bharat desh ke panchvane dham ke rup men vishva vishrut gaya men shraddh pinddan ka dharm anushthan salon bhar hota rahta hai par sal ke 24 pakshon men ek pitripaksh men iska mahatva dvigunit ho jata hai. pitritirth gaya ke is dharm anushthan ki bhuri-bhuri prashansa bhartiya dharm shastron men ki gayi hai. purva vaidik kal se praranbh hue is karm kritya ka pratham nirvahan gaya shri men yug pita brahmaji dvara kiya gaya jo vartaman men bhi pragti path par agrasar hai.
gaya tirth men jahan-jahan shraddhadi sanpann kie jate hain unhen ‘vedi’ kaha jata hai. in vediyon par sadaiv pind karya hote rahte hain is karan ise ‘‘pindvedi’’ ke nam se bhi abhihit kiya jata hai. vivaran hai ki prachya kal men yahan 365 vediyan thin aur nitya ek-ek karke pure sal tak gaya shraddh hota rahta tha par samay ke saj par ab inki sankhya pachas ke karib hai inmen tin shri falgu ji, shri vishnupad aur akshayavat ji ki mahatta yugyugin hai.
gaya ke vidvanon ke sath bharat deshiya dharm panditon ka vichar hai ki bina gaya shraddh ke sayujya yukti sanbhav nahin jo gayasur ki kaya par vedi ke rup men virajman hain. dhyan dene ki bat hai ki pitron ke tarnarth jahan-jahan pind pradan kie jate hain ve nadi, pahar, talab, kund, vrikshadi ke rup men upasthit hain. prakriti v paryavaran se jura yah dharm anushthan apne men anutha v saragarbhit hai. jivan rekha hai falgu jise magdhi sanskriti men ganga ke samtulya sthiti prapt hai. chotanagpur ke pathar se nikli do pahari nadi lilajan v muhane gaya ke uttarasth dharmaranya men gupt sarasvati sangam ke bad jo nad pravahit hoti hai vahi falgu hai, jise ‘malya’, ‘antahsar’, ‘antah salila’ adi bhi kaha gaya hai. falgu ki sat dhara ki charcha bhi ai hai
jiske nam hain ‘madhushrava’, ‘ghrit kulpa’, ‘madhu kulpa’, ‘kapila’, ‘akashganga’, ‘agnidhara’ v vaitrni. gaya nagar ke purva bhag men pravahman yah nadi dakshin se uttar ki or bahti hai jiske kinare kisi jamane men tin darjan se jyada ghat the par aj ghaton ki sankhya pandrah ke karib hai inmen ahilyabai ghat, devghat, gadadhar ghat, brahmani ghat, pitamheshvar ghat v brahmani ghat sadaiv guljar bana rahta hai. gaya ane vale shraddhaluon ka pratham parav falgu hi hai jahan gayadham ka pratham vishad sakshatkar hota hai. log yahin snan dhyan v kshaur karm ke bad pind karya ka shri ganesh karte hain.
gaya tirth ka dusra mahapind vedi kshetra shri vishnupad hai jahan devadhidev vishnu ji ke dahine charan ko rakshit kar vishal devalay ka nirman indaur ki maharani ahilyabai dvara atharhvin shatabdi uttararddh men karaya gaya hai. 1782-85 ke bich purn hue karya ke uprant yahan ki vaibhv-smita dur-desh tak pracharit prasarit hui. aj bhi is vishal mandir men prabhu ke padalay ke sath 21 anya mandiron ka darshan kiya ja sakta hai jinmen gadadhar mandir, sakshi gopal mandir v akshayavat, bhumi-fat mahadev, panchmukhi hanuman, sakshi mahadev, nrisinh dev mandir, vindhyavasini mandir, lalita devi mandir, shani dev mandir, indra devta mandir, panch ganesh mandir, solah vediya tirth, janardan mandir, gyasuri devi mandir, kanyakumari mandir, burhiya mata (shmashan kali) mandir, satyanarayan svami mandir adi ka sunam hai. shri vishnupad darshan ka sabse sabal paksh yahan ka shringar hai. srishti khand padmapuran men ullekhit hai.
gayayan vishnupdabjan varan tithchch pitrinan arthat pitritirthon men shri vishnupad shreshth hain. is vishnu pad ko sansar ke prachinatam upasnasthalon men ek svikara jata hai jo vaishnav sadachari asur ‘gay’ ke vaksh sthal par virajman hokar yugon yugane se manav kalyan kar raha hai. gaya ki antim v pramukh vedi ke rup men akshayavat ki ganna ki jati hai jo bhashmakut parvat par avasthit mata mangla gauri sthal v brahmayoni parvat ke pad kshetra men virajman hai. tirth dipika se spasht hota hai ki vrindavan men vanshi vat, prayag men manorath vat, gaya men akshayavat, jagannathpuri men kaghavat aur lanka mane nishkunbh vat ke nam se panchavat ke jar men shrimadhav sadaiv raha karte hain.
inhin men lanka ko chor nasik ka panchvti, ujjain ka siddhavat aur kashi ka vat madho (madhav vat) milane se punyamay sapt vat ki ganna ki jati hai jahan ke dan svargalok tak jate hain. gaya ke akshayavat ke bare men janashruti hai ki manav jivan ke vikas v unnati hetu ise svarg se lakar brahmaji ne ropan kiya hai. yahi vah sthan hai jahan shraddhakatrta ko gaya tirth ke vipra gayapal ashirvad dete hain ki tumhara gaya shraddh sanpann hua. ek unche chatnuma angan ke madhya virajman akshayavat ko dekhte hi iski prachinta ka sahaj men abhas hota hai jahan pas men hi maukhri vansh ke raja ka abhilekh aur palkalin ‘vateshvar mahadev’ ka chota mandir dekha ja sakta hai. pure akshayavat parisar men hindu pujan sanskriti se jure utkrisht dev vigrahon ko dekha ja sakta hai jo unche chabutre par takhe men v divar ke kinare rakha hua hai.
gaya ke akshayavat ke darshanoprant shraddhalu apni manokamna v abhilashit bhav ko kapre bandhakar vyakt kar dete hain aur jab iski purti ho jati hai tab log iska manita utarne bhi ate hain. aisi sthiti banti hai ki putra hote-hote vighn a jae to gayapalon dvara yahan unke shamn-daman hetu kuch karm bhi kie jate hain taki vanshvriddhi hone ke uprant shraddha-pinddan ka karm jivan jivnantar chalta rahe. upar varnit tin shraddh sthalon ke atirikt gaya men godavri (pratham vedi), pretshila (akal mrityu), ramshila, ramkund, pretkund, brahm kund, kakbli, uttar manas, dakshin manas, sitakund, gayatri ghat, dhautapad, adi gaya, mund prishtha vaitrni, dharmaranya, sarasvati, mahabodhi drum, matangi, gadalol adi bhi pind vedi ke rup men svikarya hai
jahan log samay v suvidha rahne par avashya jate hain par gaya shraddh men nadi ke rup men falgu, mandir rup men vishnupad v kalpavriksh ke rup men akshayavat ka man charon yug men raha hai. vivaran hai ki ramayan kal men ae shri ram aur mahabharat kal men ae shri krishn ne bhi tinon tirthon ka darshana-pujan kiya. astu ! gaya tirth ke muktidayak sthalon mane shri vishnupad, falguji v akshayavat ka vishisht sthan hai aur n sirf pitripaksh varan pure sal yahan dur-desh ke yatriyon ka nirantar agaman bana rahta hai.