Namashivaaya

Panch Kedars

The Five Kedars

The Mahabharata is one of the oldest epics in the world and was written by the sage Vyasa. There is
no subject on which it doesnt deal with. However all the various subjects are woven into the story of
the Kuru dynasty which ruled over India about five thousand years ago. Modern Delhi is built over
their capital city of Indraprastha. The epic deals with the rivalry between the cousins known
collectively as the Pandavas and the Kauravas. It ends in the internecine war between the two
factions. The Pandavas were five in number and are said to be the sons of the gods in as much as
they were all extremely noble. Arjuna, the hero of the epic and the middle one amongst the
Pandavas is the one to whom Lord Krishna gave the discourse of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. This
discourse comes in the middle portion of the Mahabharata and deals with the human problem
how to attain liberation from the coils of material life. However it also deals with the very practical
aspect of how to deal with our day-to-day life.

Pandavas with dog Dharma

At the end of their life, the Pandavas decided to give up their kingdom and go to the Himalayas and
meditate on their favourite deity, Lord Shiva. So they set out accompanied by their wife, Draupadi.
When they reached the place called Rudraprayag, they thought they had a glimpse of Lord Shiva.
They tried to chase him but he took on the form of a buffalo and dashed off towards the north. They
followed in hot pursuit and eventually caught up with him at the place that is now known as
Kedarnath. The Lord now dived into the earth. Only the hind portion of the buffalo was sticking out.
This was caught by one of the brothers called, Bhima. But pull as he might, he couldnt get the rest of
the buffalo out of the ground. The hump now turned into a Shiva Lingam and remained at this place.
Each of the other parts appeared at four other places and came to be collectively known as the
Panch Kedars or the five Kedars. All these lie in the Garwal Himalayas in the modern state known as
Uttranchal.
Rudraprayag

The Garwal Himalayas lie to the north east of the Indian peninsula and is known as the Valley of the
Gods. The air is fragrant with the aroma of spirituality. When one gazes at the snow clad peaks and
hear the gurgling of the Ganga as she jumps over boulders and rocks and watch the mists rise up
from the rivers and valleys one can easily believe that this is indeed the playground of the devas.
(Gods). This is the place where countless sages have meditated and become enlightened and the
very air is fragrant with the perfume of their amazing vibrations that have lasted through the
centuries. The Himalayas are filled with the power and passion of Lord Shiva and in this part of India,
we find more shrines to this deity than to any other. The most famous of them is the temple of
Kedarnath. Cradled in the bosom of the Himalayan ranges there are four other temples, which along
with Kedarnath that go under the name of the Panch Kedars or the five Kedars. They are situated in
inaccessible places and provide a challenge to any devotee of Shiva who wishes to worship him in
places that are far away from the madding crowd. Shiva is noted for his love of lonely peaks and
solitary ranges. His true worshippers should always be prepared to take the leap into the unknown
and face all the challenges that he places in their way, as the Pandavas did. Those intrepid ones who
actually dare to go to these places will find that they are amply rewarded for their determination and
devotion. The air is saturated with Shiva Shakti and one can easily imagine him striding across
mountain crags and peaks, his matted hair mingling with the clouds and snakes twirling around his
neck!

These five temples are sprawled all over the vast Kedar valley at altitudes ranging from 1500 m. to
3680 m. Out of these Tunganath is the highest at 3,810 m, Kedarnath is 3584 m., Madmaheswar is
3289 m., Rudranath is 2286 m. and Kalpeshwar, 2134 m.

Descent of Ganga at Bhagirathi

Painting Thanks to Exotic India Art

 KEDARNATH

Of these Kedarnath is the biggest of the temples and the most popular. The Shiva Lingam (sign of
Shiva) here is a natural rock in the shape of a buffalos hump. Rudranath is the place where his face
appeared, Madmaheswar is where his navel is said to have fallen, his arms appeared at Tunganath
and his tresses at Kalpeshwar.

Kedarnath Lingam

Kedarnath is situated at the head of the Mandakini River. It is at an altitude of 3,584 m. with a
breathtaking view of the snow capped Himalayas in the background. The temple is made out of huge
granite slabs. Adi Shankaracharya, the founder of the Advaita philosophy is supposed to have
worshipped here and fixed the method of puja. With his usual foresight, he made a rule that the
pujaris (priests) of this temple should be brought from the state of Karnataka in the south and the
priests of Garwal should go to the Shiva temple of Rameshwaram in the south. This is the custom up
to this day.

