across the plains and hills of this very unique and spiritual region.

The goddess was the eight child of Devaki who the evil king Kansa wanted to kill but the Devi escaped from his grasp and flew up in the air towards the sky, but before that she professed the doom of the evil Kansa by stating that the man who would slay him has already been born.

It is at a distance of three kilometer from the Vindhyavasani temple. The mother goddess has eight hands to bless her devotees, the idol is kept in a cave, and one has to slip through a very narrow opening to get to the cave and touch the feet of the goddess, her idol is jet black in colours and the goddess is covered with flowers and marigold garlands. One need or climb 160 steps to get to the temple as the cave is on a steep hill. One can also use the rope way to get to the temple. We tried tow times to get a Darshan but failed both times as the rope way was still being renovated.

This was going to be my last attempt to get the blessing of Ashtabhuja and I took another route a took span kingly new auto to get to the temple and I had an astute Auto driver called Ram Lakhan who was ready to drive me up the hill to the edge of the temple. I had to complete the tritons Parikrama and its as a must that I had to visit the Devi’s temple.

With try help of my auto I navigated many small roads across villages and farmland to finally get to the hill where the temple was. In between I stopped over to see a huge water Kund a reservoir of water that was called the Tantric Kund.

Finally, we climbed up with some Prasad and flowers and I managed to get a glimpse of the goddess, I prayed with all my heart and even tied a red chunni. This was a way to make my prayers be heard by the goddess. Their sheer idols of Lord Hanuman as well, I worshipped at the feet of the idol of Kaal Bhairava, it was a deep spiritual experience what I enjoyed most was ringing the brass bells whenever I asked for a boon from the goddess.

They say that even now the grant Rishi and Sage Markandeya is meditating and praying to the goddess Ashtabhuja, and that he resides in the cave on the left of the Devi. The temple was full today as the month of Navratri are on and then there is Deepawali. There was a havan kund in the Centre of the temple.

There are also small temples of Lord Shiva and Ganesha. There is a lot of positive energy and vibrancy inside the temple, and it is a must visit for devotees of the mother goddess

I managed to say my prayers and felt blessed when I walked out of the Ashtabhuja temple.

After the prayers at the Ashtabhuja I felt invigorated and was ready for another journey onwards to Bhadoi which was a hour’s drive from Mirzapur district. This was going o be a drive to the interiors and the back and beyond villages and small towns of Uttar Pradesh. We passed many villages and tehsil’s as we drove towards the Sita Samadhi Sthal. The very place where Ma Sita was engulfed by the mother earth, and she took Sita with her. A huge crater appeared, and Sita just went into it as the earth engulfed her own daughter. The very spot where that happened is now a temple and a Picnic spot called the Sita Samadhi.

Sita Samadhi Sthal

The Sita Sthal is between Varanasi and Allahabad also connected through a railway line connecting Jung Ganj station. The site is where Sita was engulfed by mother earth and the spot is 11 km away from Jung Ganj Market. As Sita was discovered in a furrow in the earth by King Janaka, she was finally taken away by earth as well. The mother took the daughter back in her bowls and the Samadhi of Sita was built their to celebrate this moment the Sita Samadhi Sthal came into being and devotes throng to this place. When one enters the huge complex the first thing to see is the large statue of Hanuman. It is really tall and huge, I first got by fore hand painted in saffron and then got myself clicked with the monkey god.

The drive to this spot was a learning experiences as we drove through villages whose names I had never very heard like Gopi Ganj, Hanuman Ganj, Aurae, Jhoosi this as real UP and most of the land was agricultural, corn, wheat, barley, Goud everything grew in these lands. Most people where into farming, cow and sheep herding or sold clothes and brass wear.

Bhadoi District is also famous for its thriving carpet industry, but we did not have much time to explore that aspect of the city.

I walked across the gardens and walkways of the Sita Samadhi Sthal and was pleased to see flowers in full bloom in the garden. At the back of the garden was a huge pond with floating lotus flowers all over. This was tree place where Sita went for her baths and would bathe with her other female helpers.

There is a marble temple in honor of Sita and one can get a Darshan. Below there is another temple right at the spot when she was taken in by mother earth. There is a glorious statue of Sita just on the very spot.

