Rameswaram, which has Ramanathaswamy ,a form of Lord Shiva is a Holy Place for Hindus.
People take bath in the 22 Theerthas and in the sea, Bay Of Bengal to expiate their sins.
Parvatha Vardhini and Ramanathaswamy Rameswaram.
It is believed that Lord Rama built
a Bridge here to cross over to Lanka to bring Sita back.
On return He worshiped Lord Shiva in the form of a Linga.
He asked Hanuman to bring a shiva Linga to worship but as the auspicious time was running out a Shiva
Linga was made out of sand by Sita and Rama worshiped it.
He also took bath in the Theerthas.
While Valmiki mentions about Rama building a bridge from near Rameswaram, his Ramayana is silent on Rama’s worship of Shiva Linga there.
However this is narrated by Veda Vyasa in his Adyatma Ramayana.
. Rama also speaks about the merit of Pilgrimage to Rameswara in the Adhyatma Ramayana.
There are, according to Puranas and Ithihasas Ramayana and Mahabharata there are two dynasties.
One is the Inshwaku dynasty to which Lord Rama belongs.(Solar Dynasty)
Another is Chandra Dynasty to which the Pandavas and Kauravs belong.( Lunar Dynasty)
Ikshwaku (Ramayana) and Mahabharata Dynasty.
Click on the Image to enlarge.
The Kurus/Chandra dynasty is from Budha, Purururava.
The point is in the above lineage you shall find the descendants of Ikshwaku/Rama fought along side the Kauravas and while Bhima defeated Dirghayaghna, Abhimanyu killed Vrishdvala!
There are two issues here.
One is that Ramayana took place in Treta Yuga , thousands of years before Mahabharata war in Dwapara Yuga.
How come the descendants of Ishwakhu fought with the Kauravas in Dwapara Yuga?
And I have written earlier that Lord Rama’s death preceded Krishna’s by a mere 250 Years!
I have replied to that in my post Ramas death precedes Krishnas 250 years.
Are we missing the history here and are there some Kings list of Ikshwaku missing?
Though the lineage of Ikshwaku is provided in the Mahabharataby Vyasa, there seems to some thing missing in the Kings List as it can not account for thousands of years.
Readers may contribute.
Might be there are some missing links who ruled during Yuga Sandhi, the hiatus between the end of one Yuga and the beginning of another Yuga and the Ikshwaku Kings ruled in that period.
But the Universe is in hibernation in Yuga Sandhi!
Other wise the list is perfect.
Another important point is Mahabharata states that Ikshwaku is considered to be elder brother of one of the daughters of Manu and she got married into Chandra Vamasa.
‘Mahabharata mentions the founder king Ikshwaku as a son of the great patriarch Manu. thus we have at Mbh.1.75:- Manu begat ten children namedVena, Dhrishnu, Narishyan, Nabhaga, Ikshvaku, Karusha, Saryati, the eighth, a daughter named Ila, Prishadhru the ninth, and Nabhagarishta, the tenth. Among this, princess Ila is the founder of Aila dynasty which later expanded into Puru, Bharata and Kuru linages in which the Kauravas and Pandavas are born. Thus Mahabharata consider Ikshwaku as an elder bother of Ila. It indirectly gives the impression that the Ikshwakus were older than the Ailas.’
‘Soorya Vamsa.
Sree Maha Vishnu
Brahma
Mareechi
Kasyapa, his wife– Aditi.
Soorya (Sun), his wife– Sanjna.
Vaivasvsvata Manuvu, his wife– Sraddha.
Ikshvaaku Ilaa(lady) Saryaati Subhaaga
(later transformed (grandson)
into Sudyumna)
Grand son son Chyavana.
Kaakutsa
Ambareesha.
Kaakutsa’s
16th descendant
Maandhaatha.
