A fact that not many people know is that Shri Krishna called upon ALL the places of Pilgrimage (4 Dhaam, all the holy rivers, and all other Teerths) in Braj. Along with that, he also declared that visiting the pilgrimage sites Teerths (in Braj) will give millions time more spiritual benefit than one would get if they visiting the one that is outside Braj Dhaam. For example, paying a pilgrimage to Badrinath Dhaam in Braj will give million times more spiritual benefit than visiting the one that is in Uttrakhand.
Dev Sarovar in Braj is located in the suburb of Adi Badri Hills. It is the largest and the ONLY Jheel (Lake) in Braj Dham. During the rainy season, the Sarovar fills temporarily with plenty of water, making it appear as a lake, suggesting that a catchment area might have existed in the past. However, since there is no structure to hold the water, the lake disappears very quickly. Dev Sarovar disappeared a long time ago and therefore, even local Brajwasis forgot about its whereabouts. Shri Ramesh Baba Ji Maharaj re-discovered the Sarovar around 20 years ago based on the evidences and references in Garg Sanhita and various other scriptures and Braj literature, and he has been working tirelessly on bringing the lost Sarovar back in life.
During Radha Rani Braj Yatra of year 2010, with the mercy of Shri Radha Rani, the construction of the Sarovar started, however it could not be finished due to various unavoidable reasons.
A few months ago, Shri Ramesh Baba Ji Maharaj, unexpectedly, announced the construction of the Dev Sarovar once again even though there were NO resources to complete the project. There were three major challenges to complete the construction in the rocky mountain area:
1. Scarcity of Water – Water is a core ingredient of any construction. Dev Sarovar falls on high ground in the suburb of Adi Badri mountain. There is no road from the main land area to the Sarovar. There was is NO way to take water by hand to meet the requirements of the construction. Water was only present 800 feet underground in the low side of the suburb. There was no hope for construction.
2. Unavailability of Labor – Construction labor is very hard to find during summer time as it is extremely hot during the day time. Mountain rocks become so hot that you cannot even touch with bare hands. Therefore, construction workers are not ready to work even if you double the price for labor. Shri Baba Maharaj’s goal was to finish the construction and prepare the Sarovar before the Monsoon arrives. Another major obstacle.
3. Construction Cost – As per the government’s estimate with breakdown of the cost, the total project cost was assessed to be INR 85,00,000 ($140,000)
This is where the miracle begins….
Although water was not detected until around 800 feet below on the main ground level, to everyone’s surprise, Shri Ramesh Baba Ji Maharaj asked to dig for water on the hill near the Dev Sarovar. Everybody was confused because the water would be way too deep to dig on the hill. Since everybody has witnessed the power of the Bhaava of Baba Maharaj in the past, the team honored his words as is and organized the dig. Astoundingly enough, water was found at only 200 feet, everyone simply bowed their head. First problem was solved by direct intervention of the Divine.
With the inspiration from the Baba Maharaj, Saadhus, Gop Gwaals and Braj Baalikas of Maan Mandir humbly requested Shri Baba Maharaj’s blessing to honor them with an opportunity to serve the Braj Dhaam by doing the job of labor. Shri Baba Maharaj promptly accepted and appreciated their Bhaava. Labor cost was drastically reduced. This brought the second problem down!!
Even though labor cost was eliminated considerably, still a major part of the construction cost remained untapped. Once again, it was a time of divine intervention, Shri Baba Maharaj asked the team to start the construction work even though they were running very low on funds.
Only 35 days were left before the Monsoon, the construction work started in full swing. Shri Baba Maharaj himself would go the construction site and would work like a laborer, carrying pots full of cracked stone on his head. He visited the site every day and worked with the devotees of Maan Mandir. The scene of the construction site was out of this world. You could see children, girls, Saadhus, and Brajwasis all working together. When local Brajwasis heard of the restoration effort, they jumped in and helped with labor and material. People appeared out of now where and stepped forward, expressing their willingness to help.
By June 13, 2015, most of the structure for the catchment area was completed. Only the cemented base was to be constructed to hold the water. That was expected to take up to a a week. On June 14, Shri Baba Maharaj visited the site and worked with Maan Mandir devotees as usual. However, before leaving for the day, he announced that the construction of the cemented floor MUST be completed today. Nobody could understand why he was insisting on finishing a week long work project in one day. Again, without casting doubts on his words, everybody vowed to complete it that day. They worked until 11 PM that day and they finished the work.
Then IT happened!!! The very next day June 15, in the early hours, there was heavy rain only in and around the Adi Badri mountain area that is responsible for creating flow of water that goes right into Dev Sarovar. The rain DID NOT take place in any other area. In no time, the Sarovar was completely filled with water. Nobody could believe what was happening. It was like Shri Krishna and Shri Radha Rani was waiting for completion of the construction. The rain explained the reasons behind the all those announcements by Shri Baba Maharaj that sounded unreal.
Shri Baba Maharaj reiterated that Dhaam Seva is real and true. If you have Bhaava of seva, Dhaam Maharaj surely showers mercy and shows it hidden divine face. Dev Sarovar needed only a little bit of seva and Dhaam Maharaj blessed it immediately.
