Shesh Shaiya Idol,
Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh
Shesh Shaiya Idol is an idol of Lord Vishnu located inside Bandhavgarh National Park at the base of Bandhavgarh Fort in Umaria District in Madhya Pradesh, India. The idol is located on the main entrance of the footpath towards the fort. The idol is one of the state protected monuments in Madhya Pradesh declared by Archaeological Survey of India.
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Legends
Charanganga:
As per legend, the water from
all the lakes in the region were engineered by the ancient kings, to join
together and designed in such a way that the waters emerged from the feet of
this 32 feet long reclining Vishnu Idol. Thus, the stream came to be called as
Charan Ganga (Charan means Feet and Ganga means Ganga river). This river is also
called as Vetravali Ganga and has never been dried up. There is a unique blue-green
algae, known as cyanobacteria in the waters of Charan Ganga. This bacteria is known
to produce large amounts of oxygen. As the river originate from the feet of
Lord Vishnu, the water of this river is considered to be sacred.
Bandhavgarh:
As per legend, Lord Rama
requested Vanaras Nala and Neela to build a fort at this place after the battle
of Lanka. Lord Rama gifted this fort to his brother Lakshmana. Thus, the fort
and the place came to be called as Bandhavgarh (Bandhav means brother and Garh
means fort). This fort is situated within the Bandhavgarh National Park. Lakshmana
is also called as Bandhavdeesh here and a temple dedicated to him can be seen atop
the hill.
History
This idol is believed to have been commissioned in 10th century CE. The Bandhavgarh fort was occupied by several dynasties like the Maghas, Vakatakas, Chandelas, the Gonds, the Sengars and the royal family of Rewa during the course of its history. The fort was extended by Raja Vyaghra Dev of Rewa during his reign. It is believed that this fort was used as intelligence quarters by Maharaja Gulab Singh and Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa. Bandhavgarh is the favourite hunting grounds for the kings from the Rewa Kingdom.
The Idol
This idol of Vishnu is located at the base of Bandhavgarh fort. The idol is located on the main entrance of the footpath towards the fort. The idol is about 32 feet long and depicted in reclining posture. He is resting on the seven-headed serpent Adisesha. Thus, he came to be called as Shesh Shaiya. Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma can be seen near to this idol. Thus, the devotees can have darshan of the Trimurtis in single place. The river Charanganga originates from the feet of this idol.
There is a rectangular pool of spring water situate beneath the idol. The green cover on the pool is because of the presence of a unique blue-green algae, known as cyanobacteria. This bacteria is known to produce large amounts of oxygen. This pool serves as the drinking spot for the animals during summer but during the monsoon season, it receives a lot of devotees who throng here to worship the Lord Vishnu.
Connectivity
This idol of Vishnu is located at the base of
Bandhavgarh fort. The fort is located at
about 10 Kms from Tala, 35 Kms from Umaria, 36 Kms from Umaria Railway Station,
63 Kms from Beohari, 82 Kms from Shahdol, 183 Kms from Jabalpur Airport and 228
Kms from Khajuraho Airport. The fort is situated at about 10 Kms to the south
of Tala on Umaria to Beohari route.
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