An old temple stands in Greater Noida’s non-descript small Bisrakh village. Got to know one fine day, that Bisrakh village near to Noida is believed to be birthplace of demon king Ravana and that ancient temple stands testimony to that. Ooh la la, I have been in Noida for the last 8 years but never had heard about this village and this associated history piece.
After speculating for a couple of weeks about the place and searching on internet about it, one fine Saturday I decided to just drive and find out more about this place. It took me around 30-35 minutes from my home to reach Bisrakh village, the birthplace of Ravana. Finally, I reached the spot where an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva stands. Here I am at the temple entrance praying to lord Shiva and seeking benevolence to explore this spot.
This temple has an octagonal Shivling, perhaps only one of its types in India.
After praying, I started searching for some statue
of Ravana or any mark from the past, which could have taken me to the times of Ramayana and can be connected to Ravana’s
birth at this place. However, there was none or better I didn't locate any.
Not an issue, started talking to villagers/ temple
priests about the secrets of Bisrakh. I got to know that the word Bisrakh has been
derived from word from “Vishrava”, the father of Ravana. Sage Vishrava used to
live here and had performed rituals and penance to please the Gods. It is also believed that the existing Shivling was placed here by Sage Vishrava.
Vishrava -> Vishrava ka -> Vishraka ->
Bisrakh, that is how words get changed over the times, no surprise languages
evolve like this. Near to this ancient temple is a relatively new temple with
statue of sage Vishrava.
And there is a statue of Gaurishankar
(Lord shiva and Goddess Parvati are jointly called as Gaurishankar), which is
probably first of its kind statue I have come across. To be honest I was unable to recognize,
till I read the mentioned title Gauri Shankar. Lord Kartikeya and Lord Ganesh are also present.
Curiosity about Bisrakh was growing more and more,
minute after minute. Now got to know from the villagers that effigy of Ravana
is not burnt here on Dussehra, day of Ravana's death and Ramlila is also not held.
People celebrate Dussehra and Diwali quietly, just effigy of Ravana is not burnt. There have been incidents in the past when few people have challenged
this belief by burning Ravana’s effigy as a normal practice everywhere and holding
Ramlila. However, in next few days someone in their families were met with
untimely demise. It is believed that this happened not because of burning demon Ravana, but due
to the fact that Ravana was a devotee of Lord Shiva. Probably any activity against
Ravana at this place perhaps is not liked by the Gods as well.
Forgot to mention that adjacent to ancient Shiva
temple is a cave (Blue door on right hand side of the temple), which has been locked now.
Cave was located by ASI (Archaeological
Survey of India) sometime back and very old metal coins /ancient bricks were found
however there was no confirmation about the opening of other end of this cave/
tunnel. Due to ongoing construction activities in Greater Noida perhaps the
tunnel will be lost forever soon.
So, what if I was unable to locate any mark
as a proof of connection with Ravana at this place! However, the belief of
people in the legacy made me believe that probably Bisrakh is the birthplace
of Ravana. Moreover, history is communicated from generation to generation by mouth and by the stories associated with the place. It is not necessary that every event should have a photograph or inscription to certify its authenticity/ happening in past.
For those proof seekers, portrait of Ravana praying in this temple:
After all, “Trust” and “Belief” are the two pillars
which keep civilizations united to their roots. I realized this in Bisrakh
village. After spending a couple of hours, it was time to return back.
Keep exploring Guys...