Maandhaatha wife Bindumati
He got three sons and 50 daughters
Elder son Purukutsu
Purukutsu’s 7th descendant Trishanka
Trishanka’s son Harischandra
Harischandra’s 8th descendant Sagara
Sagara’s grand son Amsumanta
Amsumanta’s grand son Bhageeratha
Bhageeratha’s 5th descendant Rutuparna
Rutuparna’s 6th descendant Khatvanga.
Khatvanga’s grand son King Raghu.
King Raghu’s grand son King Dasaradha
King Dasaradha’s four sons are
SriRama, Lakshmana, Bharata, Satrughna.
Sri Rama’s sons, Lava and Kusa.
Lakshmana’s sons Angada, Chandra keta.
Bharata’s sons Daksha,Pushkala
Satrughna’s sons Subaahu, Srutasena.
Because all the above kings descended from the origin,Soorya (Sun), it is called Soorya Vamsa. As far as we know, in Soorya Vamsa, the last king in Tretayuga, was Sreerama Chandra. Later,in Dvaapara Yuga, there were Pandavas,Kouravas, Sri Krishna etc. Kings. They belong to Chandra Vamsa Kings'( Udyoga Parav of Mahabharta by Vyasa)’
Apart from this Rama seems to have performed Chandi Homa to defeat Ravana.
This was performed after Indrajith performed a Secret Yaaga to defeat Rama.
After this Lakshmana was rendered unconscious by Inderjith.
‘Rama had performed “Chandi Homa” and invoked the blessings of Durga, who blessed Rama with secret knowledge of the way to kill Ravana. On the day of Ashvin Shukla Dashami, Rama defeated Ravana and rescued Sita. Thus it is termed as Vijaya Dashami. Based on the inferences from Valmiki’s Ramayana, Kalidas’s Raghuvamsa, Tulsidas’s Ram Charit Manas, and Keshavdas’s Ram Chandra Yas Chandrika as well as common perception in India, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya on the 30th day of Ashwin (19–20 days after Vijayadashmi). To mark the return of Lord Rama, in the evening, the residents of Ayodhya lit their city with millions of earthen lamps (called Deepak). Since then, this day is celebrated in India as Deepawali’
Benefits of Chandi Homa.
Chandi Homa can aid one in clearing off the obstacles and hurdles on the path to success.
Goddess Durga, the chief deity of this Homa will gift you with the power to balance one’s passion and dispassion, indulgence and denial.
With her blessing, one will be able to manifest your true divine Self that unites selfishness and selflessness.
By performing this Homa, one can invoke the energy of Goddess Durga, who will help you master your life!
Steps in Performing Chandi Homa.
A Chandi Homa is not an ordinary Homa and has to be performed by expert priests.
Duraga Sapthashati will be chanted.
Ganapathy pooja: Prayers are offered to the Lord Ganesha seeking his blessings. Worshipping Lord Ganesha clears all the obstacles and paves way for one’s success. So, before any auspicious beginning, Lord Ganesha is first addressed with pooja and prayers.
Kanya pooja: Kanya Pooja is one of the highlight of the Navaratri celebrations. Kanya pooja is a ritual of worshiping girls (aged 6 – 10) who haven’t attained puberty, symbolizing the Kanya Kumari (prepubescent) form of Goddess Chandi or Durga. This ritual is specially performed to recognize the divine feminine power vested in a girl child.
Anugna Sankalpam: Seeking the consent of the Goddess to perform the Yagna which is a sacred ritual. The ritual specifies for whom, where and when the yagna is performed.
Punyahavachanam: Purifying the mind, body and place before the yagna is performed. Water is sprinkled with mango leaves around the place with the chanting of Mantras.
Kalasa Sthaapana: Kalasa means a pot. It is made of metal and is filled with water and placed with Mango leaves immersed in the water. Pooja is made to this Kalasa invoking the blessings of the goddess.
Saptashati Parayanam: Chanting of Durga Saptashati Slokas (700 sanskrit poems) and worshipping the various forms of the Goddess. Bhairava Bhali (offering): After the chanting of Slokas, offering is made to Lord Bhairava (an incarnation of Lord Shiva) to signify the ritual.