The journey to Kedarnath starts from the pilgrim town of Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas.
The railway track ends in Rishikesh. From here one can take a car or bus and go up to Rudraprayag.
This is a famous confluence of two rivers where the River Mandakini, which comes from Kedarnath,
meets the River Alagananda, which comes from Badrinath. From here one has to take the route to
the place called Gaurikund, which is as far as the motorable road goes. This place, which is dedicated
to the goddess Gauri, the consort of Shiva, has a beautiful hot water spring in which all pilgrims are
supposed to take a bath. There is a lovely shrine to the goddess close to the spring.
The 14 km. trek to Kedarnath begins from Gaurikund. Those who find it difficult to walk can take
ponies and old people can be carried in something called a doli, which is a kind of hammock, carried
by four people. En route we come to a halting place called Rambara. The track is made out of
cobbled stones and is quite difficult to walk on. But the problems of the trek are forgotten when we
gaze at the breathtaking vistas that open out before our astounded eyes at every turn. All through
we are followed by the gurgling sound of the Mandakini as she rushes down the deep gorges and
valleys. Actually most of the fascination of the route is spoilt for the earnest pilgrim who goes on
foot, by the ponies that come behind and threaten to nudge him off the cliff. The track clings to the
hillside that overlooks valleys that are more than 500 km deep so the prospect of being nudged off
these cliffs is not such a happy one.

Kedarnath Temple

However our first view of the temple as we come up is enough to take away all the fatigue of the
journey. The fantastic snow mountain at the back sets off the stark granite structure of the shrine.
You literally give a gasp of delight when you see this view. Unfortunately the approach road is now
filled with modern restaurants and shops so part of the charm is lost.

Hindu pilgrims are always required to take a bath before they enter any temple. There is no hot
spring here as there is at Badrinath so one has to take a bath in the icy waters of the Mandakini.
However in the past few years two and three-star hotels have sprung up so hot and cold showers are
available in the bathrooms. I always feel that comforts are always at the cost of sanctity - the more
the comforts, the less the sanctity! Another problem is that the more the comforts, the more the
pilgrims who behave more like tourists than true pilgrims. A special feeling is generated when one
dips in the freezing waters and stays in an ill-ventilated, tiny room and runs to the temple at the crack
of dawn to be present for the first puja. Unlike Vishnu temples where the devotee is not allowed into
the sanctum sanctorum, in Shiva temples you can go right up to the lingam and do ones own
abhishekam (ritual powering of water over the idol) as well as touch the idol.

This is a great thrill for everybody. The pujari (priest) is there and will also do a puja for you if you so
wish. In fact there are many pujas during the course of the day in which you can participate. The
lingam is a huge hump-shaped rock that is anointed and decorated very beautifully. Shiva is
supposed to be abhisheka priya (one who loves to have water poured over him) while Vishnu is
said to be alankaara priya (one who loves to be beautifully dressed), so you will find that Shiva
Lingams are never as beautifully decorated as the idols of Vishnu.
Samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath

Two other spots worth visiting here are the samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya and the Gandhi Sarovar.
There is a lot of debate about the place where Adi Shankaracharya actually passed away. One faction
claims that it was at Kedarnath so there is a shrine here to this most renowned teacher of the
Advaita philosophy, which is the philosophy of non-duality. Gandhi Sarovar is a glacial lake in which
some of the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were scattered. Of course there are many other beautiful
treks in and around the place which one can do if there is time and inclination.

The return journey is also to be covered in one day. There is a short stop at Rambara and then on to
Gaurikund where one has to stay the night and then proceed to the next shrine known as
Madmaheswar.

MADMAHESWAR

A pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrines can be undertaken only by those who are not haunted by the
spectre of Time looming behind them with the proverbial scythe. To these adventurous types, the
Himalayan shrines offers a vast storehouse of not mere spiritual merit but also a feeling of profound
fullness and satisfaction on all levels of the personality physical, mental and aesthetic.

Madmaheswar is situated at the foot of the Chaukamba Peak at an altitude of 3,500m. This is the
place where Shivas navel is supposed to have emerged. After finishing our Kedar trek we have to
return to Gaurikund for the night halt. From here one can take a vehicle to Guptakashi. Kashi is the
old name for Varanasi and gupta means secret or hidden. Guptakashi has an ancient temple of
Shiva and derives its name from the fact that this is the place where Shiva is supposed to have
hidden himself when the Pandavas chased him. At this place he disappeared and hid himself in a
cave. Hence this place is known as Guptakashi or the hidden Kashi.

GuptaKashi Temple
Those who are keen on a longer trek like us can get off the bus or car at a place called Devidhar from
where there is a delightful forest track up to Kalimath, which is our first halting place. The three
kilometer walk took us through a thickly wooded slope carpeted with the leaves of pines and
deodars, which are centuries old and which muffle our footsteps. This track leads to the stream
called Kali. From here the track winds up to the tiny village in which is situated the temple of Kali
Mata or the Goddess Kali. The temple is open on all sides and is surrounded by striking red wooden
pillars. It is a siddha peeth in which one of the parts of the Goddess Sati is supposed to have fallen.
Siddha peeths are said to have the ability to fulfill all our wishes.

