Latest revision as of 03:16, 28 December 2024

[edit] THE TOWN

[edit] Water, water bodies

[edit] As in 2020

January 28, 2020: The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Legend has it that the Falgu, a holy river for both Hindus and Buddhists that flows past Gaya, lost its water after being cursed by Sita for lying to Rama. Ever since, believers say, the thirsty have had to dig the river’s sandy surface to reach the water.

The Falgu’s curse has also become a curse for Gaya. The ancient town has no perennial river and most water bodies are either encroached upon or disappearing.

“As all eight rivers in the district are seasonal, groundwater sources are limited and water table depletion has reached alarming levels,” says Radhe Kant, professor of geography, Magadh University.

“Nature has been unkind to Gaya. Apart from the rocky terrain, the Falgu bed slopes downward with little scope for water retention.” According to the 1914 cadastral survey reports, says activist Brijnandan Pathak, the number of water bodies in Gaya town has nearly halved from 50 a century ago. A shopping complex now stands where the famed Kathokar Talab used to be, while Bania Pokhar, Gangti Pokhar and Railway Talab have become residential colonies.

The decline in rainfall, its changing pattern and near total absence of winter rains, too, have added to the woes. Winter rain, which greatly supplemented water table earlier, is negligible now.

Ashok Kumar Ghosh, chairman of Bihar State Pollution Control Board and water expert, attributes the scarcity to both Gaya’s topography and overexploitation of groundwater. “Being situated in south Bihar, Gaya has hard rock-based topography which has the natural characteristics of low water table and requirement of more water for recharge. Besides, the number of rivers here is less compared to north Bihar. All such factors along with reduction in annual rainfall and high rate of extraction of water have led to sharp fall in groundwater level in recent years,” Ghosh said.

Another activist, SB Bhaskar, says mass construction of toilets under the Swachh Bharat scheme has also increased demand for water. “When there is not enough water to drink, how they could waste 10 litres in flushing toilets,” says Bhaskar about South Gaya district, where water scarcity is more pronounced.

However, Gaya district magistrate Abhishek Singh says the toilet design has been tailored to be water-efficient. All efforts are being made to meet the water requirements, officials say. Apart from the project to bring Ganga water to Gaya and store it in a 23-acre reservoir, revival of water bodies is also being undertaken. Rainwater harvesting is one method that has received serious attention.

[edit] THE PILGRIMAGE

[edit] Pandas

[edit] As in 2024/ Pitrapaksha

Manoj Chaurasia & Poulomi Banerjee, TNN, Sep 29, 2024: The Times of India

When NRI Baljit Singh Kanda visited Gaya from Canada earlier this year to perform pind daan for his ancestors, his biggest worry was the missing details. All he knew was that his ancestors were from a village in Punjab’s Jalandhar. But who were they? What were their names? Kanda was referred to Heeranath Darhiwale, a priest or panda. Heeranath had all the details in handwritten ledgers locked in a steel almirah. After that it was a breeze. Kanda could perform the rituals he had come here for, and went back to Canada a happy man.


Pind daan is a ritualistic offering made to liberate an ancestor’s soul from the eternal cycle of rebirth. And, according to Hindus, Gaya is the best place for that. This Bihar town is named after the mythological character Gayasura, an asura killed by Vishnu. It is believed Gayasur had received the boon that if people perform pind daan here, the souls of their ancestors will attain moksha.


It is now, during the ongoing annual Pitrapaksha Mela — a 16-day period before Navratri dedicated to paying homage to the departed — that Gaya sees its biggest crowds. An estimated 20 lakh people offer pind daan here during this period. The Falgu river, the Vishnupad temple and the Akshay Vat tree are believed to be the most holy spots for the ritual, in a list of 54 such.


The Gayawal Pandas, a community of Brahmins who believe they were born of Brahma’s image, claim exclusive right to conducting last rites and pind daan rituals in the city, and for generations have maintained records of the antecedents of their clients. Different families of Gayawal Pandas are said to have traditionally served those from different regions of the country, with many claiming to have records dating back 300 years.


