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| Vishnupad Temple, Gaya, entirely made of granite Myowncity.in |
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| Vishnupad Mandir en.wikipedia.org |
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| Vishnu Pad, Gaya Sri Vishnu Pad temple, rvatemples.com |
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| Vishnu pada at Vushnu Pada Mandir, Gaya. Detechter |
The legend has it that once a demon - Asura by the name of Gayasura, after doing penance for a long period of time, got a strange boon from Lord Vishnu by which whoever saw him would attain salvation (Moksham). So, no toil no sweat. Soon, people, including the bad ones got the salvation from the demon without either long penance or doing good deeds like charity, etc. Getting salvation, according to the Hindu Dharma, is not that easy. It requires long meditation on God, practice of celibacy, strict disciplined life and above all leading a dharmic life, not deviating from the path of righteousness.
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| Vishnupad Mandir in 1885, en.wikipedia.org |
To avoid people with no moral uprightness and propriety attaining salvation from the Asura, Lord Vishnu asked Gayasura to go below the earth (pathal lok). Lord Vishnu placed his right foot on Asura Gayasura's head and pushed him hard down below the earth. it is believed that Lord Vishnu's Pada - foot print got pressed permanently on the surface that we see even today. The footprint consists of nine different symbols including Shanku, Chakram and Gadham that are said to be weapons of the lord. When Gayasura, now pushed into earth, made a plea for food, Lord Vishnu gave him a boon that every day, someone would offer him food and whoever did so would get salvation - free from rebirth. The Asura would come of his place in the nether world on the day he was not offered food. Everyday someone from some part of India comes there offers Gayasura food, according to the belief'. So, the demon remains in his place - pathal lok quite contented.
No information is available as to the builder of this temple. It seems, it has been around for a long time and is believed to have been visited by none other than Lord Rama and his consort Sita. This historic temple was rebuilt in 1787. Thanks to the munificence of Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, the ruler of Indore. About 1 km southwest of the Vishnupad mandir is the Brahmajuni hill that can be accessed by a flight of 1000 stone steps. From the hill top you can see the impressive Sri Vishnu temple. With Vishnu's foot print in the center, the temple was built to a height of 30 meters facing East. The adjacent pavilion is supported by 8 rows of highly ornate pillars. The temple is made of grayish granitic rocks. The tower is in pyramidal shape and rises to a height of 100 feet. The tower has sloping sides with alternately indented and plain sections. The sections, in turn, are set at an angle to create a series of peaks joined at the top.
On the temple premises stands a big banyan tree Akshayabat where people conduct the final rituals for the dead, in the belief, they will get salvation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnupad_Mandir
https://www.rvatemples.com/listings/gaya-vishnupad-temple/
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