Jan 05, 2025 04:41 PM IST
The bus, a Tata 1210 model, has caught several people’s attention at one of the camps being set up near Alopshankari Crossing on the Sangam Lower Road.
With just a week left for the Mahakumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, what has caught people’s eye there is a unique white bus which houses a saint and the “world’s heaviest Sphatik (crystal) Shivling”.
The bus belongs to one Swami Sachchidanand Chaitanya, who said that the Shivling installed by his Guru, Shri Laxman Chaitanya Brahmachari, weighs 65 kg, becoming the world’s heaviest Sphatik shivling, according to news agency PTI.
The bus, a Tata 1210 model, is stationed at one of the several camps that is being set up for the Mahakumbh near Alopshankari Crossing on the Sangam Lower Road in Sector 18.
“In 1992, my guru, Shri Laxman Chaitanya Brahmachari Ji, prepared this bus for the Ujjain Simhastha Kumbh, naming it Shri Shri Harsiddhi. This bus is a provider of all siddhis. After that, he visited all the pilgrimage sites,” Swami Sachchidanand Chaitanya told PTI Bhasha.
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Notably, doctor Shri Laxman Chaitanya Brahmachari Maharaj was the successor disciple of Dharma Samrat Swami Shri Karpatri Ji Maharaj and served as the long-time president of Varanasi’s All India Dharma Sangh.
Swami Chaitanya said that his Guru had built a square tank on the top of the bus to collect holy water from all the pilgrimage sites and lakes mentioned in the Puranas and holy scriptures. “The water from all the 12 Jyotirlingas was used to anoint this Sphatik Shivling, which was touched by all the 12 Jyotirlingas,” he added.
The saint further went on to explain that his Guru had in 2001 attained Brahmalin (passed away) in Varanasi, following which, his disciple, Guru Maa Doctor Kalyani Chaitanya Brahmacharini (Amma Ji), spent her entire life in the bus.
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Amma ji passed away in 2023, Swami Chaitanya said, adding that both her and his Guru did spiritual practices and went on pilgrimage in this very bus.
He noted that the bus, which once was facilitated with a kitchen and a toilet, has a back section that can be converted into a stage. The vehicle also houses a grain storage system to prepare food offerings.
Additionally, Swami Sachchidanand Chaitanya told PTI that Tata motors no longer manufacture the spare parts for this old model bus. However, mechanics feel ecstatic to see the vehicle and manage to repair it by sourcing the parts from other places.
The Mahakumbh festival, celebrated once in every 12 years, always witnesses massive turnout of devotees and expecting one this year as well. The mela will be held in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26.
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The state and district administration has been constantly taking precautionary measures to ensure safety of the devotees, prevent mishaps, and manage the crowd at the Mela.
The main bathing rituals, known as the Shahi Snan (royal bath), will take place on Makar Sankranti (January 14), Mauni Amavasya (January 29), and Basant Panchami (February 3).
(with ANI inputs)
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