Legend goes that the Goddess Chandi Devi was sitting on a rock, combing her hair when two demons
that were the servitors of the two brothers Shumba and Nishumba saw her and were totally
captivated by her intoxicating beauty. They ran back to their masters and reported the matter to
them. The whole story is narrated in the Devi Mahatmyam. The rock on which she was sitting is close
to this temple.

After an overnight stay at Kali Math the trek continued along an undulated terrain with thickly
terraced slopes. The river known as the Madmaheswar Ganga could be seen far below, glinting and
sparkling in the sunlight. Seven kilometers from Kali Math we reached the little hamlet known as
Raun Lek where we stayed at a humble homestead. We had decided not to be hustled on our
journey but to go slowly and thus enjoy the scenic beauty and the feel of the land by staying with the
peasants. The little room that they gave us was not as clean as one would have liked but the cobbled
terrace where they gave us dinner had a breathtaking view of the entire valley with the roar of the
river thrown in for extra measure. In the distance was the magnificent Chaukamba peak on which the
setting sun was giving special light effects. No five star hotel could ever boast of such idyllic
surroundings. The long Himalayan twilight drifted into an enchanted night with a sky, studded with
huge stars hanging low over our heads! This was not a five-star hotel but a million-star one! Very
soon the eighth-day moon came out to enhance the beauty of the scene. We sat on the terrace and
soaked in the atmosphere while our host regaled us with surprising bits of information coming from
one living in such a remote spot. He also told us of an alternate route from Gaundhar which could be
reached by taxi from Guptakashi. Of course this route would totally cut out the beautiful temple of
Kali Mata.

Chandi Devi Temple

It is always good to set out as early as possible when you are trekking in the hills. In summer the day
gets light by 4.30am and we covered the 8 kilometers to Ransi in a fairly short time since the terrain
was not hilly. Here there was an ancient temple to the Goddess Rakheswari and we rested a while in
the dim recesses of this temple, enfolded in the benign waves emanating from the goddess. Our
night halt was at Gaundhar so we set out as fast as possible. The walk to Gaundhar was really
charming. The track winds up for a while and then started going down through pine forests. Many a
turn in the path brought us face to face with fantastic waterfalls and secret pools. Wild strawberries
nestled in clusters of dark green leaves. We didnt have time to gather them but just then a pahari
(hill) belle approached us and thrust some of the delicious berries into our hands. What could we
offer in exchange for this manna from the gods? Sacrilegious to think of giving biscuits and artificially
flavoured sweets.

The priest at Ransi had warned us not to stay at Gaundhar, which is where all pilgrims halt, but to
push on another 1 kilometer to Vantoli, which is actually the base camp for the ascent to
Madmaheswar. This spot was one of the most charming we had ever stayed so far. There is a
confluence of two rivers here and the tiny homestead where we halted nestles in the lap of a vale
with towering peaks on one side and the roar of the waters as they rush to meet each other at the
confluence. We had an exhilarating bath in the icy waters, clinging on to a branch of a tree for fear of
being swept away by the current. After this we were ravenous. Never had we eaten such a delicious
meal. Just plain chapattis with some green leaves that the little boy ran and plucked from the
adjoining fields and some thick curds. The milk and curds in these hills are really wonderful thick
and creamy from cows fed on green grass and leaves alone. Potatoes were a luxury since that years
crop had not been harvested and most of them were too poor to go to the nearest town to buy such
luxuries!

Magic moments when we wandered along the river and sat on sun-bleached rocks, sprinkled with
the icy spray from the foaming, swirling, dancing waters around. I wonder if any sophisticated
mountain resort could compare with this pristine beauty!

Ransi

The next day was the last and most difficult part of our journey. We had to do nine kilometers of
really stiff climbing with only one hamlet in between where we might get some refreshments. The
track wound its way through shady pine-clad slopes to the hamlet. After a short break we
commenced the hard climb, sometimes through forests and sometimes over bare slopes. The river
was only a silver streak far down below from which the wind wafted the faint sounds of the roaring
waters which had turned into a whisper. Even though it was a hard climb, the sight of the pink and
red rhododendron flowers encouraged us to push on. Creepers trailed their vines across our tired
faces as if to comfort us. We had been warned to be on the look out for bears but nary a one did we
ever see! However we did see a couple of playful creatures resembling back and white badgers who
were not in the least bit put out by this invasion of their privacy. One of the nicest things about this
trip compared to the one to Kedar was the fact that we didnt have to jostle our way between frisky
mules and coolies carrying people on their backs in baskets! Due to its inaccessibility Madmaheswar
is off the beaten track for most rich pilgrims and the poor ones cannot afford ponies and baskets! We
felt as if the whole world belonged to us alone. The only sound to assail our ears was the mournful
screech of the Himalayan eagle and the muted murmur of the waters below.