Ganapathy pooja: Prayers are offered to Lord Ganesha before beginning the Yagna
Punyahavachanam: Pooja and mantras are chanted to purify the place and people who are performing the Yagna
Gho pooja: The Sanskrit word Gho means Cow. In Hinduism, Cow is considered to be a holy animal embodied with divine qualities. Pooja and prayers are offered to the cow before the yagna, seeking her blessings for prosperity.
Suhasini Pooja: Worshipping an elderly married woman (whose husband is alive) and performing Pada (traditional foot washing ceremony) pooja to invoke her blessings.
Dampathi pooja: Dampathi means couple. Prayers are offered to an elderly couple with Padha pooja.
Brahmachari pooja: A Brahmachari is an unmarried man. He is held in high esteem in Vedas and Puranas for several reasons. Padha pooja and prayers are offered to a Brahmachari seeking his blessings.
Chandi yagna: The fire ritual is performed with the chanting of Mantras and Slokas.
Sumangala Dravyaahuti: Auspicious materials such as Saree, turmeric, sandalwood powder, kumkum (vermillion) etc. are offered to the Goddess invoked in the Fire.
Purnaahuti: Any Yagna becomes complete only when this ritual is performed. Betel leaves, Betel nuts, Coconut, Kumkum (red colored auspicious powder), Turmeric, Flowers, Fruits, a coin, a small bag of herbs are put together in a silk cloth and tied. The bag is dropped into the fire seeking the blessings of the Almighty.
Maha Deeparadhana: A ritual to honor the Goddess. Lights are lit using camphor and are used to glorify the Goddess. It is also called Aarthi and is performed during the end of the pooja.
Sita, wife of Lord Rama, without whom the Greatness of Rama would not have been possible was born in Sitamarhi,India.
Rama Breaks the Bow , marries Sita.
However there are disputes regarding this issue.
Punaura Dham,Sita Marhi,Birth Place of Sita.
Punaura Dham, is about 5 Kms. west of Sitamarhi. Saint Pundrik’s Ashram was situated here. This place also claims the honour of being the birth place of Hindu Goddess, Sita.About 1.5 Kms. Off he railway station and the bus stand, this is the birth place of Sita. Janaki-Kund is adjacent south of the temple.
Though there are differnt versions about Sita’s birth, I shall be taking the version of Valmiki and Kamban in Tamil, where it is stated that Sita was born in a Field when King Janaka was ploughing the field.
As for as Ramayana is concerned Valmikis version is accepted as authentic as it is Original and more pertinently Valmiki lived during Rama’s Reign and helped Sita deliver Her Children Lava and Kusa in his Ashram.
Here is a Temple , dedicated to Shiva, constrcuted by Janaka, father of Sita,on the occasion of Putra Yeshti Yajna. His temple was named as Haleshwarnath temple.
This is Haleshwarnath temple.
This is 3 Kms. noth-west of Sitamarhi.
Sita Marhi is also the place where Draupadi was Born.
It is 8 Kms. north-east of Sitamarhi. It is said that after her marriage, sita was carried in a palanquin to Ayodhya by this route. An old Banyan tree is still standing here under which she is said to have rested for a while..
Bodhayan-Sar
This is the sacred place where Maharishi Bodhaya had written number of epics.
Bohodayana authored the sutras for the Vedas.
The great sanskrit Grammarian Panini was one of his disciples.
How To Reach Sitamarhi.
National Highway 77 connects the area to the Muzaffarpur district and Patna to the south. Sitamarhi has road connections to adjoining districts, of which the major examples are National Highway 77 and National Highway 104. State highways link it toMadhubani district in the east and Sheohar in the west.
Direct train services are available from Sitamarhi railway junction to places such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Kanpur.
The nearest airport to Sitamarhi is the Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport which is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) distant.
Sitamarhi is connected to cities in and around Bihar by state-owned transport services. Some private buses operate between Patna to Sitamarhi and Paktola Village to Patna.
