AN INTRODUCTION OF DEVGHAT

AN INTRODUCTION OF DEVGHAT

            INTRODUCTION

DEVGHAT A PLACE OF PLIGRIMAGE IS SITUATED IN THE CENTRAL PART OF NEPAL AT THE CONFLUENCE OF KALIGANDAKI ALSO AS SHALIGRAM RIVER AND SAPTAGANDAKI. THE RIVER GANDAKI ORIGNATES AT MUKTINATH AND THE KALI AT DAMADOR KUNDA. THESE RIVERS HAVE THEIR CONFLUENCE AT KAGBENI. THEN THE HOLY RIVER KALIGANDAKI FLOWS DOWNWARDS, ADDING TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PLACE LIKE MRISHA, RAHU, GALESHWOR, MANAGLABENIM HEMWATI, SEDIBENIM, RUDRABENI, RURUKSHETRA, RAMDI AND KELADI. THIS HOLY RIVER HAS ITS CONFLUENCE WITH TRISULI RIVER ORIGNATED AT GOSAI KUNDA, ITS TRIBUTARIES ARE FURYAMATI, BETRAWATI, CHAMPAWATI, YOSHODHARA, DHARMANADI, KARMADA, MADI AND DUGDHA PRABHA. BEYOND THE CONFLUENCE THE RIVER IS CALLED NARAYANI.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

            DEVGHAT LIES IN THE HEART OF THE NATION. ITS EAST LONGITUDE IS FROM 84⁰22’30” TO 84⁰30’00’’AND THE NORTH LATITUDE IS FROM 27⁰42’30” TO 27⁰47’30”. ITS HEIGHT VARIES FROM 200 METER TO 575 NETER FROM THE SEA LEVEL. TOPOGRAPHY OF THIS PLACE FALLS IN THE HILLY AND INNER TERAI REGION OF THE COUNRY. LIKEWISE IT IS 6 KM TO THE NORTH OF THE NARAYANGHAT BAZAR WHICH IS THE NEAREST MEETING POINT ALONG THE EAST WEST HIGHWAY. INFACT THIS PLACE IS THE MEETING POINT OF TANAHUN, CHITWAN, NAWALPARASI DISTRICTS. THE NATURAL RELIGIOUS HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF THESE PLACES OF PILGRIMAGE HAS LED TO THE INFORMATON OF THE HOLY REGION OF DEVGHAT.

RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE

            THE HOLY REGION OF DEVGHAT CARIES VERY HIGH RELIGIOUS VALUE SINCE ANTIQUTY. DEVGHAT ALSO KNOWN AS SHREE HARIHAR KSHETRA, AADI PRAYAG, IS INVESTEDWITH VERY HIGH GLORY OF ITS OWN. THE BARAHA PURAN THE SHAND PURAN THE HIMWATHKHANDA LOOK UPON DEVGHAT AS THE COVERGING POINT OF SUCH PLACES OF PILGRIMAGE AS SIDDHASHRAM, SHAMBHUTAPOVAN, DEVAGHATA, GAJENDRA TITRHA, TRIKUTACHAL KSHETRA, SIDDHARTHA AND DEV NADI.THE GLORY OF THIS PLACE IS DESCRIVED AS FOLLOWS IN BARAHA PURAN.THE CONFLUENCE OF THESE TWO DIVINE RIVERS IS PRIZZED FOR ALL GODS AND THIS IS WHY THEY COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN TO SOJOURM THERE EITH THEIR CONSORTS. THIS IS ALSO THE PILGRIMAGE FOR GODS BECAUSE LORD SHIVA, THE GOD OF ALL THE GOD, ABIDES TEMPORALLY THERE WITH ALL ATENTIONS. THE PLACE IS THEREFORE CALLED DEVGHAT, THE PLACE, THEREFORE HAS THE POWER TO GIVE THE BLESSING OF FRUITION OF WISHES OF ALL KINDS. OF ALL THE PILGRIMAGE ON THE EARTH EMPOWERED TO THE BLESSING OF THE FRUTITION OF WISHES OF PILGRIMAS TAKING A DIP THERE BILLIION TIMES MORE THAN THE OTHER PLACES.

ILGRIMAGE ON THE EARTH EMPOWERED TO THE BLESSING OF THE FRUTITION OF WISHES OF PILGRIMAS TAKING A DIP THERE BILLIION TIMES MORE THAN THE OTHER PLACES.

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE

            THE RUINS AND REMAINS OF THE PLAC BEAR TESTIMONY TO THE FACE THAT MANI MUKUNDA SEN KING OF THE PALPA AFTER 35 YEARS OF REIGH PASSED AWAY THERE WHILE MEDITAITNG. THE PLACE OF HIS MEDITATION IS A CAVE CALLED BASISTHA GUFA. THE STONE WHICH HE CAME UPON WHILE TAKEN BATH IN BENI IS CALLED CHAKRAVATI SHEELA. THESE DAYS IT IS WORSHIPPED AS CHAKRESHAWOR’S MAHADEV. IT SEEMS THAT THE SHRINE WAS ESTABLISHED SOME 445YEARS AGO. THE HISTORY OF THE SEN BYNESTY CONFIRMS THAT PALPA KINGDOM SPILLED OVER TO THE TERAI AND INDIA AS WELL.

ON THE TOPN OF THE HILL TO THE SOUTH WEST OF THIS RELIGIOUS PLACES WES DEVLOPED A CONTINGENT OF TROOPS FOR THE SECUTITY OF THE KING AND ALSO FOR SAFE GUARDING IT AS A CENTRE OF TRADE. THE SACE CONTIGENT CAME UPON A STATE OF GODDESS KALIKA AND THE ARMY STARTED A CUSTOM OF OFFERING ANIMALS AS OBLIATIONS AT A PLACE BY DIVING A WOODEN PILLER CALLED MAULO IN THE GROUND. THEREFORE THE IS WIDLY KNOWN AS MAULAKALIKA HILL.DUE TO LACK OF PROPER PROTECTION THE SAME STONE IMAGE OF KALIKA WAS THRUST DOWN WARDS AND IT GOT ENTANGLED IN THE ROOTS OF A SAL TREE. IN 2012 BS THE TREE WAS UPROOTED AS A REASULT OF A THUNDERBOLT STRIKING IT AND THE STATUE REAPPEARED THERE. NOW A SMALL TEMPLE HAS BEEN ERECTED THERE.IT IS BELIEVED THAT MUKUNDA SEN SPENT MANY YEARS IN MEDITATION AT BASISTHA GUFA AND WORSHIPPED GODDESS DURGA UN THE NEARBY CAVE.THERE IS YET ANOTHER CAVE SITA GUFA BAGISAWARI WHICH IS ANOTHER PLACE OF HISTORIC IMPORTANCE LAYING TO THE SOUTH TO THE DEVGHAT.THERE ARE MANY RUINS OF TEMPLE, FORTS AND PLACES AND ENGRAVED STONES OF HISTORIC IMPORTANCE. TODAY THE STATUE OF THE TWO PAIRS OF LION THE WINGED NANDI AND MANY OTHER STATUES ENGRAVED IN STONES ARE FOUND TO HAVE BEEN IN ABJECT NEGLECT. THE STUDY OF THESE MONUMENTS REVEAL THAT KINGDOM OF PALPA . LATE KAVISHORAMINI  LEKHNATH POUDEL PREFFERED DEVGHAT TO KASHI FOR BREATHING LAST.