There is a tradition prevalent in the areas situated on the banks of Ganga. According to this, if a person dies due to snake bite, his body is immersed in the river Ganga. It is believed that by doing this, the person comes back alive after a few months or years. Although, there is no evidence of any such incident, but the seeds of this belief are hidden in a folktale related to Mata Mansa Vishhari.
In the months of Sawan and Bhado, Mata Mansa Vishhari is worshipped with great pomp in the old Ang districts (Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Begusarai, Khagaria and Lakhisarai of Bihar). During this time, fairs are held near the temples of Vishhari Mata at various places for about a week. According to Hemant Kashyap, spokesperson of Bhagalpur’s Vishhari Temple Central Puja Committee, this time Vishhari Puja is on 17th and 18th August. In the fair, the folk tale related to Mata Mansa Vishhari and Sati Bihula is depicted through tableaus.
Bhagalpur is the center of the story of Bihula-Vishhari
The center of the story of Bihula-Vishhari is Bhagalpur, a city in Bihar located on the banks of the north-flowing Ganga. It was called Champanagari in old times. Bhagalpur was also the center of the old Ang Pradesh (Ang Janapada). In the story of Bihula-Vishhari, Mata Mansa Vishhari is said to be the daughter of Lord Shiva. It is said that Vasuki Nag had asked Shivaputri to test an exclusive devotee of Lord Shiva to establish herself on earth. That devotee was a famous businessman of Champanagari (presently Bhagalpur). His name was Chandradhar. People also called him Chando Saav or Chandradhar Saudagar. He considered Lord Shiva as his deity and worshipped him.
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Chando Sao’s business extended to Singhal Island (Sri Lanka) and beyond. He was a big silk trader. He used to load Bhagalpur’s famous silk on his ship and take the sea route through the Ganges river to other countries and trade it there. In this way, Bhagalpuri silk was very famous not only today but thousands of years ago too and was in demand even abroad.
Once before setting out on such a business expedition, Chando Saudagar was preparing to worship Lord Shiva. During that time, one night he had a dream. In the dream, he saw that he had entered the river Ganga to take a bath. Then he saw a female shadow. A voice came from that shadow that Chandradhar, you worship me. I am the daughter of Lord Shiva. So you worship me once.
Mother Mansa Vishhari was born from the matted locks of Lord Shiva
That shadow introduced herself as Lord Shiva’s daughters born from Mahadev’s broken locks while he was bathing. Mansa, Vishhari, Jaya, Dotila, Bhavani and Padma. Vasuki Nag has told them that if Chando Saav of Champanagari worships you, then you will be worshiped in the entire earth. On this Chando Saav simply said that he cannot worship anyone else except Mahadev. Because he has considered Lord Shiva as his deity.
According to the folklore of Mata Vishhari, when Chandradhar refused to worship her, the goddess threatened bad consequences. After this, Chandradhar the merchant went on his business expedition. His six sons were also with him. When Chandradhar used to go to other countries for trade, he used to take dozens of ships full of goods with him. It mainly consisted of silk. Along with this, there were hundreds of sailors and laborers as well.
Mata Vishhari had sunk all the ships of Chandradhar Saudagar
It is said that when Chando Sao landed in the sea near the Bay of Bengal with all his boats and sons, then Mata Vishhari again started asking him to worship. This time also Chando Sao refused to worship her. After this Vishhari sank all the ships in the sea one by one. Chando Sao’s six sons also drowned in the sea along with all the sailors and silk. Only Chando Sao survived. After this Chando Sao had decided not to worship Vishhari under any circumstances.
Then Bala Lakhinder was born
After the death of Chando Saav’s six sons, a mountain of troubles fell on him, but he did not waver from his devotion to Lord Shiva. He did not stop worshipping Mahadev under any circumstances. Many years passed, but Chando Saudagar could not recover from this sorrow. He had lost everything. After a few years, a lamp of hope was lit in his house and Chandradhar’s wife gave birth to a son.
