NRP Desk
Lucknow: Considered to be the longest epic poem ever written, Mahabharata is about the turmoils and friction between two factions of the same royal family, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. It is said to have been written around 400 BC, though the incidents described in the epic are said to have occurred long before, maybe in the 800 BC. Interestingly, many of the sites mentioned in the Mahabharata still exist and Uttarakhand is home to several of them. The Mahabharata Circuit covers all the places associated with the epic in the state of Uttarakhand. Around 250-300 km long, this circuit spans from Mana, the last village of India towards the international border, all the way to scenic Dodital. It is in this holy destination, it is said, that the sage-author of the epic had resided. Close to the Badrinath temple stands the Vyas Gufa, a cave, where it is believed the sage had sat and composed the epic with the help of Lord Ganesha. Another legend say that when the Pandavas were in exile, they had stayed for a while in Badrinath. The last village of India, along the Indo-China border, Mana is around 5 km from Badrinath. Mana is believed to have been the site from where the Pandavas had started on their mahaprasthan (last journey), and their wife Draupadi was the first to fall, after crossing the Saraswati river. There is small passage called the Bhim Pul (named after one of the Pandava brothers Bhim) that is located here and the River Saraswati plunges headlong into the path and this is a sight to behold.
