The Rhythm of Pancha Sarovar

Rajesh Govindarajulu

The Pancha sarovar are the five most sacred lakes for the Hindus. One can find a mention about the pancha sarovar in the ‘Bhagavata Purana.’ They are Manasarovar, Bindu Sarovar, Narayana Sarovar, Pampa Sarovar, and Pushkar Sarovar. These five holy spots attract lakhs of people through the year and are important for the Hindus in terms of their religious, social, and cultural practices.

Let us look at the Bindu Sarovar now. It is located in the state of Gujarat and the ancient city Siddhpur is the home to Bindu Sarovar. Siddhpur in Gujarat is a Siddhakshetra (Siddhpur temple) and is mentioned in texts like the Rig Veda and Mahabharata. Several ancient rishi-s had established their hermitages at Siddhpur. It so happened because of the presence of River Saraswathi.

River Saraswathi has been a sacred one for the Hindus. This river had nurtured a highly cultured civilization. Geological changes turned the mighty river into a significant one. However, the memories of this civilization continue. Siddhpur is located at about 115 kms from Ahmadabad. Lord Parashuram had done the Pindam (Final rites done for a dead person) Ceremony of his Mother Renuka at the sacred Bindu Sarovar. Thereafter, People began to travel to Siddhpur for the purpose of offering pindam-s in memory of their mothers at the sacred river. The Bindu Sarovar has thus become a popular destination for Maatru Shraardham and is also known as Matrugaya.

Kapila Muni happens to be an incarnation of Vishnu and was born to Kardhama and Devahuti. Kardhama had established his aashram in this location and had performed rigorous penance at Bindu Sarovar for thousands of years. This holy water body is believed to be the center of Ganga and Saraswathi. The great Kapila Muni had explained the wisdom of Sankhya philosophy (‘Kapila Sutram’) to his Mother Devahuti. The Wise Kapila had wanted to perform penance at a time when his Father Kardhama was doing the same. His Mother Devahuti became concerned and the Young Kapila shared the eternal wisdom.

Devahuti came to know about the nature of Paramatma (the Supreme Soul), devotion, mind, karma, moksha, and characteristics of nature. This detailed explanation made Devahuti realise the supreme lord. Eventually, she converted herself into the holy Gyaanvyapi (Waterbody). Numerous saints and deities bathed here and got purified.

The Story of Devahuti attaining the ultimate goal, moksha, made this place quite important. Large number of Hindu-s visit Siddhpur and offer rituals in honor of their departed mothers during the months of Karthik, Chaitra, and Bhadra. A lot of holy spots are located around Bindu Sarovar. The Ahalya lake, the place of Sankhya darshan i.e., temple of Rishi Kardhama, Devahuti, and Kapila Muni. Large number of people perform memorial services by offering pindam-s (Pind dhaan) during the Karthik Purnima.

Additionally, 5 Svayambhu Shiva lingams are found in 5 temples near Bindu Sarovar, and they are Siddheshwar Mahadev, Ardeshwar Mahadev, Brahmandeshwar, Valkeshwar, and Vateshwar. Sri Vallabhacharya visited Bindu Sarovar, took a holy bath and started the recitation of ‘Bhagavata Purana.’ This has made Bindusarovar the 72nd bethakji of Sri Mahaprabhuji (Saint Vallabhacharya).

The sacredness of the munificent River Saraswathi and Bindu Sarovar can never be measured.

Mr. Rajesh Govindarajulu is one of the founding members of the Verandah Club Pvt. Ltd. He is a leading columnist, historian, jeweler, entrepreneur, and a heritage enthusiast who is earnestly working to revive the past in the light of the present. Experiential learning about the history of Coimbatore is his main course of interest and he is also a panel member of many colleges in the city.