prachin bhartiya itihas ke shri kendra magadh ki rajdhani patna se 24 kimi. dur aur fatuha prakhand mukhyalay se 9 ki.mi. duri par vaikthpur ganv men rashtriya rajmarg 30 se sate vaikthpur ka vishal shivalay aj kisi parichay ka mohtaj nahin hai. yahan ke yashogan ki shuruat puratan kal se hi hui hai. ekant, shant, ramnik aur suramya gramin kshetra men base baba ka yah tirth lok astha ka pradhan kendra hai. aise to sal ke pratyek din yahan dur-dur se log ate hain par pura shravan, shivratri aur kisi parva tyohar men yahan vishesh gahmaghmi bani rahti hai. vivaran milta hai ki puratan kal men yah sthan ‘vaikunth van’ ke nam se charchit tha. isi tirth ke age uttaravahini ganga ke kinare barh men umanath mahadev mandir aur uske age ‘simriya ghat’ hai jahan nae jamane men sarkari-gair sarkari prayas se kunbh mele ka shri ganesh kiya gaya hai. jankari milti hai ki baba ke darshanarth raja nal raja indrasen, raja chitrangad, maharshi yagyavalkya, chyavan rishi, baba bam bam adi bhi ae the.
is tirth ka pratham khyatnam pujari raja vrihadrath the jo jarasandh ke pita shri the. raja jarasandh ka ihlokagaman inhin ki kripa se hua bataya jata hai. vaikthpur mahadev ke pratham nirmata ke rup men jarasandh ka hi nam liya jata hai. us samay ganga ke tat se mandir tak naya rasta banaya gaya. prachlit katha se gyat hota hai ki raja jarasandh nitya hi bari nem nishtha se gauri shankar mahadev ki puja karte aur inhin ki kripa drishti se jarasandh ka raj-kaj thik chal raha tha. kintu ek din raste men hi aisa vighn ho gaya ki jarasandh mandir nahin a pae. itna hi nahin gale ke shiv yantra ko bhi unhonne bhulavash fenk diya. kahte hain jahan par yantra gira vahin aj ‘kauriya khar’ vidyaman hai arthat kauri se bana gaddha. ant men vahi hua jiska dar tha. jarasandh parajit hokar duniya chor gae. bad ke samay men bhi mandir ka vikas rath chalta raha. pal vansh ke jamane men bhi is devalay ki sthiti thik thak thi par is yug ke kisi vrittant ki koi jankari kahin se nahin milti.
jankari ki bat hai ki muglkal men raja mansinh bangal ke raniya saray men mache upadrav ko shant karne ke lie pure kafile ke sath isi marg se age barh rahe the ki kauriya khanr men unka rath fans gaya. rat hone par vahin vishram ki yojna ki. rat men raja mansinh ko svapn aya ki pas men hi mera sthan hai tum uska uddhar karo. vishvas kiya jata hai ki raja ne manah sankalp kiya ki vijay shri kar isi marg se lautte vah mandir ko navrup de dega. prabhu kripa hui .. 1585-86 ke bich raja man sinh ke nirdeshan men vishal mandir bana diya gaya aur to aur raja mansinh ki mata ki mrityu bhi yahin hui jinki smriti men bani ‘baradri’ aj bhi mandir ke vishal angan ke thik samne virajman hai. raja mansinh ne mandir men puja-path, rag-bhog ke lie panda-pujari parivar ko basaya. usi jamane se kanyakubj brahman yahan puja-path v dharmanushthan kara rahe hain jinke ghar parivaron ki sankhya chalis ke karib hai.
kala, sthapatya aur mutrt shilp ki drishti se vaikthpur ke gauri shankar mahadev ka sanpurn purva bharat men vishesh nam hai. bare bhu-bhag men base is mandir ki sabse bari khasiyat yahan ka mahimamyi shiv ling hai jismen charon taraf barah sau shivling bane hain aur age mata gauri ki akarshak mukhakriti hai. yahan ke shivling ka yah rup adbhut aur anutha hai tabhi to ise ‘‘kamna ling’ bhi kaha jata hai. andar men hi shri vishnu aur bahri chaikhat ke upar ganesh virajman hain. mukhya pravesh kaksh ke bahar ek taraf ganesh v dusre taraf nandi ji ka sthan hai. is mandir parisar men ‘shitla mata’, ‘surya narayn’, ‘hanuman’, ‘man ganga’ aur piche ‘durga ji’ ka mandir hai. yahin par ‘naiya baba’ nam parne ke piche tark yahi hai ki baba svami sachchidanand parmhans ji sadaiv nav par hi rahakar baba ki aradhna karte the. inke nam par ek dharmashala bhi yahan 1992 men banaya gaya hai. yahin par kone men shivshankar ka gufa mandir darshaniya hai.
pahle bhale hi ganga ji mandir se sate bahti thin par aj inki duri do kilomitar ke karib hai. is khali sthan men krishi, vyapar v nivas se jure kitne hi karya hone se mandir ka prishth bhag saundaryavihin hota ja raha hai. mandir ke piche ka kup v ghat par gandgi ka samrajya kayam hai aur log tamam tarah ki gandgi idhar hi fenk kar rahi sahi kasar pura kar de rahe hain. mandir ke vikas men shri vaikthpur gauri-shankar nyas samiti ke karya sarahniya hain. yahan shadi-vivah, mundan, gari puja, vishesh puja, rudrabhishek v kitne tarah ke dharmanushthan karya nitya hote rahte hain jiske lie kuch nirdharit shulk bhi ada karna hota hai. mandir se jure shivnandan panda batate hain ki baba tamam tarah ke vighnon ka shamn-daman kar bhakton ko age barhne ka marg prashast karte hain. yahi karan hai ki dinane-din yahan bhakton ki sankhya barhti ja rahi hai aur shravan men kanvar se bhi jalarpan kiya jata hai. madhyakal men patliputra se jure jalmarg ka pratham parav ‘vaikthpur’ hi tha jahan log baba ke darshana-pujan ke bad age ki yatra kiya karte the.
mandir ke bahri baramde ke upri kaksha ke gumbad ke andar shiv katha v shiv parivar se jure chitrankan bhakton ko ati anand pradan karte hain. bhramn-darshan men sath men gae jankar amit kumar batate hain ki baba ka mahaling aur mandir donon aitihasik hai aur yahi iski vishishtata ka adhar hai jo jis bhav se ata hai baba avashya purit karte hain. mukhyadvar par bana sinh dvar harek jane -ane valon ko mandir darshan ka nimantran deta hai to andar ke dvar par baithe shiv-parvati mandir darshan ke marg ko prashast kar bhakton ko manovanchit fal pradan karte hain. shravan ke purva mandir ka navshringar karaya ja raha hai taki shravan men ane vale bhakton ko koi pareshani n ho. yah jankari ki bat hai ki raja mansinh ne apne gaya pravas kal (1587 se 1594 i.) ke madhya gaya men panch v fatuha kshetra men ek shivalay banvae. unmen manpur (gaya) ka nilkantheshvar aur fatuha khushrupur ka gauri shankar itihas prasiddh hai. sachmuch dharm v prakriti ka sangam sthal hai gauri shankar mahadev, jahan ki sadhna kabhi nishfal nahin hoti.