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.
