Ahalya Sthan (also called Ahilya Sthan or Ahilya Asthan) is a Hindu temple located at Ahiyari South in the city of

Darbhanga Darbhanga is the fifth-largest city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Bihar situated centrally in Mithila region. Darbhanga is the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. It was the seat of the erstw ...

State of Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

, India. The temple is dedicated to

Ahalya In Hinduism, Ahalyā ( sa, अहल्या, IAST: Ahalyā) also known as Ahilya, is the wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi. Many Hindu scriptures say that she was seduced by Indra (the king of gods), cursed by her husband for infidelity ...

Legend

According to Ramayana, Rama and Lakshmana went to forest with

Brahmarshi In Hinduism, a Brahmarshi (Sanskrit ', a tatpurusha compound of ' and ') is a member of the highest class of Rishis ("seers" or "sages"). A Brahmarshi is a sage who has attained enlightenment (Kaivalya or Moksha) and became a Jivanmukta by complet ...

Vishvamitra Vishvamitra ( sa, विश्वामित्र, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gayatri Mant ...

to protect his yagna. On their way, they came across a deserted place. When Rama inquired about the place, Visvamitra related the story of Sati

, wife of Gautama Maharishi. The Maharishi used to do penance by staying here with his wife. One day when Gautama Rishi had gone out of the

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

, in his absence,

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

came in disguised as Gautama Rishi. Ahalya, without knowing the real identity of the person, succumbed to Indra's desire. Gautam Maharishi came to know this and cursed his wife to lie as a stone in this place. When she pleaded, the maharishi said, when Rama visits this place, you will return to your normal self. Visvamitra told Rama to go into the ashram. As soon as Rama's radiance brightened the place, Ahalya stood up with her own body and prayed to Rama. Ahalya being the wife of Maharishi, Rama and Lakshmana paid their obeisance to her.

The temple

Ahalya Sthan is the place where once the ashram of Maharishi Gautama stood. The temple, in its present structural form was built between 1662 and 1682 during the rule of Maharaja Chhatra Singh and Maharaja Rudra Singh. This is also the first Ram Janaki temple in India. The temple is beautifully made with fine patterns and designs of art and ancient Indian architecture. Inside the shrine, there is a flat stone said to contain the foot prints of Sita, wife of Ram, as the main object of worship.

Festivals

The temple is open from 5 a.m. till 10 p.m. daily. Ramanavami is celebrated, in the Hindu month of Chaitra (March end - April beginning) and Vivah Panchami in Agrahayana.

References

External links

* (Narration in Hindi) {{coord missing, Bihar Hindu temples in Bihar Rama temples