manav samaj men kuan ke mahatva par jitna likha jae kam hoga. pey jal ka shreshth sadhan kup, kuan athva kund puratan kal se hi bhartiya samaj men upyogi bana raha hai. garmi men frij ki bhanti thanda to jare men bhanp sahit garam pani dene vale kup ka upyog adhunatan kal men bhi upyogi siddh ho raha hai. yahi karan hai ki prachin kal men koi bhi math, mandir, bhavan, mahal athva sarvajnik sthal ke sath chaik, chairahe par kuan jarur raha karta tha aur aisa hi ek aitihasik kup hai agam kuan, jo patna nagar ki prasiddhi prapt mata shitla devi mandir parisar men maurya kal se aj tak smriti chihn ke rup men virajman hai.
jaisa ki nam se hi spasht hota hai agmkuan, arthat agamya kuan ... kahne ka ashay jahan ki gahrai athah ho, uske tal ka koi ata-pata n chale. kahte hain angrejon ke jamane men is kup ki gahrai map ke lie ek nahin sat-sat khat ki rassi lagai gai tab bhi gahrai ka pata n chala. yah vahi kup hai jahan kabhi samrat ashok ne raja banne ke purva apne 99 bhaiyon ko marakar isi men dal diya tha. aj is nam ka nagrkhand pure patna hi nahin bihar men charchit hai jahan ki mata shitla tvarit faldayi kendra ke rup men dur desh tak suprasiddh hain.
sanpurn kshetra men kuch anya kup ki charcha avashyak jan parti hai jinmen ‘‘rani kuan’’, ‘‘mangal kuan’’ , pithki kuan,’’ ‘‘amavan kuan,’’ ‘‘barki kuan’’ adi bhi hain par in sabon men agam kuan sarvadhik prasiddh hai aur prasiddhi ki bat tab aur barh jati hai jab gyat hota hai ki isi ke sath mata shitla tirth bhi sthapit hua hai. yah sthan patliputra ke prachin bhagnavshesh ‘kumharar’ kshetra ke sannikat hai. hal ke varshon men sarkari prayas v bhakton ke sahyog se yah sthan bara hi akarshak saj shringar ke sath upasthit hua hai jahan mata shitla ke pujnarth pure desh se bhakton ka samy-samay par agaman hota rahta hai.
vidvanon ka manna hai ki agar rasika mata patan devi (jinke dvayasthan patna nagar men hain) ke sath purane patna kshetra men yahan ke logon ke svasthyavarddhan v nirogta ke nam par mata shitla ke is sthan ki sthapna ki gayi. aise kuch yah bhi kahte hain ki samrat ashok ne apne pap ka prayashchit karne ke uddeshya se mata ji ka patliputra kshetra men navsanskar karaya. is tarah spasht ho jata hai ki yah sthan ati prachin hai jiski ganna magadh ke tray shitla pujan kendron men hoti hai anya do sthan kramshah shitla bhitar (pitamheshvar) gaya v mathra (biharshrif) hai. aj bhi takriban do darjan sthanon par pure bihar kshetra men mata shitla ji virajti hanai jinmen sarvadhik vishal v prasiddhi prapt devalay yahi hai.
kan-kan men vyapt man devi ji ka shitla rup rog-bimari ka shamn-daman kar kanchan kaya pradan karta hai. aj bhi is kshetra men ek lokapriya lokokti hai- ‘pratham svarg hai uttam kaya, dusra svarg pas men maya’. prachin kal se hi sapt pind rup ek bhairav pind banakar shitla devi ki aradhna ka rup drashtavya hota hai jinka vahan ‘gadha’ v nim vriksh se inhen atishay pyar hai. pahle yahan bhi pind rup men matri aradhna hoti thi par bad men in pindon par dhatu ke katore marh die gae aur thik bagal men man ki puranokt vigrah banakar devi aradhna ko nai disha di gai. mai ki mahima ka gavah rajmargiya chairahe par akarshak dvar, shitla mandir patnan is bat se hai ki aj bhi pure nagar men khushi ke kisi parivarik avasar par matarani ke sharan men jarur jate hain.
prayah harek hindu parivar ka navdanpatti apne jivan ke sukhamay nirvahan ke lie is mandir men akar mattha jarur tekte hain. mata ji ki aradhna ka ek mantra hai- shitle tvan jagatmata shitle tvan jagatpita. shitle tvan jagdhatri shitlayai namon namah. patna nagar ke vyastatam chairahe se age barhte hi pujapath v malaful ki dukanen aur vishal sinh dvar is bat ka ahsas kara deta hai ki matri pujan ka yah kendra astha v vishvas ka vishisht udaharan hai. nau sirhi utrte vishal angan men pravesh karte hi pithasth shakti ka pratyaksh anubhav harek bhakton ko hota hai. pratham darshan ganesh ke bad angar mata ki choti mandir men pujan ka vidhan hai. iske dusri taraf bhole bhandari ka mandir v yagya mandap shobhit hai to age men agam kuan ke pas nim ke do-do per dekhe ja sakte hain jinmen ek naya v ek purana hai.
kone par bali ka sthan hai. andar men mata rani ka vigrah bhakton ko ashirvad dete pratit hoti hain. mata shitla mandir ki bahri purva disha v iske divar par takhe men shiv-parvati, surya v vishnu ki aitihasik murtiyan hain. bagal men hi vaishno devi ka sthan hai. yahan ke saundaryikaran ke bad bihar ke mukhyamantri shri lalu prasad yadav dvara dinank 19-6-1996 men kiye gaye udghatan ke bad aj yah pradesh ke sundar v chittakarshak devalay ke rup men khyat hua hai. is pure mandir parisar men kuch khandit vigrah v prachin pashan stanbh bhi dekhe ja sakte hain. patna kshetra ke varishth patrakar avdhesh prit batate hain ki mata ji ka yah tirth pure desh men prasiddh hai jahan log patna bhraman ke dauran darshan avashya karte hain. aise to yahan salon bhar log ate rahte hain par shitlashtami v donon navratra men yahan kafi bhir hoti hai.
brahman putri sonali batati hai ki mata shri ke is dham men log bandhan bandhakar manauti karte hain fir karya hone par dhaga bandhan hatakar mataji ki vishesh puja ki jati hai. shadi-vivah, putra-prapti se lekar harek logon ke dukh-dard ka nivaran kar mata ji jine ki rah manglmyi banati hain. log mandir darshan karne ke bad us aitihasik kuan ko jarur dekhte hain jinmen charon taraf char khirki v jali ke sath divar unche kar bara bana die gae hain. kup ka vyas pahle se chah fit navnirman ke bad kam ho gaya hai. kul milakar yah kahna ekadam satik hoga ki patna ke shatadhik devalyon ke madhya mata shitla bhavani ka yah sthan takriban dhai hajar varsh prachin hai jinke darshan pujan se har ek ki manokamna avashya purn hoti hai.