Sri Jairam Vidyapeeth in Kurukshetra

      Sri Jairam Vidyapeeth is also located on the northern banks of Brahma Sarovar. As I stood in front of Gaudiya Math, with my back to Brahma Sarovar, I saw this Vidyapeeth my left. The temple was built in 1973 by Sri Devendra Swaroop Bramhachari.

      When I crossed the main gate of the Vidyapeeth, I saw many small mandapas on either side of the gate. Each mantapa housed a small idol. The mandapas on the right had idols of Shiva, six of the 10 incarnations of Vishnu, namely, Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, and Parashurama. Next to them were idols of sages like Gautama, Bharadwaj, Vishwamitra, Kashyapa, Jamadagni, Vasistha, Atreya, and Arundati.

      The mantapas on the left had idols of the remaining four incarnations of Vishnu, namely, Rama, Krishna, Budha, Kalki, and various forms of Durga such as Siddhidatri Durga, Maha Gauri Durga, Kaal Ratri Durga, Katyayani Durga, Skanda Mata Durga, Krishnapada Durga, Chandraghanta Durga, Brahmacharini Durga, Shailaputri Durga, and Santoshi Mata Durga.

      There are white statues on either side of the path leading to the sanctum sanctorum. The one on the left depicts Karna, plucking out his golden tooth and handing it to Krishna, who comes to him in the guise of a poor brahmin. On the right is the famous incident of Bhishma lying on a bed of arrows and Arjuna bringing him the holy water from Ganga by shooting an arrow into the ground.

      A walk down the path leads to the main temple. At the entrance is a huge idol of Krishna, standing in front of cow and playing His flute. As I walked into the inner courtyard, I saw two more huge idols. The one on the left was Parashurama and the one on the right was Ganesha. As I walked further, I came to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. This consisted of five altars. The altar on the left had an idol of Hanuman, with an inscription from the Rig Veda on the door. The altar on the right had an idol of Durga Maa, with an inscription from the Atharva Veda on its door. At the centre, there were three altars. One had idols of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman, with an inscription from the Yajur Veda on its door. Next to it was an altar that housed idols of Vishnu and Lakshmi. To its right was an altar that had idols of Krishna and Radha. The door had an inscription from the Sama Veda. It is believed that each inscription denoted the direction of each Veda.

      Behind the main temple was the Rameshwar Shiva Temple. At the entrance was a Shiva Linga. Behind this was a small room which had a glass enclosure. It had a magnificent Shiva Linga inside the glass enclosure whose base was made of silver and the mound was made of pure mani (gemstone). It was simply breathtaking!

      To the right of the main temple was a building which had numerous puppets depicting different incidents that occurred during the Mahabharata story. An entry fee of two rupees is all that is needed to go to the basement and see those beautiful puppets! As in Gaudiya Math, here too, the puppets were enclosed in glass showcases.

      The incidents depicted were:

1. Veda Vyasa dictating the Mahabharata epic to Lord Ganesha

2. Dushasana trying to disrobe Draupadi in the court of the Kauravas

3. Krishna trying to mediate with the Kauravas

4. Arjuna and Duryodhana seeking Krishna's help before the war

5. Krishna as Arjuna's Charioteer

6. Krishna showing His Viraat Swaroop to Arjuna

7. Sanjay narrating the incidents of the Mahabharata war to the blind king Dhritrashtra

8. Draupadi seeking blessings from Bhishma

9. Ghatotkach creating havoc on the battlefield

10. A frustrated Krishna trying to kill Bhishma

11. Kunti implores Karna to join the Pandavas

12. Gandhari blessing her son Duryodhana

13. Bhima killing Duryodhana

14. Krishna performing the coronation of Yudhisthira after his victory

15. Brahma Sarovar

      To the right of this building is a huge multi-storeyed building, This is the residential quarters of the students who study at this Vidyapeeth.