Kastaharni Ghat

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Kastaharni Ghat
Geography
Coordinates 25°22′58.796″N86°27′34.859″E / 25.38299889°N 86.45968306°E / 25.38299889; 86.45968306 Coordinates: 25°22′58.796″N86°27′34.859″E / 25.38299889°N 86.45968306°E / 25.38299889; 86.45968306
Country India
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Holy waters of the Ghat

Kastaharni Ghat is a ghat or bathing place on the River Ganges, at Munger in the Indian state of Bihar.

Ghat series of steps leading down to a body of water, particularly a holy river in South Asia

Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context could refer either to a range of stepped-hills with valleys, such as the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats; or the series of steps leading down to a body of water or wharf, such as a bathing or cremation place along the banks of a river or pond, the Ghats in Varanasi, Dhoby Ghaut or the Aapravasi Ghat. Roads passing through ghats are called Ghat Roads.

Ganges river in Bangladesh and India with major tributeries from Nepal

The Ganges, or Ganga, is a trans-boundary river of the Indian subcontinent which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh. The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India. After entering West Bengal, it divides into two rivers: the Hooghly and the Padma River. The Hooghly, or Adi Ganga, flows through several districts of West Bengal and into the Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island. The other, the Padma, also flows into and through Bangladesh, and joins the Meghna river which ultimately empties into the Bay of Bengal.

Munger City in Bihar, India

Munger is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. It is the 7th largest city of Bihar and second largest city in Eastern Bihar.

Contents

History

In the sixth century CE, a Hindu sage named Mudgal Muni appeared in the city and established two shrines, one at a rock at Kashtaharini Ghat. In the 26th Adhyaya (chapter) of Adi Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, it is mentioned that both Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana on their way back from the encounter with Taraka, the demoness, took rest at the spot. The relaxation they had given rise to the name of Kashtaharini Ghat. According to another account it was on his return journey from Mithila to Ayodhya after marrying Sita that Lord Rama bathed at this place to relieve himself from fatigue.

Lakshmana younger brother and close companion of the Hindu god Rama

Lakshmana, also spelled as Laxman or Lakhan, is the younger brother of Rama and his aide in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. He is also known by other names- Saumitra, Ramanuja and Bharatanuja or Laxman.

Tataka genus of insects

Tatakā or Taraka or Tadaka or Thataka was a Yaksha princess-turned-demoness in the epic Ramayana. Her father Suketu, a yaksha king performed tapasya for an offspring. Suketu had desired a son, but Lord Brahma blessed him with a strong and beautiful daughter. She was a beautiful princess that was wooed by and married Sunda, an Asura King. She had two sons Maricha and Subahu and a daughter Kalikesi, who was the mother of Ravana

Ayodhya Metropolitan City in Uttar Pradesh, India

Ayodhya is a city located in Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It shares municipal corporation with neighbouring Faizabad. The city is identified with the legendary city of Ayodhya, and as such, is the birthplace of Rama and setting of the epic Ramayana. The accuracy of this identification is central to the Ayodhya dispute: modern scholars variously believe that the present-day Ayodhya is same as the legendary Ayodhya, or that the legendary city is a mythical place that came to be identified with the present-day Ayodhya only during the Gupta period around the 4th-5th century CE.

A copper plate known as the 'Munger Plate' was discovered in Munger in 1780. Mir Kasim conquered Munger and made it his capital till the army of the East India Company captured Munger.

East India Company 16th through 19th-century British trading company

The East India Company (EIC), also known as the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) or the British East India Company and informally as John Company, Company Bahadur, or simply The Company, was an English and later British joint-stock company. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with Mughal India and the East Indies, and later with Qing China. The company ended up seizing control over large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonised parts of Southeast Asia, and colonised Hong Kong after a war with Qing China.

Religious significance

According to Hindu folklore, one who takes a dip in this ghat receives solace and cure from bodily pains. The name "Kastaharni Ghat" literally means "The bathing place which expels all pains". Its significance is enhanced by the northerly flow of the river at this point, which is termed Uttarvahini Ganga. The ghat premises is managed by Sri Jagannatha Temple Trust of Munger.

The term Uttarvahini Ganga is used to refer to places where the Ganges river has a northward flow.

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References

http://munger.nic.in/religious.htm