People enjoy the weather with swimming, diving and relaxing at Lolark Kund Varanasi
Friday, August 2, 2013
Lolark Kund
Lolark Kund is one of the oldest sacred sites of Varanasi. It is a rectangular tank of 15m height from below the ground level. The word Lolark means `trembling Sun.` it denotes the wavering image of Lord Surya, the Sun God, in the water of the tank. A flight of steep steps has been built for approaching the tank. Many religious festivals are celebrated here. Thousands of devotees come here during the festival of Lolark Shasthi to worship the Sun God. Lolark Kund has been given much importance because of the presence of Lolark Aditya. It is said that taking bath in Lolark teerth now known as Lolark kund or performing religious pooja etc, is regarded to very valuable and has many positive effects for the devotees.
Many important days are celebrated in Lolark Kund by the devotees. Few of them are the month of Margsirsh, Shukla Paksha Shasthi or Saptami, month of Magha, Shukla Paksha Saptami and many others. Though no regular bath takes place in this holy kund yet huge crowd of people flock here on special days. Devotes come in this kund to worship Lolark Aditya.
Assi Ghat During Flood
The rising waters of the Ganga has not only submerged the bathing ghats but also disrupted many of the ceremonies like ``Ganga Aarti" and even cremations at this pilgrim city.
For the past few days, the river has been swirling over the time-worn steps of the numerous ghats, forcing the ``pandas'' (priests who assist the pilgrims in various rituals) and the pilgrims, who used to spend hours at the ghats, to shift elsewhere.
The cremation spots at the various ghats have been under water for the past ten days. However, the rites were being performed on rooftops at the Manikarnika Ghat and even on the street at the Harishchandra Ghat.
The crowds of tourists, who used to enjoy the sunrise and sunset when the rays would seemingly convert the waters of the holy river to gold, are also a disappointed lot having lost the vantage point of the ghats to view the event. However, many of them have taken to watching it from top of the buildings lining the river.
Pishach Mochan Kund
The place that promises to provide 'moksha' (salvation) is itself awaiting liberation. The Pishach Mochan, which is one of the most revered places offering rituals of Shradh Karma (function of paying tributes to forefathers) during Pitr Paksha, is waiting for renovation and beautification.
What ails the place is the fact that the holy water of its kund is no longer clean. The devotees even skip the mandatory dip and prefer taking bath from a handpump after the last rites rituals. "The water of the kund has not been cleaned for the past 15 years and now most of the devotees are shying from taking the customary and mandatory holy dip after performing Shradha Karma and Pind Dan (donation of clay balls laden with rice)," said Jagdish Mishra, the senior priest, while talking to TOI on Sunday. Saying that the conditions have gone from bad to worse in the past few years, he emphasised that people from various parts of the country visit the place due to its significance. It promises to provide salvation to the soul of forefathers, including those who had premature death (due to accidents).
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