Why is Gaya the most sacred place for Pind Daan in Hinduism?
1. Gaya is regarded as Pitru Bhoomi.
Among all the Tirth Kshetras where Pind Daan is performed, Gaya holds a unique place, as every inch of its land can be called Pitru Bhoomi. No other place on the planet holds such significance. It is the place where even our Gods have performed Pind Daan, Pooja and Yagya.
We all have heard the story of Lord Vishnu and the demon Gayasur. Lord Vishnu pressed the chest of the demon Gayasur with his feet and levelled him to the ground, and Vishnu gave a boon to Gayasur that anyone who will perform Pind Daan on his body, which fell over an area of almost 15 kms, will get permanent peace and liberation. Another famous legend is that of Mother Sita performing Pind Daan for her father-in-law when Ram and Lakshman were late in returning from collecting pooja materials for Pind Daan. Lord Brahma also performed Pind Daan, Pooja and Yagya in Gaya and gave a systematic process for Pind Daan.
Gaya has an elaborate method of Pind Daan as given in Gaya Mahatmaya, for people who want to perform a one-day, three-day, five-day, or the complete seventeen-day Gaya Shradh.
2. The legends of Gayasur and Goddess Sita:
The first and most famous legend is about the great demon Gayasur and Lord Vishnu. Gayasur performed penance for thousands of years,
becoming so spiritually elevated that anyone who came into his presence was liberated from the cycle of birth and death. This disturbed
the karmic balance on Earth, making the gods furious. The gods approached the supreme authority, Vishnu, and requested him to restore
balance on Earth. Vishnu appeared before Gayasur and narrated the disturbance caused by his presence. Gayasur, in a gesture of humility,
offered his body. Vishnu decided to flatten his body on Earth by pressing his feet on Gayasur’s chest, and in return, Vishnu gave Gayasur
a boon that anyone who performs the Shradh rites with pure intent on the area of the land where his body lies will surely attain final
peace and liberation from me.
The second famous legend revolves around Mother Sita. When Ram got the news of his father's death. Ram, along with Lakshman and Sita, decided to offer Pind to his father on the banks of the river Phalgu. Due to the lack of materials for the Pind Daan, Ram and Lakshman went to the forest to collect them, while Sita waited for their return. It was getting late, and Sita heard a celestial voice asking her to perform Pind Daan. The celestial voice told her the steps to follow. She dug the sands of the Phalgu river, made sand balls, followed the celestial voice, and offered Pind to the ancestors. Ancestors appeared physically to accept the offering, and the entire incident was witnessed by five people. Brahmin, the Banyan Tree, Phalgu River, Tulsi and a cow. Upon Rama's arrival, she narrated the entire incident to Rama and asked all five witnesses for their approval. All denied except the Banyan Tree, which was later called Akshay Vat. All four denied because they wanted to witness Lord Rama himself performing Shradh, so they could also get liberated. Sita cursed the Brahmin as he would never feel satiated. The Phalgu River was cursed to flow underground for most of the year, the Tulsi plant was cursed not to be used in Pitru Karyas, and the cow was cursed to be neglected in Kaliyuga. Akshay Vat was the only one to receive the boon from Mother Sita. Mother Sita declared that no Shradh rituals will be complete without performing under the Akshay Vat.
3. Pind Daan performed here yields Akshay Phal.
The statement above is true, as the central place for Pind Daan is the abode of Vishnu himself.
It is the place with the footprints of Lord Vishnu. In Hinduism, Vishnu is considered the supreme Lord who grants liberation and final
peace to the souls of ancestors. This place acts as a nucleus among all the Vedis of Gaya. No Shradh or Pind Daan is complete without
performing here. After pressing Gayasur to the ground, Lord Vishnu gave a boon to Gayasur, as whoever will perform Pind Daan in Gaya Tirth Kshetra will yield Akshay Phal.
4. Scriptural References
The significance of Gaya as the supreme place for Shradh rites is mentioned in many scriptures, such as the Padma Puran, Vayu Puran, Garud Puran, and Skanda Puran. Among the mentioned Puranas, Gaya Mahatmaya(significance) exists as a section within each Purana.
1. Garud Puran: This Purana explains the post-death rituals, their significance, the soul journey after death, etc. The significance of Gaya Shradh rites is discussed in a separate chapter of the Garud Puran, underscoring their scriptural relevance.
2. Vayu Puran: It is one of the earliest Puranic texts explaining the creation and dissolution of the universe, lineages of gods and goddesses, ritual framework, Tirth Mahatmaya, etc. This Purana again establishes Gaya as the most sacred place for Pind Daan. It lays down the ritual framework for Gaya for Pitru rites and recognises it as a supreme Pitru Kshetra.
3. Skanda Puran: It is one of the Maha-Puranas, containing 81,000 verses. It focuses mainly on the literature of the Tirtha, emphasising the importance of sacred places. It also explains ritual procedures. It establishes the hierarchy of places and designates Gaya as the supreme place for ancestral rituals. The efficacy of rituals performed at different places and their fruits have been described in depth in this Puran.
5. Presence of Vishnu’s footprints
The presence of Vishnu’s footprints is of immense significance, as Vishnu is described as the supreme authority for granting liberation to the souls of the deceased, and his footprints are direct proof of his presence. Any Shradh rites performed near Vishnupad are believed to reach the abode of Vishnu directly. Vishnu grants liberation to those souls as a boon promised to the great demon Gayasur, who, in a humble gesture, offered his body to Vishnu to restore balance on earth. Performing Pitru rites in front of Vishnu’s footprints requires intent more than the offering of elaborate methods of worship.
6. The Pind Daan performed here is regarded as full and complete.
Lord Vishnu is the central deity in Gaya and is considered the supreme authority in granting peace and liberation to the souls of
ancestors. Therefore, any Pind Daan ritual performed in Gaya is considered complete and reaches Vishnu's abode directly. Pind Daan offered anywhere except Gaya will require repetition, but it is considered full and complete in Gaya.