I had earlier posted a detailed account of my Kashi-Trip as a PDF-Attachment.
There were a lot of queries on the same.
Some even requested me to post the contents directly.
Hence I have modified my post suitably, added some more details and posting it here once again.
I am sorry for repletion and also inconvenience caused to many.
Kashi-Rameswaram Yatra.
Ram Ram
A Few tips from my side, before venturing into the Vlog.
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Rameswaram-Yatra (18th & 19th Jan).
Day-1.
Our Vadhyar was quite a young man, well-versed in scriptures and explained everything in detail before performing any ritual.
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Kashi-Yatra.
Day-1 (25/01/2024).
Day-2 (26/02/2024)
Day-3 (27/01/2024)
Day-4 (28/01/2024)
Day-5 (29/01/2024)
Second Rameswaram Yatra
WITH THIS OUR ENTIRE RAMESWARAM-KASHI-RAMESWARAM YATRA IS COMPLETE.
The Cost : -
There were a lot of queries on the same.
Some even requested me to post the contents directly.
Hence I have modified my post suitably, added some more details and posting it here once again.
I am sorry for repletion and also inconvenience caused to many.
Kashi-Rameswaram Yatra.
Ram Ram
A Few tips from my side, before venturing into the Vlog.
- Plan your trip atleast six months in advance.
- Prefer train travel as the luggage will be quite large. The Bi-weekly Ganga-Kaveri is the best train from Chennai to Varanasi.
- By opting for plane travel we ended up paying Rs 2000+ for additional luggage alone.
- Make Varanasi your Place of Stay and travel to other places.
- Have a talk with the Kashi-Vadyar well in advance and finalize your itinerary. • Normally a six-day trip would be ideal.
- Ensure that all expenditure (even miscellaneous charges) and payments are handled by the Vadhyar himself.
- If you decide to spend on your own, you will be fleeced, and you may end up paying a huge amount.
- Ask the Vadhyar himself to organize your transport, food, and temple visits by himself.
- Every Vadhyar in these places has a tie-up with all such felicity management people.
- Even though you may be paying a little more, actually it will considerably reduce your tension and save you from being duped.
- My personal opinion is to avoid group-tours. In such tours there will be just one Vadhyar shouting Mantras from one corner and you will not be able to repeat after him.
- Engage your own Vadhyar who will customize your trip as per your needs, so that you can perform all ceremonies with full understanding and devotion.
- Rameswaram Yatra before starting for Kashi is optional. It is meant for Shuddi. But performing Theertha-Shrardham first at Rameswaram is preferable.
- But you must visit Rameswaram after the Kashi-Yatra without fail, and perform the Abishekam to Ramanatha Swamy with the Ganga-Theertham. This is to be done within three months of completing the Kashi-Yatra.
- All Danams in Kashi are optional. But performing Danams in Kashi is considered very sacred. All Danam items (except) Gho-Danam, can be purchased and carried by us from here.
- You can perform Homa-Shrardham or just Hiranya-Shrardham depending on your physical/financial condition.
- At Kashi : Kaushik, S/O Kedareswara Sastrigal – 9936423000.
- At Rameswaram : Gurucharan Sastrigal – 7010600385
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Rameswaram-Yatra (18th & 19th Jan).
Day-1.
- Reached Rameswaram by train by 5 am, and stay was arranged at Sankara Matam, which is situated near the temple and just a few meters away from the Agni-Theertham.
- Autos ply only upto the Agni Theertham barricade, and you have to walk about 200 metres from that point to Sankara Matam.
- It is quite a big campus and the rooms in ground floor and two floors.
- The charges are reasonable, and rooms have basic (clean) amenities.
- Food is provided only in the afternoon against a nominal payment.
- For details you can contact Sri Thiagarajan, the Manager on 9360174980
- After bath in the room, we were asked to be ready by 7 am wearing Madisar/Pancha-Kacham. The Vadhyar had arranged for a van for our trip to Danushkodi.
- At Danushkodi, first there is the Maha Sankalpam for eradication of Runa (Debt) and cleansing ourselves of all sins, on the banks of the Bay-of-Bengal.
- Then we must perform Puja to Sri Rama and all His brothers and Sri Sita.
- A Bow and Arrow is drawn on the sand and formal worship is carried out with flowers on the sand.
- This consecrated sand is then offered to the sea, and the couple must bath in the ocean, taking dips twelve times.
- With the same wet-clothes we must collect wet sand, create three Lingams – Sethu-Madhava, Bindu-Madhava and Veni-Madhava.
- Formal Worship is then performed by the couple to these lingams.
- Then the Sethu-Madhava Lingam is dissolved in the sea by us, and the Bindu-Madhava-Lingam is dissolved by the priest.