There are caves with statues of Shiva on top and step garden around the pond, one can even go for boating in the water, but I preferred to have a meal in the local vegetarian restaurant. With out a doubt this was the best vegetarian lunch I have ever had. It was great paneer, yellow dal, milk kheer, ghee chapati and vegetables. I have never tasted such great home food ever and I love it. This was the Hight light of my entire day.

We spent a few hours at the site just walking around and observing the crowd, they’re where a lot of people just enjoying a picnic with their families. It’s as also a place for families to come and relax in the shade of tress and walk on lush green gardens.

It was afternoon and was getting hot, I decided to pack up and move towards Allahabad our next destination. The plan was to erst for a day in Allahabad before we move to the holy city of Chitrakoot which is going to be my next trip.

The temple is a major tantric temple situated on the Vindhyachal main road, it has the deity of Lal Bhairav, which is another form of Kaal Bhairav, the deity has a red face depicting it is Lal Bhairav indeed.

Lal Bhairav

The red statue of the Lal Bhairav is inside this temple and one can get the blessings of the lord form here. There is also an ancient water source called the Nag Kund in front of the temple. It is believed that the red state of the Bhairav grows by a seed length every year. That is the myth about the temple, it is also a place for tantric worship and practice. People perform very rare and ancient rituals in this temple. There are statues of other forms of Lal Bhairav in the temple as well.

I managed to even chat up with a tantric sage who gave me a huge sermon that tantric rituals and powers are only meant to do good, and he does not allow anyone to sue tantra to do negative things or cause harm to others. The man listened to me patiently as I touched his feet, and he very happily gave me the holy Bha Bhuti this is ash form the ritual and havan fire which is given to the devotee. I smeared the ash on my forehead as I prayed for Bhairav’s blessings.

The place had a strange and eerie feeling their where one forces around for sure as I could feel it. I did I silent prayer asking for the death of Vijay Palande the man who had stayed my dad. I did the same prayer at the Khali Khoh temple, I don’t know why but I just wanted this the most from the goddess and I prayed for it with all my might.

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 …

The Vande Bharat Express train is the lifeline of Uttar Pradesh thanks to Chief Minister Aditya Nath the train has been very active on several routes across the state, and I travelled by this train all across from Varanasi to Lucknow to Ayodhya to Allahabad and back to Varanasi. The train is as good as any inter city express I have traveled in Europe or Russia. Th train is air conditioned, it has push button smart doors, I especially liked the smart toilets that bio degrade all the waste they are spanking clean without any foul smell and that great. Their are regular an announcements through out the journey and their are also screens on board that highlight the tourist value of the city being trialled to. There is very good leg room and luggage space on top of the seats.

Vande Bharat Express Train: Two Thumbs Up 

Lunch and tea are served throughout the journey, and the food is well packed and tasty. The train has many policemen and guards who do patrolling, so the train is safe especially for women and children. One can also charge mobile phis and laptops on the brain there is stable top between seats and people can use their laptops and even work form the train. The entire train is well lite with soft white lights and there is enough space in all ways and between each bogey. The bogeys are numbered well, and it sit say to find your seat without the help of a ticket collector or a railway staff.

The seat’s tilt to the back and there are trays where one can keep their lunch before eating. The tickets are cheap Rs 1500 to Rs 1800 and one can book tickets from the net as well. The trains are fast and travel with speeds of about 80 km per hour. The inner cabins are silent and well air-conditioned. There is enough staff in hand if one needs assistance.

I enjoyed the ride and I recommend it to one and all it is the best way to get across such a large and vast state and if one wants to get a glimpse of the real India the one must travel by this modern train. The Vande Bharat has its own rail track, so it is always in time and never late. Even the railway stains have transformed, there are many stalls to east snacks or buy books, there are paid toilets those are sparklingly clean. The rail station has been swept well and there are electric buggies that help to carry handicapped and old people across the station.

Electric rickshaw is the preferred mode of travel throughout the cities in UP weather Ayodhya or Varanasi most cycle rickshaw drivers are now driving electric rickshaws which they navigate through their smart phones using google maps across the city. We always sued electric rickshaws to get to our preferred rail station.

I give two thumbs up to Vande Bharat Express.