An old temple stands in Greater Noida’s non-descript small Bisrakh village. Got to know one fine day, that Bisrakh village near to Noida is believed to be birthplace of demon king Ravana and that ancient temple stands testimony to that. Ooh la la, I have been in Noida for the last 8 years but never had heard about this village and this associated history piece.
After speculating for a couple of weeks about the place and searching on internet about it, one fine Saturday I decided to just drive and find out more about this place. It took me around 30-35 minutes from my home to reach Bisrakh village, the birthplace of Ravana. Finally, I reached the spot where an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva stands. Here I am at the temple entrance praying to lord Shiva and seeking benevolence to explore this spot.This temple has an octagonal Shivling, perhaps only one of its types in India.
Not an issue, started talking to villagers/ temple
priests about the secrets of Bisrakh. I got to know that the word Bisrakh has been
derived from word from “Vishrava”, the father of Ravana. Sage Vishrava used to
live here and had performed rituals and penance to please the Gods. It is also believed that the existing Shivling was placed here by Sage Vishrava.
Vishrava -> Vishrava ka -> Vishraka ->
Bisrakh, that is how words get changed over the times, no surprise languages
evolve like this. Near to this ancient temple is a relatively new temple with
statue of sage Vishrava.
So, what if I was unable to locate any mark as a proof of connection with Ravana at this place! However, the belief of people in the legacy made me believe that probably Bisrakh is the birthplace of Ravana. Moreover, history is communicated from generation to generation by mouth and by the stories associated with the place. It is not necessary that every event should have a photograph or inscription to certify its authenticity/ happening in past.
For those proof seekers, portrait of Ravana praying in this temple:
Keep exploring Guys...