bharatavarsh ke bihar prant ki rajdhani patna se lagabhag 30 kimi. ki duri par avasthit sonpur gorkhpur se 138 ki.miaur mujaffarapur se 60 kimi. duri par virajman hai. prachya kal men ganga aur son nadi ke sangam ke ek taraf patna to dusri taraf sonpur ki sthiti hai jahan ganga aur gandak nadi (narayni) ke sangam kshetra par shobhayman is tirth ki katha kahani itihas prasiddh hai aur yahi gaj-grah yuddh ka puran prasiddh sthan hai. bharat varsh ke jagrat tirthon men se ek shri harihar kshetra ke punya prabhav ka hi pratifal hai ki yahan sal ke sabhi din dur desh ke bhakt v paryatkon ka avagaman bana rahta hai. shrimadbhagavat sahit kitne hi prachya akhyanon men yahan ka vishad varnan drashtavya hai. katha hai ki prachin kal men trikut parvat ke chaturdik vistrit tadag men ek vishalkay grah (man ganga vahan makr) rahta tha. ek din ek lakshmi priya gaj apne jhund ke sath vahan pani pine aya ki grah ne uske pad kshetra ko pakar liya. donon men bari larai hui aur jab gaj harne laga tab usne bhagvan shri vishnu ki prarthana ki.
anttah shri vishnu ne har (mahadev) sahit anya devgnon ke sath vahan pahunchakar gaj ki raksha ki aur tabhi se yah pura kshetra harihar khand kaha jane laga. sudarshan chakra se raksha kie jane ke karan is mahniya tirth ko ‘chakra tirtha’ ke rup men rekhankit kiya jata hai. aise gaj grah ke yuddh sthal ke rup men ‘triveni dham’ aur ‘damodar kund’ ka bhi nam ata hai par bhaugolik aur dharmik vivaran par ekadam satik isi tirth ki sthiti hai. yah bhi janne yogya bat hai ki grah purva janm men ‘‘hu tu’’ nam ka ek gandharva tha jo apni priyatma ke sath us jalashay men snanadi karya se gaya tha aur jal krira ke anand men sadhnarat deval rishi ka panv pakar liya is karan shapagrast ho vah grah ho gaya udhar gaj bhi purva kal men pandey desh ka raja indradhumm tha aur agast muni ke shrap se shapit ho gaj ho gaya tha. shri vishnu aur bhole shankar ki kripa se gaj aur grah donon ka uddhar ho gaya aur yahi udvar ka sthal hai.
harihar kshetra jahan aj gandak pas men uttar se dakshin to ganga ji kuch duri par dakshin-pashchim men pravahman hain. pas men ek choti nadi mahi purva se pashchim bahti hai jise kahin-kahin tel nadi bhi kaha gaya hai. iske tat par virajman shri suvarn meru mahadev mandir ke karan hi is pure kshetra ko kalantar men sonpur kaha jane laga. janashruti hai ki shri harihrnath dev ki puja archana guru vishvamitra ke sath jankpur jate samay shriram ne ki thi. punah bad men vivah ke uprant shri ram v mata sita ne yahan ki vidhivat puja ki hai. is sthan se chyavan muni ka bhi jurav raha hai. mandir ke pas hi chyavan kund hai. magadh naresh nagasur baba ka param bhakt tha to bangal gaman kram men rajaman sinh ne bhi yahan ka darshana-pujan kiya tha. aj bhi unke nam ka garh tila yahan abad hai. guptakalin purva deshiya tirthon men ek is sthan ka vishesh jagaran palkal se praranbh hua jan parta hai. puratan kal se yahan kanvar se jal charhane ki paranpra bani hai jiska shri ganesh pahleja ghat se hota hai.
yahan gandak ke nadi ghaton men grah ghat (konhara ghat), sadhu ghat, kathriya ghat, kali ghat v jalbhrai ghat aur age diyara kshetra men devkuvair ghat v sukhdev ghat ka apna itihas raha hai. sonpur ke harihar kshetra men virajman yah mandir shiv v vishnu donon ka sanyukt rup se ek alag vishisht nirman karta hai jiski gaurav garima ka amaratatva pure desh men hai. bharat prasiddh shri harihrnath mandir ke vishal pravesh dvar se hi garbhagrih najar ane lagte hain jahan ek hi shilakund par baba ka harihratmak rup anutha hai. piche gavaksh ke rup men shri vishnu ganesh, sheshnag v niche nandi aur mata parvati ka sthan hai. is mandir ka haliya shringar varsh 1991 men mukhyamantri shri lalu prasad yadav ke jamane men hua to varsh 2011 men yahan rangin tails lagane se sundrta men aur nikhar hua hai. mandir ke pravesh marg ke pas hi do vishal ghanta v age nandi ji naman mudra men upasthit hain. upar men kale patthar ke chote ganesh bhakton ko darshan ka path prashast karte hain.
