Overview
Mount Mandaranchal or Meru (Sanskrit: मंदर) is a mountain which appears in the Samudra manthan episode in the Hindu Puranas. It was used as a churning rod to churn the ocean of milk.
Mandara Hills is laced with landscape of extraordinary splendour exposes the 800 feet high granite hill. The specialty of the mountain is that it is not composed of fragmented stones but the whole hill is one single connected structure. Mandar is associated with amritmanthana which suggests that the hill was used by the gods to churn the ocean to procure amrit. The serpent, Vasuki offered to serve as the rope and has left behind an impression of the coil on the granite hill. It is believed that panchjanya, the conch shell used in Mahabharata War was discovered here in the Sank kund. The puranas refer to various sacred places on the hill which is also believed to be the abode of Vishnu under the title of Madhusudana or the destroyer of a demon called Madhu who was killed by Vishnu and then covered by the Mandara hill. Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhava refers to foot marks of Vishnu on the slopes of Mandara.The hill is replete with relics of bygone ages. Besides inscriptions and statues there are numerous rock cut sculptures depicting various Brahmanical images. The hill is equally revered by the Jains who believe that their 12th Tirthankara attained nirvana here on the summit of the hill.
Reaching There
It is very near to Baunsi, a place located on the state highway between Bhagalpur and Dumka. Baunsi is also connected with Bhagalpur through Rail. The hill actually is located on the road from Baunsi to Godda.
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