Janaki Kund - Bathing Place of Goddess Sita:
This is a lovely stretch of water where it is believed that Sita Maa used to take her bath during her exile at Chitrakoot. Janaki kund poses extreme serenity and tranquillity to the pilgrims coming here. Janaki Kund is located at a distance of 2 km from Ramghat aside Mandakini river. Sita was known as the Janaki because she is the daughter of Raja Janak.
Pilgrims visiting Chitrakoot seldom spare the chance to take a dip in Janaki Kund since they strongly believe that these waters are blessed to be the bathing ghat of Sita devi. Nearby boulder houses some footprints, which are believed to be that of Sita Maa. The stones painted in orange mark are Her sitting place and footprints. Entire surroundings of Chitrakoot is festooned with a lustrous greenery and everything around you sings the glory of this delightful place specially Janaki Kund. The water is clear and transparent and the nature is at its pristine best here. Everything in and around this holy place is in perfect harmony rhythm and it would be a great place to spend a leisurely time with your dear ones. One will be definitely impressed by the tranquil surroundings of this beautiful place.
Kamadgiri Mountain:
Kamadgiri is the main holy place of Chitrakoot. The sanskrit word ‘Kamadgiri’ means the mountain which fulfills all the desires. The place is believed to have been the abode of Lord Ram, Sita and Laxman during their exile. This is the most sacred mountain in Chitrakoot. Its height is 500 metres. Sri Rama stayed with Thayar and Lakshmanan at this place in a hermitage constructed by Lakshmana. Lord stayed here for many months till Bharata arrived. While Rama and Sitadevi stayed in the parna saala, Lakshmana used to go into the forest to gather fruits and roots. Lord Rama praises this place that HE prefers to stay in Chitrakoot rather than being in Ayodhya. All the important places related to Ramayanam are located around Kamadgiri mountain. It is believed that Sri Rama used to offer prayers to this diety Kamadnath every day as he is one of the forms of Shiva. This mountain is very sacred that people do not climb the mountain. It is protected by fence on all sides.(Likewise in Vrindavan, Goverdhana giri which was lifted by Perumal is very sacred. No one climbs the hill. It is also protected by fencing on all sides. Goverdhanagiri is bigger than Chitrakoot.)
Pilgrims circumbulate the mountain by first offering prayers to Lord Kamadnath. It is known as “Mukharavindh temple” We can find Mukharavinda temples on all four sides of the mountain. In one of the temples, we can find Sita, Ramar, Lakshmanar along with Kamadnath. Pilgrims offer coconut (the coconuts do not contain water) and sweets to the Lord before starting parikrama.
Pilgrims have a habit of offering milk to the deity. Near the sannidhi, there is Kubera Kund which has five big holes (with a radius of 2 feet) near the sannidhi. By placing their five fingers in these holes, they make a prathanai (pray for desire). When the wish is fulfilled, the devotee fills up the five holes with five different grains (Rice, wheat etc..) which is then cooked and distributed amongst pilgrims. The Parikrama path is about 5 kms and takes about 2 hours to complete the parikrama. It takes about 12 hours to do angapradakshinam. The parikrama path is stone laid. There are shops on either sides of the parikrama path. Like Ayodhya, in Chitrakoot there are plenty of monkeys.
Parikrama can be done throughout the day except during midnight up to 03:00 AM. It is believed that even today, Sri Rama offers worship to Lord Kamadnath. The sound of conch and bells ringing can be heard. To avoid disturbance, pilgrims are refrained from
doing parikrama for three hours-from midnight to 03:00 AM.
0 comments:
Post a Comment