He was named Bala Lakhinder. Time passed by and Bala became 15 years old. Now Chando Saudagar also started focusing on his business like before and became more immersed in Shiva Bhakti than before. Meanwhile, one day a Siddha Purush came to Chandradhar Saudagar’s house and said that Bala will face a calamity on the day of his wedding. If he escapes the calamity on that day, then nothing will ever happen to him.
Bala got married to Bihula at the age of 16
When Bala Lakhinder turned 16, his marriage was fixed with a girl named Bihula. Meanwhile, the preparations for the marriage started and Chandradhar’s anxiety increased. He started taking measures to keep Bala safe on the wedding night. It is said that Chandradhar Saudagar got Vishwakarma Shilpi to build a house of iron and bamboo for the first night of his son’s marriage, which was completely safe. At the same time, Mata Vishhari had frightened Vishwakarma and asked him to leave a thread’s length of space to enter that house.
Naag Bala died on the wedding night
According to the story, when Bala Lakhinder and Bihula reached the Loha Bamboo house at night after marriage, Nag Maniyar also entered through that one thread’s space. He was sent by Mata Vishhari. After this, Nag Maniyar bit Bala at night and he died.
Bihula had taken a vow to bring her husband back to life
After this, Bala’s widow Bihula decided to bring her husband back to life. She had full faith in her chastity and dedication. She believed that when she had not committed any mistake, why should she be punished for the mistake of others (Chandradhar Saudagar). With this in mind, she sat on a Manjusha (a boat-like box that floats in the river) with her husband’s dead body and floated away.
After floating with the help of Manjusha in the Ganga river for months, she reached the last end, from where the sea begins. According to the story, she left Manjusha at the last end of the Ganga river and after keeping the remains of her husband’s body at a safe place on the river bank, she went inside the forest with a Yogini. According to the folklore, the Yogini took Bihula to Kamakhya temple. From there, she left for Devlok in her physical form and then met Mata Vishhari.
Bala was brought back to life by the blessing of Mata Vishhari
She again asked the same question to Mata Mansa Vishhari that why did she get such a punishment. Seeing Bihula’s devotion and dedication, Mansa Devi gave her three boons. It is said that through the boon, Bihula asked Mata Mansa Vishhari for the life of her husband and his six brothers. All of them were sons of Chandradhar Saudagar. She also asked for the return of all the wealth and sunken ships of Chandradhar Saudagar. After this, Bihula returned to Champanagar with her living husband and his brothers via the river Ganga.
Chandradhar Saudagar worshipped Mother Vishhari
After this, Bihula convinced her father-in-law i.e. Chandradhar Saudagar to worship Mata Vishhari. In this way, Chandradhar worshipped Mata Vishhari. According to folklore, Mata Mansa Vishhari was worshipped for the first time on earth, which was done by Chandradhar Saudagar. Bihula took her husband’s body on a Manjusha in the Ganga river after his death due to snake bite and after six months Bala returned alive. It is said that since then this belief has come into practice that after snake bite, the body should not be cremated but it should be immersed in the Ganga river. So that by the grace of Mata Ganga and Mansa Vishhari, the poison of the person is removed and he comes back alive.
The story of Bihula Vishhari is an important part of the folk culture of the Ganges River
Writer Meera Jha has written in her book ‘Bihula-Vishhari’ that the folktale based on which Vishhari Puja is celebrated in the entire Ang region is also mentioned in Assamese writer Dharanikant Dev Sharma’s book ‘Kamarupa Kamakhya’. According to the handwritten Padma Purana of ancient poets Durgavar and Mankar, the Behula-Lakhindar saga is sung in ancient tune. In the Panchratna temple of Kamakhya, Marei Puja i.e. by installing the pot and Nagfan of Nagmata Mansa, this Puja is celebrated with great pomp on Pratipada or Dwitiya in the month of Bhadrapad. There is also a ritual of worshipping Nagmata Mansa in Bengal. Marei Puja held in the Panchratna temple of Kamakhya is the Medh Puja of Ang district. This means that the story of Mata Mansa Vishhari and Bihula is hundreds of years old and is an important part of the folk culture of the river Ganga.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)