- We carry the Veni-Madhava-Lingam to be dissolved at Prayag in Triveni-Sangam.
- The entire exercise takes around one and half hour.
- Then with the same wet clothes we return to Rameswaram for a holy dip in the sea known as ‘Agni-Theertham’.
- After that we must proceed to the temple for a dip in all the 22 holy Theertham in the temple.
- Our Vadhyar had arranged for a person to take us for a bath in all the wells. They charge Rs 200/- per head, for this exclusive Snanam.
- Otherwise, the temple charges Rs 25/- per head but they only sprinkle a little water on your head.
- With this we returned to our rooms and had a homely lunch at Sankara Matam.
- Evening by 6 pm, our Vadhyar took us to the temple and we had excellent darshan of Lord Ramanathaswamy and Devi Parvatha-Vardhini, and all the other deities around the temple.
- Today our Vadhyar had arranged for Homa-Shrardham at his home, and the entire Shardham-rituals took around two hours.
- After performing the Shrardham, and feeding the Brahmanas, we all had our lunch.
- All of us started back for home in the evening.
Our Vadhyar was quite a young man, well-versed in scriptures and explained everything in detail before performing any ritual.
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Kashi-Yatra.
Day-1 (25/01/2024).
- We reached Kashi by Indigo flight around 3 pm.
- Evening we were taken in a boat for witnessing the Ganga-Aarti.
- Ganga Aarti is performed on two ghats side-by-side.
- The boat is stationed in the river and we can watch the Aarti from our boat.
- The entire process takes around one hour and there will always be heavy rush for this event.
- Later we return to our Guest House and have our dinner at the residence of our Vadyar.
Day-2 (26/02/2024)
- We started for Prayag by Van by 5.30 am, after bath and we reached around 9 am .
- The weather was very chill and the visibility was very low due to the thick fog.
- Our first stop was at the famous Veni-Madhav Temple, the presiding deity of Prayag Raj.
- From there we proceed to Shiva Matam for our Rituals. We take our bath and change our clothes.
- Prayaga-Kshetra Maha-Salkalpam by the local Vadyar is done.
- Then we offer Thamboolam to Sumangalis at the Siva Matam, for Veni Daanam.
- Pooja is also done for the Veni-Lingam.
- Then we Proceed to the banks of Triveni.
- Here the Sankalpam is done by the local Panda for Ladies alone.
- We have to then offer Veni Daanam.
- During Veni-Daanam, the husband plaits the hair of the wife and cuts one inch of hair from her plait. This piece of hair is placed along with Tamboolam and Sumangali-Dravyam and later offered at the Triveni-Sangamam Point.
- The surprise is that this hair straight away sinks into the river and does not float, as it does in other places.
- This Veni-Daanam is done only once by a person in his life-time.
- All males must tonsure their head on the banks of Triveni.
- But people from Tamil Nadu just have a shave here and a small piece of hair is cut.
- Pandas and barbers are available in plenty (for a fixed rate) on the banks.
- Then we proceed to Triveni Sangam, by boat.
- We take the ritualistic Bath holding the hand of the spouse.
- We immerse the Veni-Lingam here along with the Sumangali-Dravya etc. in the river and offer Arghyam.
- We then return to Siva Madam to perform Hiranya Shrardham.
- We have our lunch at Siva Matam and start back to Kashi.
Day-3 (27/01/2024)
- We have bath in our rooms and with traditional clothes go to Vadhyar’s house.
- We perform the Kashi Maha Sankalpam in Vadhyar’s house.
- Then we go by boat to Manikarnika Ghat.
- We climb the 50-odd steps to Chakra-Theertham (It is always dry), and collect the mud in that tank and apply it on our bodyon our body.
- Then we take the Holy Dip in the Ganges, holding the hand of the spouse.
- With the same wet clothes, we offer Arghyam and flowers to Ganga.
- Daanam (Rs 100/-) is given to each of the two Pandas there.
- We return to our Guest House and have our lunch at the house of our Vadhyar.
- Evening we visit a few temples like the Kalabhairav Mandir, Chozhiamman Temple, Sankat-Mochan-Hanuman Mandir, Durga Temple etc., in an e-rikshaw.
- The traffic is chaotic and we spent more time riding the rickshaw than at the temples.
Day-4 (28/01/2024)
- Morning, we have our bath in the room and proceed to Vadhyar’s house for performing the Homa-Shrardham
- You can feed wither two or five Brahmanas.
- If desired, Vaideeka-Brahmanas can also be arranged for feeding at additional cost. (We engaged two Vaideeka Brahmanas).
- Dasa Daanam and Pancha Daanam (Optional) is done after the Shrardham ceremony.
- After lunch, we leave for Gaya by 2 pm.
- It takes six hours to reach Gaya by road as a lot of Highway-Construction is happening all along the way.
