On the tenth day, we went to Pehowa. The ancient city is a sacred pilgrimage of North India, visited for performing ancestral rites/ pind daan/ tarpan of the deceased for their liberation/ moksh and peace. A legendary site within the 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra for Pitri Tarpan, a place steeped in folklore, Ved and Puran. Rishi Vishwamitra attained the title of Brahamrishi here.
The Pitrudhak Tirth is the holiest place to offer oblations. Legend says that King Prithu performed the funeral rites for the salvation of his father here. The mythical River Saraswati is believed to flow here, and a ritual dip in the confluence of holy waters is auspicious. While Lord Brahma was creating the Universe, a girl manifested from his meditation. He named his daughter Saraswati and let her flow as a river. Over the centuries, the river was lost, but the faith and spiritual potency live on. An ancient bathing ghaat has been excavated recently on the paleochannel of the mythical Saraswati River, a unique case of scientific investigation unearthing sites mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.
Lord Krishna is believed to have taken the Pandavas to this place before the Kurukshetra battle in the Mahabharata to seek the blessings of their ancestors at the banks of the sacred river. After the battle, too, they performed obsequies for the deceased kin and warriors.
According to folklore, the God of Death, God Yama, keeps a record of all souls at Pehowa. That is why people offer prayers for the soul’s liberation here. Genealogy Registers/ Bahi Khaata are maintained by Pandas dating back centuries. Elders in the family direct you to your Pushteni/ family Pandit ji, who tracks your lineage and reads out the last family visit. Last rites are performed thereafter, and detailed entries are made in your family tree after some specific rituals.
The Ancient Kartikeya Mandir is the next on the itinerary. According to Hindu mythology, God Shiva and Goddess Parvati asked their sons, God Ganesh and God Kartikeya, to circumscribe the universe. God Ganesh went around his parents and won. Enraged at the favouritism, God Kartikeya tore his skin, made of his mother’s milk and left it at her feet. Mustard oil lamps are perpetually lit at this temple. Women are restricted from entering the sanctum. Menfolk offer oil for a lamp here in memory and eternal peace of the departed, after the prayers.
Thereafter, one has to turn around and walk back home in silence without looking back, as strictly counselled by Pandit ji. Thoughts move to and fro as a pendulum throughout the entire ceremony; Life and Death; the circle of birth and rebirth; the futile mad pursuits. Reminiscence well up, eyes brimming with tears, heart on a roller coaster of emotions. Thus culminate the mortal remnants, leaving behind lingering immortal memories.
Suruchi Kalra Choudhary
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