Mount Mandara

Mandara (Sanskrit: मंदार) is the name of a mountain which appears in the Samudra manthan episode in the Hindu Puranas, where it was used as a churning rod to churn the ocean of milk. The serpent, Vasuki offered to serve as the rope. The Puranas refer to various sacred places on the hill which is also believed to be the abode of god Krishna as Madhusudana or the destroyer of a demon called Madhu who was killed by Krishna and then covered by the Mandara Mountain..

Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas. The story appears in the Bhagavata Purana, the Mahabharata and the Vishnu Purana. In literal terms, this tale is an allegorical description of what transpires during a kundalini awakening process. Kundalini is a latent energy that lays dormant in the spine. Upon awakening, it rises in a sensation akin to a slithering snake, up the spinal column (Meru-danda, represented by Mount Meru in the story).

Samudra Manthan

The churning of the Ocean of Milk was an elaborate process. Mount Mandarachala, also known as Mount Meru, was used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the churning rope. The demons (asuras) demanded to hold the head of the snake, while the demigods (devas), taking advice from Vishnu, agreed to hold its tail. As a result the demons were poisoned by fumes emitted by Vasuki. Despite this, the demigods and demons pulled back and forth on the snake's body alternately, causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn churned the ocean. However, once the mountain was placed on the ocean, it began to sink. Lord Vishnu in His incarnation, in the form of a turtle Kurma, came to their rescue and supported the mountain on His back.

Lord Shiva inhaling the lethal poison - Halahala

The Samudra Manthan process released a number of things from the Milk Ocean. One product was the lethal poison known as Halahala. This terrified the gods and demons because the poison was so powerful that it could contaminate the Milk Ocean and destroy all of creation. On the advice of Lord Vishnu, the gods approached the compassionate Lord Shiva for help and protection. Lord Shiva inhaled the poison. In an act to protect the universe that lies inside the Lord Siva, Goddess Parvati pressed his neck to stop the poison from spreading. As a result, The color of Lord Shiva's neck turned blue. For this reason, Lord Shiva is also called Nilakanta (the blue-throated one; "neela" = "blue", "kantha" = "throat" in Sanskrit).

All kinds of herbs were cast into the ocean and fourteen Ratnas (gems or treasures) were produced from the ocean and were divided between asuras and gods. Though usually the Ratnas are enumerated as 14, the list in the scriptures ranges from 9 to 14 Ratnas. Most lists include: Lakshmi, the Goddess of Fortune and Wealth; Apsaras, various divine nymphs like Rambha, Menaka, Punjisthala, Urvasi, Thilothama ,etc.; Varuni or Sura, goddess and creator of alcohol; Kamadhenu or Surabhi, the wish-granting divine cow; Airavata, and several other elephants; Uchhaishravas, the divine 7-headed horse; Kaustubha, the most valuable jewel in the world, worn by Vishnu; Parijat, the divine flowering tree with blossoms that never fade or wilt; A powerful bow; Chandra, the moon which adorned Shiva's head; Dhanvantari, the doctor of the gods with Amrita the nectar of immortality.

According to Legends and popular belief, this Mandara Hill is located on the state highway between Bhagalpur and Dumka. They are laced with a landscape of extraordinary splendor exposing the 800 feet high granite hill. One of the specialties of the mountain is that it is not composed of fragmented stones but the whole hill is one single structure.

Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhava refers to foot marks of Lord 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.