The Ramayana mentions about 196 places visited by Lord Rama.
These places are found even today in various parts of India.
Rama Fighting Tadaka.
Rama traveled by foot for about 2000 miles through the length and breadth of India.
This consists of his trek with Viswamitra towards Mithila, where he married Sita.
Enroute he, along with Lakshmana, his brother defended the Yagna of Sage Viswamitra.
Rama Kills Thadaka.
Earlier Viswamitra demanded of King Dasaratha to send Rama and Lakshmana with him to defend the Yagna that was being disturbed by Rakshaasas.
Sage Vasishta advised Dasaratha, who was nervous about sending young boys to fight against the Demons,that whatever Viswamitra is planning it would result only in the welfare of Lord Rama.
Viswamitra took th boys along and initiated them the Two Mantras,Phala and Athiphala, the former to ward of hunger, the latter to prevent sleep and grant vigour.)please read my Post on these Mantras)
Vishwamitra and the two princes came to Tataka’s forest and the sage ordered Rama to kill the demoness to free the area from her terror. Rama was hesitant to kill her as she was a woman and initially maimed her, chopping off her hands so that she could not attack him further. Using her demonic powers, she changed form, disappeared and continued to attack them whilst remaining unseen. Sage Vishwamitra advised Rama, that as a prince, he had to carry out his duty regardless of his own personal reservations about killing a woman. Rama swiftly pierced her heart with his arrows. This act gained the young princes the blessings of not just Vishwamitra but also the blessings of all of the assembled sages in the yagnashala.
Tadka Vadh – Buxar, Bihar: After crossing the holy Ganga, Shri Ram and Lakshman reached a dense forest where demoness Tadka lived. The dreadful forest was known as Tadkavan. Shri Ram ended Tadka’s reign over the forest by slaying her and freeing its inhabitants from terror. The forest stretched between Bharoli and Baksar in Bihar. Shri Ram performed the first task of his “avtaar” (incarnation) here by destroying the evil demoness.
The place where Rama killed Thadaka is in Buxar, Bihar and the spot where he killed Thadaka is called Charitra Vana.
Before reaching Charitra vana, Viswamitra along Rama and Lakshmana stayed in Hajipur,where a statute of Lord Rama is found along with his foooprints,
Haji Shamshuddin, king of Bengal erected a mosque in Hajipur .
He also established Hajipur as his capital.
Raja Thodarmal also lived here.
Siddhashram: Buxar, Bihar: Rishi Vishwamitra’s Siddhashram was located not too far from Baksar. Siddhashram, according to Adhytma Ramayan was a social ashram where religious instruction was imparted to people. Shri Ram and Lakshman sojourned in the ashram for three days after Shri Ram killed Mareech and Subahu, the demons who were tormenting Rishi Vishwamitra by dirtying his Yagna (fire sacrifice) with bones and blood. Lakshman destroyed an entire demon force brought by Subahu while Shri Ram took on the mightY Mareech, son of Tadka, the demoness he had done away with earlier. There are villages existing today on the banks of the River Ganga with the names Mareech and Subahu.
Ahilya Uddhar – Ahroli, Buxar, Bihar: Three kilometers from Buxar in the northern direction is the village Ahroli. Rishi Gautam had his ashram here.
According to Ram Charita Manas it was here that Shri Ram delivered Ahilya, the beautiful wife of Rishi Gautam, from a curse of her husband, which had turned her into stone. When Shri Ram and Lakshman left Siddhashram they crossed River Ganga and River Sonbhadra and set foot on the soil of Ahroli village, which still exists in Buxar district.
Every year, on the 18th day of Pausha month (Dec/Jan), a large number of people throng to Ram Rekha Ghat for Makar Sankranti fair. Popularly known as Khichari mela, the fair draws thousands of people who come to the ghat to take bath in the Ganges.
Mahabharats’ Nakula’s temple is in Charitra vana.
Buxar Thadaka Vana is 118 km from Buxar Railway Station and 1.5 km from Buxar Railway Station.
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