bharatavarsh ke madhyakalin khyatnam nagron men sherghati apni bhaugolik banavat aur shaurya shakti ke karan dur-dur tak prasiddh hai. shershah ke jamane men ‘sark-e-ajm’ aur aj ka ji. ti. rod (rashtriya rajmarga-2) ke kinare aur magadh ki prasiddh toya morahar v uski updhar burhiya nadi ke madhya tapu bhumi men virajman yah vahi aranya kshetra hai jahan ek admkhor sher ko apni talvar se do far karne ke bad hi farid khan ‘shershah’ ki upadhi ke sath jagat khyat hua.
aj gaya jile ke anumandal ke rup men prasiddh sherghati men nae purane devalay, nae purane majar-masjid, talab, bavli v kauliya garh ke sath kitne hi puratan sanskriti ke chihn dekhe ja sakte hain. inmen mata padmavti ka sthan ek jagrit devi pith ke rup men sthapit hai. sherghati nagar men avasthit ranglal uchch vidyalay v purane kabristan marg se hokar yahan jana sahaj hai jahan pas men hi 250 varsh prachin ek thakurbari v prachin kup bhi darshaniya hai.
dharma-itihas ke pannon men charchit yah sthan uttar palkalin hai jahan praranbhik kal men devi padmavti kol rajaon ki adhishthatri devi ke rup men pujit rahin. saltanat kal men bhi man ki abha prajjvalit rahi aur isi jamane men pas ke brahman parivaron ki taraf se mata ji ki puja archana ki jane lagi jo abhi tak nirbadh rup se jari hai.
isi mandir se thori dur par sherghati ke hindu jamindar ki vishal haveli ke anshavshesh v uske madhya virajman ‘dulhin mandir’ ka darshan kiya ja sakta hai jiska nirman purane brahm sthan par san 1888 i. men kiya gaya. us samay men bhi padmavti se jure marg v mandir men kuch karya kie jane ka vivaran prapt hota hai. aj pujari varg aur jan sahyog se mandir pragti path par agrasar hai. lokmanas men yah dharna balvti hai ki matri kripa se harek asahaj karya bhi purn ho jate hain.
yahan ki mata ji ka nam padmavti kyon hai? is bat par charcha karne se gyat hota hai ki kolraj ki putri ke nam par hi mata ji ka nam prakashvan hai. aise mata-padmavti ka ek mandir tirupti tirth men bhi hai jise tirupti bala ji ki adhishthatri shakti svikara jata hai. pradhan marg jo gola bajar tak jata hai, ko chor kar upmarg par adhe kilomitar duri tay karke matri tirth par pahanuchte hi prachinta ka spasht abhas hota hai.
mandir shikhar vihin bhavnnuma hai jo do kaksh men vibhajya v lal rang se lepit hai. andar ke kaksh men mata ji unche pathpith par vastrabhushnon se susajjit ashirvad mudra men virajman hanai jinke mastak ke upar chandi ka chatra shobhayman hai. mutrt vigrah ke donon taraf pad khand men ‘jaya’ aur ‘vijya’ tatha niche do pankti men brahmi lipi ka ankan hai jo apthniya aur uttar guptakalin lipi se samya hai. is kaksh ke barah darvaje ke kone par shriram darbar ka darshan kiya ja sakta hai jahan ashtadhatu ke ram, lakshman, janki v hanuman sthapit hain.
age men divar men takhe banakar khadgadharini man, surya v buddh ki pratima rakhi gai hai. ek takhe men as-pas ke puratan chihn, shaligram v tin shivling ke avshesh dekhe ja sakte hain. is devalay men shivshankar ka mul sthan dharti se karib tin fit niche hai jahan 65 inch lanbaiyukt palkalin shivling ka darshan kiya ja sakta hai. pas men hi do anya shivling pujit hai par bare ling ka upri bhag bhi kamaladal se aise saja diya gaya hai ki uski shobha dvigunit ho gayi hai.
mandir men bhakton ke sahaytarth upasthit mata ji uma devi batati hain ki lok manas men ‘padmauti sthan’ ke rup men charchit yah devi sthan barah sau varsh se bhi jyada prachin hai. log manita puran ke bad ghi, dhup, sindur chunri v mishtann bhog arpit kar mata padmavti ki puja harshollas se karte hain. sal ke donon navratra, harek manglvar v shanivar ko yahan dur-dur se log ate hi hain par pratyek din bhi yahan puja karne valon ki sankhya koi kam nahin hai.
mandir ke bahar puratan vriksh ke jar ke pas manauti stup, buddh falak aur prachin murtiyon ke ansh dekhe ja sakte hain. magadh vishvavidyalay ke sanskrit vibhag se jure dae. maruti nandan pathak ka manna hai ki jis tapu bhumi men sherghati virajman hai uske madhya bindu men man ka yah sthan nagar ke vikas, pragti v anyanya karyon ka sakshi raha hai.
man ki mahima dekhen ki sherghati ke angrej adhikari aur islam dharm se sarokar rakhne vale nivasi bhi man ki mahima ke samaksh natamastak raha karte hain. yahi koi 20 varsh purva tak man ka yah sthan khaprail bhavan men shobhit tha jiski divaren mitti aur pashan khandon ki bani thi par ab navshringar ke bad yahan ka kalevar hi badal gaya hai. man ki is murti ko mahalakshmi svarupa svikara jata hai jahan kandhe ke niche bhairav ji ka sthan dekha ja sakta hai. ashtabhuji man ki yah pratima aise chamkdar patthar se bani hai ki aj itne varshon ke bad bhi matri vigrah ki abha jyon ki tyon hai.
sherghati nagar ke donon taraf pravahman morahar v burhiya nadi ke madhya marg men virajman is devi tirth se koliya garh bhi ek kilomitar duri ke andar hi hai jahan aj bhi mitti ki unchi dher, divar v gupt dvar dekha ja sakta hai. is sthal se prachin dev vigrah, sikke aur mridbhand bhi milte rahte hain jinmen krishn lauhit mridbhand, chitrit mridbhand v lauhit mridbhand pramukh hanai.
sherghati nagar ke prachin abadi ke madhya avasthit is devi tirth ke bhakt sthaniya aur bahri donon hain. varsh 1269 i. tak yah kshetra ramagarh jila ke adhinasth tha. yahi karan hai ki ramagarh kshetra men man ke kitne hi bhakt raha karte hain. sachmuch gun-mahima v yash, kirti ke karan prasiddh mata ji ka yah sthan dekhne layak hai jahan bhakton ke nitya agaman se gahmaghmi bani rahti hai.