Tapapur
Situated in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh in India, Tapapur derives its name from the great spiritual personality of Tapa Baba. Well connected with roads, it lies at an approximate distance of 40 km from Lucknow, and 80 km from Ayodhya. Proceeding from Lucknow towards Haidergarh, Tapapur is located before Kothi town.
The word ‘Tapa’ is a central concept of the Yoga tradition. It could mean heat, warmth, religious austerity, or deep meditation. It can be understood as the act of putting oneself through rigorous training and obtain control over senses and mind. As the name suggests, Tapapur was (is) the seat of an austere ascetic belonging to the realm of the highest levels of spirituality known as Tapa Baba. Centuries ago, He ran a huge ashram here. Reminiscent tales about the place talk of gaushalas accommodating hundreds of cows, and yajnas and feasts being conducted on magnanimous scale. Nothing of this material glory remains today. It is a dense jungle area, only gradually making way for human settlements.
The exact spiritual lineage of Tapa Baba is not known. But this is a certainty that He is the Guru of Baba Baikal Das. (The centuries of gap between this Master-disciple pair shouldn’t be confusing because the spiritual plane does not necessarily follow a linear chronology.) Baba Baikal Das took some of his choicest disciples to pay homage at Tapa Baba’s Samadhi in 1998. There was no human settlement within a few kilometers circumference of the place then. There was a huge tila or mound upon which stood two dilapidated temples facing each other, infested with snakes, scorpions and other creatures, and visited by foxes, jackals and other wild animals after sunset. As per local elders, the third completely ruined structure there was once a temple housing the ‘Ram-Darbar’ which was demolished by Islamists.
In 2002 the aforementioned disciples came together to restore the temples. In the main complex, there are three temples- one houses Tapa Baba’s Samadhi along with two of his disciples. Nothing is known about them. Another temple right in front of it is that of Lord Shiva. Placed on a high pedestal, the Shivalinga here is referred to as Purna Rudra (Purna means complete and Rudra is the most ferocious form of Lord Shiva). It also had an exceptionally beautiful rock cut statue of Lord Ganesha lying on his side, but unfortunately it was stolen. The third temple was rebuilt and dedicated to Lord Hanuman in 2008. On the mound itself, there is a well said to contain water from all major Tirthas. It was also cleaned and renovated. Some steps towards the back of Tapa Baba’s temple is another small shrine believed to be that of His pet dog. At some distance from the mound there are samadhis of three of His disciples next to each other.
Almost a kilometer from the main complex is a huge pond called ‘Tapa-Gomati’ which is said to have been a part of the Gomati River. As the story goes, Tapa Baba brought Gomati to Tapapur with his spiritual will to fulfill the needs of the sprawling ashram and of people in nearby areas. While the river receded over the years, a part of it remains here as this pond. Approximately five kilometers from the main mound is the Samadhi of Dai, the wife of Tapa Baba. A mystic herself, Dai (mother or grandmother) remained at some distance, and only visited Tapa Baba’s ashram on special occasions. Legend has it that when some people questioned her chastity, Dai requested and was taken by Mother Earth within her folds, like Goddess Sita did. When visiting Tapapur, it is necessary to pay obeisance to Dai.
The temple is now under care of what is estimated to be the 24 th generation of Tapa Baba. While the area is more habitable now, nobody prefers to stay the night. Weekly bazaar assembles here every Tuesday. Large fairs take place on special occasions such as Ram Navami. Once in a while katha (sermon) are organized which is attended by people from all surrounding villages.
On many occasions after monsoon, archaeological artifacts have surfaced near the mound. Governmental assistance can help unearth what lies buried below it. Irrespective of the material condition of the place, the spiritual wealth of the place lies intact. Like most of the spiritually charged places, incidents of physical and mental healing, obtaining progeny, wish- fulfillment etc abound in Tapapur as well. The sounds of breeze running through the dense foliage, crickets, birds and other creatures have a very soothing effect. And for any person who seeks, the stillness Tapa Baba instills is so mesmerizing that one is attracted to the place like bee to pollen. The inner silence that one experiences when sitting in front of Tapa Baba is so profound that it is impossible to visit the place just once.