- Once completed, they say it will take just three hours to reach Gaya from Kashi.
- We stay at Vishnu-View Hotel, one of the best hotels in Gaya.
Day-5 (29/01/2024)
- In the morning after bath, we proceed to the banks of Phalguni River for Sankalpam, Hiranya Shrardham and Pinda Pradhanam (64 Pindams), which is later immersed in the Phalguni River.
- Havis-Annam is provided in a vessel using which the wife must prepare the Pandams at every place.
- Next we proceed to the Temple of Vishnu-Paadam (Gadhaadar).
- Pinda-Pradhanam is performed (17) in the corridor of the temple.
- All the Pindams are then collected and offered to the Vishnu-Paadam, in the sanctum.
- We then go back to Prasad-Bhavan where Homa-Shrardham is performed and the Brahmanas are fed.
- Our next destination is Akshaya-Vatam.
- Hiranya Shrardham is performed here and the Pindams (64) are offered to our ancestors.
- Out of these 64, sixteen are exclusively offered to one’s Mother, chanting the Matru-Shodasi Mantra. This is a very sublime ritual and will bring tears to anyone listening to the Mantra and its explanation by the Vadhyar.
- A representative of the Brahmanas, who were fed earlier, comes here and we have to ask him whether they are fully satisfied with our rituals and the food we offered.
- Only when he affirms with appropriate Mantras, the Gaya Yatra is considered to be complete.
- After the rituals these Pindams are placed at the feet of Akshaya Vatam.
- We offer Dakshina to the Panda sitting there who blesses us all.
- We come back to Prasad-Bhavan for our lunch.
- All the above rituals will take around 6-7 hours. Infact, we started the rituals at 7.00 am and when we had our lunch it was almost 3 pm.
- After lunch we start back to Kashi and reach by 11 pm.
- Today is the day for Pancha-Theertha-Shrardham.
- We have our bath and wear the Madi-Vastram.
- We carry the Havis-Annam in a boat, starting from Hanuman Ghat.
- Pindams are offered (17 each) with appropriate Mantras, at each of the five ghats, the last being Manikarnika Ghat.
- We are expected to take a dip at each ghat and offer the Pindams with wet clothes.
- But the extremely cold climate (It was 7 degrees we went) and heavy fog prevented us from this.
- But we took our final traditional bath at Manikarnika Ghat, and offered Pindams.
- Then Pooja is offered to Ganga-Matha by the couple.
- We return to our place and have our lunch by 12 noon.
- In the evening, we visit the Kahi-Viswanath, Annapooranai and Vishalakshi temples.
- Vishwanath temple has been transformed verily into Kailasha, itself.
- Then we have time for doing our shopping.
- In Varanasi, bargaining is a must, in any shop.
- We return by 8 pm for our dinner and rest.
- Today is the day for Dampati Pooja and Gho-Daanam, which takes around one hour.
- A Very Senior Ghanapaati-Couple are seated and we offer the Sixteen Upacharas to them, along with Saree, Dothie, Metti, Thirumangalyam, Sumangali-Dravya and Tambooolam.
- The blessings of this couple, who are the physical form of Lord Vishwanatha and Devi Visalakshi, is considered very auspicious, and marks the conclusion of the Kashi-Yatra.
- Then Gho-Danam is done with appropriate Puja to the Cow and calf.
- Then the Cow and Calf are handed over to the Vedic Pundit.
- After lunch we can start for our homes.
Second Rameswaram Yatra
- We reach Rameswaram in the evening and stay at Sankara Matam, as usual.
- By 4 pm, we visit Danushkodi, Kothanda-Ramar Temple etc.
- In the night we visit the Ramanatha Swamy Temple for a serene and crowd-free Darshan.
- Next day, our Vadhyar comes around 6.30 am.
- We perform the Ganga Pooja to the Ganga-Theertham which we have brought.
- Sri Rudram is chanted.
- Then we carry that Ganga-Theertham to the temple and Abishekam of Ramanatha Swamy is performed with that Holy Water.
- By 9 am we start back for home.
WITH THIS OUR ENTIRE RAMESWARAM-KASHI-RAMESWARAM YATRA IS COMPLETE.
The Cost : -
- For Sankalpa Snanam at Danushkodi and Shrardham at Rameswaram the package was Rs 35,000/- (For 4 couples).
- This covers the cost of all materials, transport (to Danuskhkodi), food and Vaideeka Sambavanai.
- For Shrardham (at Kashi, Gaya and Prayag) alone the cost is
- With Two Brahmanals Rs 40,000/-
- With Two Vaideekas as Brahmanas the cost is Rs 70,000.
- This cost covers all Shraddha expenses at Kashi, Gaya and Prayag, including lunch for all.
- ****** Shubham *******
