On my recent visit to my parental house in Kasganj, I had a chance to go to a nearby village Soron-ji which is located on the banks of River Ganga. This village is known as the birthplace of Goswami Tulsidas, who composed the famous Ram Charit Manas. We were here to attend the “Ganga Arti” that has started as a daily ritual in the evenings at the Haripadi Ganga ghat. This Ghat is the central point of the village and has been beautifully renovated in past few years with the efforts of some local residents.

We had reached a little early and while the preparations for the Arti were going on we sat on the steps with tea served in earthen cups. I was filled with the memories of my childhood . My great-grandfather established the famous Shivraj Pashu Mela, which is organised in the month of Margashirsha ( Nov.-Dec.) according to the Hindu Calendar. In the year 2019 , this fair has completed 100 years of its existence. We often used to come to the Ghat riding on an elephant or a horse.

There are many temples built on the other side that add to the beauty of the ghat. The sun was about to set and the river had been cleaned. With the sound of Devotional songs the locals had started arriving. My eyes caught on a group of monkeys who had just taken a dip in the holy water and were sitting on the steps at a distance. The Arti began with the bells and drums and the whole ambience turned divine.

This Haripadi Ganga Ghat is a blessed site. It is associated with Varahdev, the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the line of the Dashavatara. Lord Vishnu appeared as a Varah(Wild Boar) to put an end to the powers of the demon king Hiranyaksha and rescue Mother Earth from his captivity. According to the legends, after completing his task, Varaha Dev left for his heavenly abode, Baikuntha Dham from here. For this reason, Soron is mentioned as Sooker Kshetra( region of Boar). There is a temple of Varah Dev on the other side of the Ghat.

Soron is considered as a Moksha Dham and people visit here to immerse the ashes of their dead relatives and perform last rites. It is believed that the bones get dissolved very fast in the water of this place.

Soronji may be a small village today but in ancient days it was an important place. It is known as Adi Teerth (the oldest pilgrim centre). The ancient texts speak of Four Sacred Banyan trees and one of them the GriddhaVat is here and can be seen in the Batuknath temple complex. The other three are Akshay Vat (Prayag), Vanshi Vat (Mathura) and Siddha Vat (ujjain). There are several sites here that are linked with the stories from Indian mythology. My elder brother who is a writer and associated with development programmes here, narrated a few while visiting temples on the other side.

It was getting dark and we had to go back to kasganj. I had visited this village several times, but then never tried to understand its importance but now I want to. May be , on the next visit?