My visit to the Math on the 8th of October, 2013, only re-confirmed the observations made by Buchanan about two centuries earlier and which hold true even today. I was looking for the description given by Buchanan in his journal during the visit.  I had to take permission of the head Mahant Shri Giri residing there for taking photographs, since the Chief Mahant was out on a visit to Lucknow.

I had the opportunity to talk to Shri Giri, the head Sanchalak or Administrator of the Math, who stays in a small chamber at the second floor of the Math. The room has a very good panoramic view of the Phalgu river, and its calmness make it an ideal place for meditation. During our conversation, he told me that he had been living in the math for 71 years, and was now aged about 87 years.

He recollected the history of the Math very briefly, and mentioned that the math was initially established in the late 16th century. The math was later given a land grant which included the present villages of Mastipur and Tardih, during the period of Alamgir, the Mughal Ruler of Delhi, the sanad of which was presently not existing in the Math, and may probably be found in the records of the High Court at Patna, where it was submitted for the resolution of some title suit. He informed that the Math had about 11,000 acres of land, a large portion of which was donated to the Government during Bhoodan Movement of Acharya Vinoba Bhave. He recollected that the Main temple premises also once fell within the property of the Math, and also further recollected some names of the previous Mahants, which however were very difficult to remember.

To be continued....