Patna : More than a hundred spiritual seekers from across India, including Gujarat, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, have journeyed hundreds of kilometres to the village of Mastichak, 40km from Patna, to take part in intensive meditation and devotional rituals at the Gayatri Shakti Peeth during Chaitra Navratri.
The spiritual centre, established in 1982 by Pt Rameshchandra Shukla—a devoted disciple of Gayatri Parivar founder Pt Shriram Sharma Acharya—has transformed into a vibrant hub of meditation, mantra chanting and silent sadhana. Known as the Manokamna Siddhi Peeth, the 250-year-old site holds a reputation for wish fulfilment, drawing devotees year after year.
Every day during the nine-day Navratri festival, the temple follows a rigorous schedule beginning at 4am, when the doors to the sanctum sanctorum open and Jagran Aarti is performed. Devotees then chant the Gayatri Mantra in unison, followed by havan rituals and collective Rudrabhishek at the adjoining Shiva temple. Activities resume again from 4pm, culminating in musical recitations of the Ramcharitmanas and the serving of Mahaprasad at 8.30pm.
The temple trust, Yugrishi Shriram Sharma Acharya Charitable Trust, offers free accommodation and meals to all visiting devotees. Sadhaks are housed within the Shakti Peeth complex and in nearby guest facilities such as Gayatri Kunj.
Among the pilgrims is Pravin Bhai Patel from Ahmedabad, who has been attending with his wife since 2010. His son and daughter-in-law, who live in Australia, have also joined them this year. Patel is among many who revere the late Pt Rameshchandra Shukla, affectionately called Shukla Baba, crediting his spiritual blessings for significant transformations in their lives.
“Whenever I faced a major crisis, Shukla Baba’s guidance saw me through,” Patel said. “Even after his passing in 2021, at the age of 104, I still feel his presence. Many of us do.”
Other long-time followers, such as Rajnikant Soni, echo similar experiences. Soni, whose family has been associated with Shukla Baba since 1973, recalls miraculous changes following prayers and sadhana under the baba’s direction. Even now, devotees leave written wishes at Shukla Baba’s photograph, believing he continues to respond in subtle form.
Shukla Baba’s journey began nearly 70 years ago, when he left worldly life under the spiritual influence of Harihar Baba and joined a centuries-old ashram of Naga Sadhus in Mastichak. Later, inspired by Pt Shriram Sharma Acharya, he returned to the village to serve the community. Among his key contributions was the founding of the Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital in 2005, with the help of his disciple Mrityunjay Tiwari.
What began as a small eye camp in 1991 has now grown into a 250-bed facility providing ophthalmic care across Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The trust operates 45 satellite centres and inaugurated a new 500-bed Centre of Excellence in Mastichak last year. The hospital, equipped with 50 state-of-the-art operation theatres and 11 specialist departments, performs an average of 700 eye surgeries per day—80% of them free of charge. To date, more than 1 million surgeries have been carried out.
