Importantly, Buchanan’s account confirms that the tradition of annual pilgrimage predated the establishment of the Ajgaibinath temple by Harinath, ascribed to around 1500 A.D. by Cunningham, upon analysis of Buchanan’s account and speculation of an average tenure for the 12 earlier Mahants. Importantly, Cunningham’s date seems to tally with the same time-frame around 1498 A.D., when another Mahant named as Gosain Ghamandi Giri, established his Matha amidst the ruins at Bodh Gaya. It is probable that during these turbulent times, various Dasnami Sanyasis, who were roaming and preaching around in different regions of Bihar and Bengal, gradually took up abodes in such places, which were earlier esteemed for religious sanctity, but which had been rendered desolate following repeated incursions by foreign invaders. The ancient tradition of pilgrimage at the site, however, seems as having remained unaffected, being still quite popular in Buchanan’s times, as he remarked “At the three usual full moons, from twenty to thirty thousand persons may in all attend to bathe”, and that “the great emolument of the priests arises from about 50,000 pilgrims who at various times come to carry away a load of water which they intend to pour on the heads of various celebrated images in distant parts. In the south of India I have met pilgrims carrying their load from this place, but by far the greater part goes to Devghar in Virbhum, where it is poured on the Priapus or Lingga called Baidyanath, to whom this water, taken from a scene of former pleasure, is considered as peculiarly acceptable.”

To be continued....