Where souls find salvation, Gaya Ji regains its sacred name

Patna: Though the Bihar govt has officially renamed Gaya as Gaya Ji, long-time residents have always referred to it by this name, thanks to its deep mythological and religious significance. Considered the only place where performing "pind daan" (rituals for the salvation of ancestors) is believed to grant "moksha" (liberation) to departed souls, the town has long been revered by pilgrims and spiritual seekers.

Also known as Gaya Dham, Gaya Ji Dham, Gaya Kshetra and Moksha Dham, the holy city derives its name from the demon Gayasur, son of Tripurasur and Prabhavati.

In 2022, the Gaya Municipal Corporation passed a resolution to officially rename the city as Gaya Ji.

Acharya Brajendra Kumar Mishra, a scholar of Hindu texts, said the place has been known as Gaya Ji since ancient times and is frequently referenced in various Hindu scriptures. "It became Gaya after the foreign invasions. The only place whose name has traditionally been addressed with the suffix ‘ji' is Gaya Ji," he said.

Quoting a shloka from the Vayu Purana, Mishra recited, "Gadadharam Vishnu Padam Ashtadash Padandvim, Vande Akshay Vatam Chaayam Phalgum Gaurim Gayeshwarim."

He added, "Due to the change in the names of many religious places after foreign invasions, Gaya Ji became just Gaya. The glory of Gaya Ji is described in the Vayu Purana, Bhagwat Maha Purana and other scriptures. It is where Raja Ramchandra came with Mata Sita where Dharmaraj Yudhishthir Ji visited, where Mata Mangala Gauri is seated atop Bhasm Kut mountain, where the inner stream of the river Falgu flows continuously and where the feet of Lord Sarveshwar Shriman Narayan are enshrined. It is the place where the souls of the departed find satisfaction and salvation through shraddh rituals. That is why the scriptures refer to Gaya as Gaya Pranah," he said.

Shambhu Nath Vitthal, the chairman of Vishnupad Temple Management Committee (VTMC), Gaya Ji, said the place is known for ‘pitra mukti' or "moksha". "It is probably the only place in the world known as the land of both gyan (knowledge) and moksha," he said, pointing to Bodh Gaya, where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, just 7km away.

Discussing the spiritual importance of Vishnupad Temple, Vitthal said it is referenced in numerous sacred texts including the Shrimad Bhagavad, Ramcharitmanas, Vayu Purana, Agni Purana, Vishnu Purana, Padma Purana, Garuda Purana, Devi Bhagavad and the Upanishads. The temple, he said, was built in 1787 by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar.

"Gayasur, a demon, offered his body to Lord Brahma for performing a yajna. When he wished to rise again, Lord Vishnu placed his right foot on him, leaving His footprint at the spot where Vishnupad Temple stands today. When Lord Vishnu asked him for a boon, Gayasur requested that the place become a site of moksha," Vitthal said. "That is why the ancestors of 121 kuls (lineages) under the seven gotras of a person performing pinddaan here attain salvation. These 121 lineages include not only ancestors from the paternal and maternal sides but also animals like cows that served the family," he added.

Mahesh Lal Gupt, a former lawyer who returned to his ancestral profession as a panda (priest), said the renaming had been a long-standing demand of locals for over four decades. "We are happy that the state govt has notified it as Gaya Ji. It is the only place in India with the ‘ji' suffix in official records now. People call Varanasi ‘Kashi Ji' out of reverence, but it is recorded as Kashi in official documents. The same goes for Jagannath Puri in Odisha, known for ‘Ann Brahma' and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

"Gaya Ji is known as Pind Brahma and is mentioned extensively in scriptures. Pandharpur in Maharashtra is known as Nad Brahma. Gaya Ji is also referred to as Panch Kosham, Gaya Kshetram and is considered the most sacred site where all teerths were summoned by yajna. Vayu Purana, Vishnu Purana, Skanda Purana, and Garuda Purana describe the significance of shraddh and pind daan since the Dwapar and Treta Yugas, including references to Ram-Sita's Ramshila and Sita Kund," Gupt said. "Hindus, Sikhs and even Jains from across the globe come to Gaya Ji during the Krishna Paksha of the month of Ashwin to perform pind daan. The fortnight is known as Pitrapaksha," he added.

On the recent construction of a rubber dam to retain water year-round for pinddaan rituals, Gupt said the Rs 300-crore project was a matter of technical concern. "There is no water source except the undercurrent of the river Falgu beneath the sand. The aim of the rubber dam is to ensure water availability throughout the year. But silt flows in with the water and accumulates, causing inconvenience to both the public and pilgrims. There is no system in place for silt removal. You cannot fill a river with water from a tubewell," he said.