Great Brahmin Parshuram Kund Convention, 2014, the National Convention of All Multilingual Brahmins is going to be held at Parshuram Kund, of . The Arunachal Pradesh, the Land of rising Sun of India, is the region as the Prabhu Mountains of the Puranas, and where sage Parashuram washed away sins, the sage Vyasa meditated, King Bhishmaka founded his kingdom, and Lord Krishna married his consort Rukmini as per Kalika Purana and Mahabharata. The Parshuram Kund is situated in the of Arunachal Pradesh. It is considered as one of the most attractive spiritual tourism hotspot of India. Situated at the deep gorge of river Lohit, (the major source river of the Brahmaputra) the place is visited by lakhs of pilgrims every year during in the month of January. The divine beauty of this area hypnotizes any nature lover. While district headquarters is at which is 21 km from the kund, the nearest railway station is , (120km) from where one can take buses via Namsai (The organizer may arrange transportation for the participants on prior information/ registration). The nearest airport is at Mohanbari, , Assam.

The Great Brahmin Parshuram Kund Convention, 2014 would be held under the aegis of the Purbouttar Bahubhasiya Brahman Mahasabha led by Prof. Umakanta Sarma, Guwahati (09957181875) and Brahmon Sobha, a registered global society in association with Parashuram Seva Samity, Tinsukia. The tentative dates, as fixed, are on 14 & 15th November, 2014. This was in conformity with the decision taken in the last Rastriya Adhiveshan at Jharkhand (Garua) on 1st December, 2013 and announced by the President Vedacharya Shri Moreshwar Vinayak Ghaisas Guruji of Pune.

Tentative topics would be (1) Ways to protect and preserve Vedas by Brahmins and Brahmavadini or Sadyovadhu, as per UNESCO’s declaration as intangible heritage of humanity and latest findings of the space scientists on the truth of Vedic cosmology.

(2) Conferring ‘Vedic Brahminism’ the ‘Minority Status’, as already mooted through Hon’ble President of India apart from all other burning issues.

(3) Women right to study vedic knowledge, to Yajnopavitam Samskara and Gayatri Upadesha (As per text Madhava Samhite on Parashara Smriti, in Harita Dharma Sutra, etc., Brahmavadini are women who studies Veda after the Yajnopavitam sanskara / sacred thread ceremony and got married later or stayed a bachelor in further pursuit of the vedic knowledge. Sadyovadhu are woman who got married immediately after her sacred thread ceremony).

Representative of Brahmins, Brahmavadinis, Sadyovadhus from all over India (Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Saurastra to Silchar) are invited to participate the Great Brahmin Parshuram Kund Convention, 2014.

The interested participants would be asked to submit abstracts (on-line) in not more than 400 words on their opinion on various important contemporary issues in their preferred language with small gist (within 100 words) in English or Hindi, if their preferred language remain otherwise. Few of the selected abstracts would be chosen for oral presentation.

Interested participants can submit abstracts on their opinion that would be published as the Proceedings of the Great Brahmin Parshuram Kund Convention, 2014 and would be distributed during convention among registered participants. On line submission of abstracts should reach before the scheduled deadline of submission along with deposition of Registration fees including submission of photographs and details required for getting entry pass for Holy Shri Shri Prashuram Kund and to visit to other scenic tourist spot of unexplored Arunachal Pradesh. For primary preparatory details, contact [email protected].

Parashuram Kund http://www.indiaprofile.com/pilgrimage/parashuramkund.htm

Like most pilgrim centres in other parts of India, Parashuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh, situated on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the north of Tezu in Lohit District, has been a source of spiritual inspiration of a multitude of devotees since time immemorial.

The personality and exploits of Parashuram are part of India’s millennial memory. Both the great epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and numerous scriptures have repeated reference of his deeds. From the study of the Mahabharata, it is clear that Parashuram taught archery and military science to the warriors of the Mahabharata such as Bhisma, Drona, Karna and even wrote treatises on its known as Dhanuveda. There is also a legend of his killing the Kshatriyas, the warriors class, to establish the path of righteousness at the time of its decline.

The origin of the kund is associated with Parashuram’s matricide described in the Srimad Bhagvat, Kalikapurana and in the Mahabharata. One day, Renuka, mother of Parashuram, went to fetch water. While returning, she felt drawn towards King Chitranatha playing with celestial nymphs. Consequently, she was late in returning to the ashram. , her husband, worried over her delay as it was getting late for the midday worship. On perceiving through his divine power the reason for her delay, Jamadagni was so enraged that, on her arrival, he asked his sons to kill her. None of his six sons except Parashuram could oblige. He immediately beheaded his mother. The handle of the axe which he used, however, clung to his hand. Pleased with his son, Jamadagni desired Parashuram to ask for any boon. Parashuram asked six boons and one was for the immediate recovery of his mother. However, this did not wipe out his sin. He was told that the only way to wash off his sin was by taking a dip in the Brahma Kund. Only then would the axe stuck to his hand drop. Parashuram ultimately came to the Brahma Kund in present Lohit District and made a passage for the kund to come out by digging the bank of Brahma Kund. The spot where the axe dropped from his hand came to be known as Parashuram Kund. The Kalika Puram states that a mere bath in the kund leads to emancipation. The waters of the kund are considered as sacred as the waters of the River Ganga. In the 18th century a re-established the site of Parashuram Kund. The sadhu who came through Chowkham, as the story goes, was driven out form his village as he was looked upon as a swindler. The villagers thereafter were afflicted with some unknown disease. Meanwhile the sadhu, had hidden himself in a cave around the kund away form the angry villagers. The villagers came in search of him and offered him fruits and flowers and asked forgiveness.

The site of the Parashuram Kund as established by the sadhu was in existence till 1950 when the old site was completely changed by the earthquake that shook the whole of the North-East and the kund was completely covered. A very strong current is now flowing over the original site of the kund but massive boulders have in a mysterious way embedded themselves in a circular formation in the river bed thus forming another kund in place of the old.

On Paush, Makarsankranti day which normally falls in Mid-January every year, an endless stream of pilgrims come to take a dip in the kund in spite of the biting cold wind. At midnight, the auspicious ceremony of Makarsankranti begins and devotees start bathing in the kund.

Though there is scarcity of accommodation pilgrims bear the hardships bravely and spend the nigh around the temple, wherever they can find space to rest their tired bodies and spend the night. of different sects from as far off as the hills of Uttar Pradesh remain at the kund for two nights after their holy bath singing devotional songs. There is also some recreation in the form of a mela (fair) organized on the bank of the River Lohit.

From the data available it is clear that regular approach routes to the kund were in existence for centuries but in 1826 when the British Administration took over this area, and introduced Inner Line regulations, pilgrims could not move into the interior at liberty. Even today one has to obtain entry permit to cross the inner line check posts. The office of the Deputy Commissioner Lohit District issues these permits for pilgrimages on the occasion of Makarsankranti. Arrangements are also made to issue entry permits for pilgrims at Dirak and Sunpura check posts during this period.

The kund is 165 kilometres form Tinsukia, the nearest railway station, 97 kilometres via Tezu. A fleet of the State Transport Department of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh make elaborate arrangements for playing buses form Tinsukia to Namsai, Wakro and Tezu.