Sankarshan Kund, Anyor (Goverdhan)

Shri Sankarshana is the name given to the elder brother of Shri Krishna. However, in Braj, He is popularly known as Baldev, Balram or Dauji. This Kund is named after Him.

A temple dedicated to Dauji is located near this Kund. The deity adored in this temple was found in this Kund only and was established 5,000 years ago by Shri Vajranabh Ji, the great grandson of Lord Krishna. It is believed that a holy dip in this Kund relieves one from all the past sins incurred in this material world.

Sankarshan Kund

Before

Nearby Sankarshan Kund is the Samadhi of Shri Kumbhan Das Ji, ‘Ashtchhap’ poet saint & disciples of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya Ji. Raja Maan Singh, the army chief of Emperor Akbar, had come here to seek the blessings of Shri Kumbhan Das Ji.

Neglected for centuries

This sacred kund is mentioned in ancient scriptures, but was in pitiable condition due to accumulated squalor and filth over a period of time. The dirty drains of Anyour village were falling into it, polluting its holy water. The foul smell was so strong that the devotees on Govardhan Parikrama could not bear it. Its surroundings had been encroached by the vested interests, who have constructed shops, houses, animal-sheds etc. after filling the earth at the bank of the kund.

Braj Foundation took the initiative of its restoration

In the year 2011, the entire village community led by its Gram Pradhan repeatedly requested The Braj Foundation to revive this sacred kund. It was a difficult task because of its terrible condition, the worst we had ever encountered.

Design and Revenue Record

Our architect Suvaj Mohanty gave us the conceptual design. It was only an artist's imagination but we liked it so much that our engineering wing got ready to plunge into this project. At this stage, to our surprise, we found out that this puranic Kund, despite mentioned in scriptures, does not exist in the revenue records. Such tempering was done obviously with the objective of grabbing public land for commercial purposes. So we advised the village community to move an application with the District Revenue Dept. to make the desired corrections in their records. The Chairman Revenue Board took the pro-active decision and using his powers declared this area to be Sankarshan Kund, which it should have been.

Execution & Sponsorship

We presented proposal of Sankarshan Kund to Dr. Rameshwar Rao, Chairman My Home Group, Hyderabad and his guru, a prominent saint HH Chinna Jeeyar Swami Ji. Interestingly, this kund has been the tapasthali of one of the great Acharya of Swamiji's sampradaya. The restoration work was inaugurated by HH Chinna Jeeyar Swami Ji on Oct. 1, 2012. The grand ceremony was witnessed by thousands of Brajwasis and devotees from the state of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana (now).

Desilting of Sankarshan Kund was the most challenging job. Several meters of layers of marshy land filled with human excreta and sewage disposal made our job almost impossible. Each time earthmovers move ahead they submerged into the filth of the Kund. Seven times we had to summon heavy duty cranes to pull them out. Several contractors left the work before they could actually start it because of this problem. Our in-house team took the bold initiative and accomplished the job.

Considering the nature of loose soil around the Kund, which could have easily caved in during the monsoon, we decided to construct a toe wall made of heavy duty masonry stones, all around the Kund. Another big problem was that the drain coming from the locality was constantly pouring sewage disposal into the Kund. Solution was to get a ‘pucca nalah’ constructed to divert this to far off fields. We had no budget for this public work. We approached and requested senior journalist and member Rajya Sabha Mr. H K Dua to sanction a sum of Rs 25 lakhs from his MP LAD fund which he happily did. With this money the District Administration constructed a drain.

The Deity

In our design there was a proposal to install a tall deity of Sankarshan Bhagwan at the periphery of the Kund. We requested Chinna Jeeyar Swami ji to arrange the same. He got a 24 feet tall, black single stone granite, beautiful deity carved from Vishnu Shila procured from the sacred Tirumalai Hills, Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh). Twenty two sculpturists worked for one year on this deity. The deity was so heavy that it could only be lifted with the help of three heavy duty cranes and was loaded on the trailer. The second trailer carried the carved base of the deity.

South to North- Journey : Dau ji arrival at Goverdhan

Two trailers moved slowly from Tirupati to Govardhan. On this long route the deity was welcomed and worshiped everywhere by the local people. Its arrival at Sankarshan Kund was a spectacular event. The residents of all villages on route from Mathura to Govardhan and those who came from all over the Braj were full of ecstasy to see this historic event. Media has also been increasing their excitement by reporting days before the arrival. The entire procession from Mathura to Govardhan was so colorful, vibrant, transcendental and exciting that everybody was dancing and singing to welcome Dauji Maharaj.

Hundreds of women came running with lots of sweets, snacks and milk and curd based drinks to offer to Dau ji. Their argument was that Dauji has traveled a long distance. He must be very hungry. Let’s feed him first before you install him on the podium. This was again a very touching moment for all of us. Send off at Tirupati & welcome at Govardhan, both had such a personal human touch of emotions full of Bhakti that it can not be expressed in words.

Climbing the Podium

Before the arrival of the deity, a ten feet high concrete podium was built at the Sankarshan Kund. This had to carry a very heavy weight of the deity. Considering the loose soil conditions, we used a huge amount of steel and concrete to prepare a fifteen feet deep solid foundation on which the podium was made. Three heavy duty cranes put the deity on the podium.

We cladded the podium with black granite and created a tank-like surrounding at the bottom of it, so that when the ‘Panchamrit Abhishek’ is done, not a drop of milk- ghee etc goes to waste. To facilitate the abhishek we have fixed permanent scaffolding of steel at the back of the deity. By climbing on this one can pour the panchamrit or milk etc from the top of the head of 34 feet tall Shankarshna Bhagwan.

We constructed two big ghats for bathing purposes, a pathway with ornamental lights and hundreds of trees planted. Like at other sites here also ten feet high chain link fencing has been erected all around the Kund area. We fixed a heavy duty fountain in the center of the Kund and illuminated it with colorful lights, besides adding beauty fountains also helps in increasing the oxygen level of water. To protect the plants from monkey menace, electric fencing was also fixed. A lush green garden around kund was developed for the pleasure of parikramarthis.

Gopuram type gate

Foundation’s uniqueness is in designing the gates of the leelasthalis. We take into consideration the pastimes of Krishna which took place there and accordingly design the gates. However at Sankarhsan Kund the gate has been designed in the South Indian Gopuram style of Ramanujacharya Sampradaya. On both sides of the gate life-size black granite deities of Jai and Vijay are proudly standing, guarding the abode of Sankarshan Bhagwan and welcoming the devotees.

Pilgrim Facility

On one side of the Kund within the garden we have erected a large platform, ornamentally covered with tin shed, which can accommodate two to three hundred people’s assembly for religious purposes. There is a small temple attached to this platform where daily pooja archna is offered by a priest to the festive deity of Sankarshan Bhagwan.

The restoration of Sankarshan Kund took five years (2012-2017) because of several hurdles created by the vested interests. We had to fight legal battles to remove encroachments.

Lokarpan Mahotsav

Finally HH Chinna Jeeyar Swami Ji, almost all the prominent saints of Braj, CVC of India, Mr Shekhar Bajaj of the Bajaj family Mumbai, several top bureaucrats and thousands of devotees from North and South India participated in a three day long colorful festivity from 3rd to 5th Oct 2017. International devotees & Swamis were particularly excited to see the transformation so they took part in every ceremony.

Maintenance and Daily Seva

A priest trained in Ramanujacharya Sampraday was sent by HH Swami Ji for daily worship. Gardners and guards were appointed for the upkeep of the complex. All this gave immense pleasure to saints, brajwasis and pilgrims who were witness to the original condition of Sankarshan Kund.