In recent years, however, the pandas are finding their exclusive hold challenged by technology. For years having scoffed at even digitising their records, fearing they will be hacked, they now have to contend with something which has come to be known as online or ‘e’ pind daan’. This involves a representative, usually a Brahmin appointed by a panda or religious body or service provider, performing the ritual in Gaya for a person keen to do pind daan here, but unable to travel.


Bookings are received over the phone, WhatsApp, email or through a website, and the client either joins in on video call, or receives a video recording and photos of the procedure later.


Custodian Of Records


The family of Heeranath Darhiwale, who solved the problems of Kanda of Canada, has been conducting pind daan rituals of those from undivided Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh for generations. He claims to have handwritten records dating back 250 years. “Pilgrims get emotional seeing the address details and signatures of their ancestors in the ledgers,” says Darhiwale.


The records are maintained under three categories — an alphabetical index of the village and region of patrons and visitors, their signatures with address details and details of profession and workplace.These are neatly bound in red cloth and stored in steel almirahs, to be passed down generations of pandas. 


According to Mahesh Guput, a senior member of the community who attends to pilgrims coming from Delhi, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, the pandas have to be on constant alert to ensure that the record books are not destroyed by white ants, moisture or other weather conditions. “We occasionally dry the records in the sun, spread neem leaves or use other antibacterial drugs to preserve them,” says Guput, 72.


Shambhu Lal Bitthal, the chairman of the Vishnupad Temple Management Committee, points to a 142-year-old record of an Assam resident. He also shows the laminated authority letters purportedly given by the then Queen of Baroda and Gaekwad Estate to maintain the records of their families. 
“They (handwritten records) are our lifeline, and also the source of joy for pilgrims,” says Bitthal, who attends to those from Gujarat and the North-East. 


@Ease Of Moksha


In a town that prides itself on history, the concept of online pind daan has proved to be something of a thorn in the flesh for many. 
“If I show you the photo or video of a glass of water, will it quench your thirst?” asks Gajadhar Lal Pathak, secretary, Sri Vishnupad Management Committee, Gaya. The point he wants to make is that those who want their ancestors to attain moksha need to make the journey to Gaya to perform pind daan. There can be no short cut to moksha.


Traditionally, clients reach out to their panda before arriving in Gaya and the panda not only performs the pind daan but also takes care of everything else, from their stay to food to buying the puja materials.


But not only are some choosing to go the online way for pind daan now, but turning to apps and portals to make the arrangements for them even if they do want to visit the town to perform the ritual in person.


Pitradev.com, founded by Varanasi-based Shashank Mishra 10 years back is one such, which claims to act as a bridge between pandas and those seeking to perform ritualistic ceremonies in the holy towns of Prayagraj, Varanasi, Haridwar, Gaya and Nashik. Services offered include pind daan, ashthi visarjan (the immersion of ashes after cremation of the deceased) and shraadh (last-rite rituals) — both for those seeking to perform the rites in person, as well as online services for those who can’t travel.


For online pind daan, the Pitradev. com website mentions: “In Gaya pind daan online is not recommended because Gaya is final destination for pind daan… it is always recommended to go physically to Gaya.” Still, Mishra admits to getting requests and has helped a few clients perform online pind daan in the Bihar city.


‘We Were The First’


On its portal pinddaangaya.bihar.gov. in, one of the packages the Bihar govt offers for the 2024 Pitrapaksha Mela is online pind daan. “We were the first to offer the service in 2016-17,” claims a source in the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC). Priced at Rs 21,500 plus taxes, the package for 2024 includes the dues of the panda and pandit, the cost of commodities required for pind daan at the three spots of Vishnupad Temple, Akshay Vat and Falgu river and the cost of video recording the procedure and pen drive.
“Those interested contact us with family details. We then reach out to a panda who appoints a Brahmin as representative for the family doing the pind daan, and performs the rituals,” says the source, adding that five days into the 2024 Pitrapaksha Mela, the BSTDC had already received about seven-eight requests for online pind daan.


The service is also provided by the Gaya centre of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). “The families join in on Zoom call, while a representative (Brahmin) here performs the rituals on their behalf,” says Jagdish Shyam Das, president, ISKON Gaya, adding: “There is no fixed charge, patrons pay what he can for the service.”
There are also apps that live stream pujas — such as pind daan in Gaya. Those interested can make a booking, send in their family details and participate online.