Bisrakh – Ancient Village of Ravana In Greater Noida

Bisrakh gets its name from Rishi Vishwashrva, that must have got distorted over time. We better know him as the father of ten headed Ravana, the one who ruled golden Lanka. Some accounts say that he was born here while others say that he spent a part of his childhood here.

Bisrakh is an ancient village located in the urban metropolis of Noida. Technically it is Sector 1 of Greater Noida. From Delhi, it may be 20-30 kms, depending on where you start from.

Visiting Bisrakh

It took us 15–20-minute drive on swanky expressway roads of Noida and Greater Noida to reach Bisrakh.

The first thing we noticed here was a grocery store called Ravan Kirana Store. Right next to it, Ravan DJ announced its presence in a garage. This was my introduction to the living legend of Ravana in the village. Opposite the shop was a fairly large Anami Dham Ashram.

We spoke to the Kirana store owner and asked him for directions to the temple of Ravana. We were told to follow a lane through the village. It was a narrow lane, but we could see large well-maintained houses on either side.

On the other side of the narrow lanes, we reached a patch of wilderness, amidst which stood a temple with a tall shikhara. However, this is not the temple we were searching. That was a little ahead to our left.

Ancient Shiva Temple at Bisrakh

We entered through an arch and between the ornate temple entrance and us stood a lone tree. The temple prakara or the boundary wall is being built with stories from the life and times of Ravana.

We walked around and met the artisans who were sculpting an image of Vibhishan, Ravan’s younger brother on the side wall. They have come from Odisha for this project. My mind went back to the stone carvers of Odisha I had met in Jajpur.

You can prominently see the 10 headed Ravana on the right of the door. On the left you can see, Rishi Vishwashrva worshipping Brahma, he and his wife praying together and Ravana offering his head to Shiva. Scenes of his brothers Vibhishan and Kumbhakaran were being sculpted when we visited.

On top of the entrance doorway is a large sculpture of Ganesha in sitting position. On his either side is Lakshmi riding an owl and Saraswati riding a swan. There are sculptures of Rishis blowing the conch and some Naga sculptures.

We entered the temple compound which is big compared to the small temple that is just a small room…