68 fit unche is mahadev tirth men baba ka mahatejamay ling (sava do fit) hai, mandir ke baen taraf mahant avadh kishor giriji ka sthan hai to piche ki or man durga, man lakshmi, radhakrishn v gajendra moksh mandir dekha ja sakta hai. gajendra moksh mandir men gaj grah yuddh ke kathanak ki sundar prastuti hai. isse age ek laghu mandir men shri sain baba ka sthan hai to thik bagal men 1954 i. ka shringarit parvati mai tirth (mansa devi) ka devalay dekha ja sakta hai. age bhi ganesh ji, shiv shankar, shri vishnu v vedmata mansa ka sthan ek hi kaksh men unche asan par virajman hain. mandir ke ishan kon men navagrah mandir ka apna mahatva hai jahan sabhi nau grah ke mutrt rup ka sundar ankan dekha ja sakta hai. kis grah ka kaun sa sthan, kya disha hai sath hi unki akriti, vahan v veshrang ko bhi shastranurup banaya gaya hai. mandir ke divar par shiv v shaiv satta se jure anmol vachan v mantra pashan patrika par ankit dekhakar man gad-gad ho jata hai. mandir ke bahar hi ek chota bajar hai jahan puja-path se jure sabhi saman uchit mulya par mil jate hain. yahan bhole nath par mala ful ke sath bhang ki hari taji patti charhai jati hai jo paha ke diyara kshetra men upjta hai.
mandir ke jankar pujari jagat narayan tivari ji batate hain ki vaidik kal se aj tak baba ka yah sthan charchit raha hai. kitne hi rajvanshon ko vijay bhi dene vale baba ke darbar men ane valon ki koi kami nahin rahti. yahan pura shravan, shivratri, sarasvati puja, navavarsh ke sath-sath navratra v chath parva men bhakton ke agaman se mela lag jata hai. mela ki bat chale aur sonpur ki bat n ho, aisa bhala kahan sanbhav hai? sonpur harihrnath kshetra eshiya ke sabse bare pashu mele ke rup men vikhyat hai. yahan harek varsh kartik purnima se praranbh hokar ek mah tak mela laga karta hai. uttara-purva kshetra ke prachinatam mele ko pashu shreniyon ke anusar vyavasthit v namankit kiya jata hai. jaise ki:- hathi bajar, ghora bajar, gay bajar, bail bajar, bhains bajar, pakshi bajar, loha bajar, bakri bajar, lakri bajar, paudha bajar, mina bajar adi. dvay nad sangam ki bhumi par lagabhag 18 kimi. kshetra men shatadhik math mandiron ke madhya ayojit is mele men prativarsh lakhon log ate hain aur bhartiya sanskriti ke vividh parivesh ka sahaj men darshanavlokan karte hain.
gajendramoksh tirth harihar kshetra dham men baba ke mandir ke alave kali mandir, naulkha mandir, sadhak balak baba ka sthan, amritkali, panchdevta shri bhairav v lok devi devtaon ke sthan ki puja bhakt avashya karte hain. buddh ki karm bhumi aur mahavir svami ki janmasthali vaishali ke sath kashth kalakriti ka bejor namuna hajipur ka nepali mandir bhi yahan ke darshan kram men jora ja sakta hai. gandhi setu par jam ki sthiti se niptne ke lie ab pipapul se bhi yahan jana sahaj hai. aise hal ke dinon men patna jankshan se relmarg se sonpur ka jur jana harsh ki bat hai. khargpur ke pahle isi sonpur ka pletfaerm pure desh men sarvadhik lamba tha. steshan se mandir koi jyada dur nahin hai. kul milakar baba ka yah sthan bara hi prasiddh v jagrat hai. kahte hain ‘un namo harihray’ ka 108 bar jap harek karya ko purn karta hai. baba ke tirth ke vikas hetu ‘baba- harihar nath mandir nyas samiti’ achcha karya kar raha hai. kahte hain baba ke darbar ka pathik apne antrik anand se sadaiv hara bhara bana rahta hai aur baba apne bhakton ke smaran matra se hi sab kam bana dete hain.