In the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the idol of Ram Lalla will be installed within the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on 22nd January 2024. The entire nation will be in the festive spirit of Diwali on this particular occasion. Since the last week of December 2023, the OpIndia team has been stationed in Ayodhya. In the series of field reports, we desire to inform readers not only about the unsung sacrifices of Hindus but also about the forgotten places that are related to Lord Ram. The Raja Dasharatha Samadhi Sthal is one of these sites.
Raja Dasharatha Samadhi Sthal is the place where the last rites of King Dashrath were performed. King Dashrath died after Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, and Lakshmana entered 14 years of exile in Dandakaranya. The OpIndia team visited Dasharatha Samadhi and its premises on Saturday, 30th December 2023 to learn that the temple received proper developmental attention only after CM Yogi came to power in Uttar Pradesh.
The cremation place of King Dashrath is situated near Pura Bazaar along the Ayodhya-Azamgarh road. This location is roughly 12 kilometers away from Ayodhya. This location is known as Bilvahari Ghat in the Puranic texts. It is roughly 1.5 km north of the major highway and goes through a heavily populated area with a diverse population. The flood plains of the Sarayu river start just after the Temple premises. Adjacent to the temple is the expanse of the Saryu River.
A memorial has been built where King Dasharatha’s last rites were performed
There is a temple inside where Lord Rama and King Dashrath are worshiped daily. Further, a platform-like monument has been built at a height. Sandeep Das, the priest and successor of the temple, said that King Dasharatha was cremated and his ashes were stored where the memorial now stands. Additionally, Sandeep Das informed OpIndia that the Saryu River’s mainstream was then directly adjacent to the shrine. But over time, it shifted somewhat to the north. The Saryu River still runs alongside the temple during the rainy season.
The memorial is surrounded by numerous antique weaponry. According to Sandeep Das, those weapons haven’t corroded in decades. The Pind Daan, symbolically offered by Ram, Lakshman, and Bharat, is situated atop the memorial. There is also a Shivalinga built on it. The priest claimed that in addition to Lord Ram, the entire lineage of Ikshayaku kings were Mahadev worshippers. The feet of the four sons of King Dasharatha are symbolically carved on the monument towards the feet.
Nobody was cremated here before the last rites of Maharaj Dashrath were performed
Das meanwhile also narrated the story behind why King Dashrath’s cremation took place in such an isolated place. Das said that during the death of the king, Lord Ram, Lakshman, and Goddess Sita were in exile while Bharat and Shatrughan were in their maternal home. Bharat and Shatrughan came to Ayodhya after hearing the news of their father’s death. Then Bharata, acting as king, called a meeting of his cabinet. He asked to find a place for his father’s cremation where no one else’s cremation had taken place before in history.
Priest Sandeep Das claims that King Bharat and his ministers took a very long time to locate an area of this sort. The mortal remains of King Dasharatha were safeguarded during this period. After much searching, a location at Bilwahari Ghat was eventually discovered where no cremation had previously taken place. Sandeep Das added that after completing his exile and conquering Lanka, Lord Rama also visited the funeral site of his father and performed the necessary rituals there as per Vedic customs.
The genealogy of Lord Ram is carved in the temple
When the OpIndia team visited the temple, it was found that another temple of Shani Dev is also present in the premises. On the walls of the temple, there are plaques of Chalisa of various gods and goddesses along with Ramcharitmanas and Ramayana. The genealogy of Lord Ram was also seen carved on these plates. This lineage starts from Lord Brahma and ends with Lord Rama.
In the genealogy of Lord Rama, before him respectively Dasharatha, Aja, Raghu, Dirghavahu, Khashtravad, Vishwas, Vishwasah, Livil, Dasharath, Moolak, Ashmak, Saudas, Sudas, Sarvkaam, Rituparna, Ayutayu, Sidhudeep, Ambarish, Nabhag, Shruti, Suhotra, Bhagiratha, Dilip, Anshuman, Asamanjas, Sagar, Bahu, Vrik, Ruruk, Vijay, Chachu, Harita, Rohitashva, Harishchandra, Satyavrat, Tryaruni, Tridhanva, Suman, Hartasya, Hayashva, Prishadashva, Anarashya, Trasadadasyu, Purukutsya, Amit, Nikumbh, Haryaashva, Daddhaashva, Kuvalyaashva, Vrihadashva, Shashwat, Yuvnashwa, Chandra, Vishtarashva, Prithu, Anena, Kukutstha, Puranjaya, Vikukshi, Ikshayaku, Vaivasvat, Vivasvan, Kashyap, Marichi and Lord Brahma’s names have been mentioned.
According to this inscription, the Suryavansh started during the time of King Vaivaswat, who is believed to be the 5th generation of Lord Brahma. According to the same list, Raghukul started from the era of King Raghu, 60th generation. King Raghu is considered to be the most glorious king of the Suryavansh. His name has also been mentioned many times in scriptures. The couplet “Raghukul Riti Sada Chali Aayi, Pran Jaay Par Vachan Na Jaay” was composed based on this name.
CM Yogi Adityanath and PM Modi ensured the development of this place
The temple’s priest, Sandeep Das, informed us that King Dasharatha’s cremation site has been maintained and revered for many generations. He referred to the location as historical and sacred and charged that earlier administrations had neglected it. According to Sandeep Das, no one had ever considered working towards the maintenance of Dashrath Samadhi but the Yogi and Modi governments did. The road leading to and from the temple was in extremely poor condition earlier, in addition to the issue of the temple not having enough water or light.
On the grounds of the temple, a small Dharamshala has now been constructed. This location is used for pilgrims who have nowhere else to stay, as well as for religious ceremonies and auspicious occasions. The road that currently runs beside Dasharatha Samadhi will shortly be made wider. Sandeep says that the present government will further develop the temple and give it elements grandeur. He became emotional and wished well for Modi and Yogi.
We would like to inform you that the OpIndia team has been in Ayodhya since the last week of December 2023. From this point on, we shall tell you in great detail about several lesser-known yet holy locations in Ayodhya, in addition to the unsung sacrifices and forgotten incidents of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement. We have introduced the readers to the families of the unsung martyrs of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Movement in the last two publications. The upcoming update in this series will be published shortly.