But this final assault was really arduous. The nine kilometers took seven hours. At last when we had
almost given up hope of reaching our destination before the sun set, a turn in the track gave us a
breathtaking view of the valley, with flower-studded slopes and a gushing stream meandering across
it. The towering peak of the Chaukamba formed the backdrop and the tiny temple nestled at its foot
looking as if it was a painted canvas. Another ten minutes brought us right up to the temple where
the priest and a swami were basking on a rock in front of the shrine trying to catch the last rays of
the precious sun.

The priest was a young man hailing from the southern state of Karnataka. He informed us that the
four priests of the Shiva temples of Kedar, Madmaheswar, Ukhimath and Guptakashi came from
Karnataka as decreed by Adi Shankaracharya and every year, they kept rotating between these
temples. The temple is a replica of the Kedar temple but on a miniature scale. There are only two
pujas here, one at 8 am and an evening arati at 7 pm. The priest kindly invited us to lunch with him
since the only shop which the place possessed was closed since the proprietor had gone down to
procure provisions. Luckily he was right behind us and arrived with a great haul of atta (wheat flour)
and lentils. We were invited to wash ourselves in the little spring that seemed to gush out from
beneath the root of a gnarled tree. We rested in the accommodation provided by the temple
authorities, which was luxurious compared to the huts we had stayed in. We explored the beautiful
surroundings till the tinkle of the temple bells summoned us for the evening arati. Inside the
sanctum was a beautifully decorated lingam, which seemed to shine with a radiance of its own. The
lingam was the middle portion of Shiva and was encased in a silver covering with the inevitable snake
emblem above it. The exquisite puja articles were all made of silver and were exact replicas of the
ones at Kedar. The arati was a prolonged affair with much clanging of gongs and bells by the
shopkeepers children.

The two small shrines outside contained priceless carvings of Shiva and Parvati in a most unusual
pose and another of the goddess, Mahishasuramardini, the slayer of the demon- Mahishasura. The
former was similar to the one we had seen in Kali math but the latter was unique.

After the puja was over we retired to our exclusive hotel for our humble fare of chapattis and dal
with a few boiled potatoes thrown in. These had been dug out by the shopkeepers son from the
hard earth. It was the left over of last years crop. Then we went to the priests room to listen to his
interesting tales of adventures in the hills.
Mahishasuramardini

He told us the history of the temple. One of the ancient kings of that region was annoyed to find that
one of his prize mulch cows always came back dry. Determined to find out the reason for this, the
king followed the cow and saw her shedding her milk over a stone at this spot. The irate king brought
his sword down on the innocent cows head but the blow missed its mark and fell on the stone,
which started to bleed. The king cleared the grass from round it and discovered that it was a lingam.
Even today the mark of the sword is seen on top of the lingam. The remorseful king atoned for his sin
by building a temple round the lingam. He died before he could complete it and later on someone
else completed it. One of the stones on the right side gives some information about the date and
name of the person who completed it but the priest said that though the archeologists had made a
through study of it no one had been able to decipher it. However the method of the rituals to be
conducted here as in all the Himalayan shrines had been augmented by Adi Shankaracharya, the
master trekker of all times. He is supposed to have covered all this terrain on foot and laid down the
rules and regulations concerning the type of worship to be offered at all places. By decreeing that the
priests of the Himalayan shrines should come from the south and those at Rameswaram in the
south, should come from the Himalayas, he saw to it that there was a good intermingling of the
cultures of the north and south.

Next morning bright and early we trekked up to the highest point in that place to the temple of
Buddha Madmaheswar. The hills were really alive with the sound of divine music as we clambered up
the grassy slopes dotted wildly with myriads of white and yellow flowers with little clusters of red
here and there and violets behind mossy stones. Walking in the shadow of these majestic snow
peaks we feared to tread hard for fear of defiling this holy spot. Who knew what treasures lay
beneath the unwary foot that carelessly crushed a million tiny sparkling flowers? Here the
rhododendrons had been reduced to dwarf size and hung in clusters of waxy, mauve flowers which
dropped unheeded on to the grassy carpet - an unceasing offering to the great Lord -Mahadeva
(Shiva).

Chaukamba Devi
The whole valley was rolled out like a carpet below us with an unhampered view right up to Raum
Lek. On one side towered the glittering, spectacular peak of Chaukamba Devi; home of eternal snows
that had been inspiring us all through our trek. Now it appeared as if it was only a short distance
away, spotlighted by the rays of the early morning sun. Impossible to describe the beauty of that
scene with the valley below and the snow peaks all around. All the peaks were mirrored in the glacial
lake below giving the amazing impression of a double exposure. Glacial lakes are perfectly still and
mirror the surroundings with absolute accuracy. We threw ourselves on the velvety grass and
imbibed the fragrance of that perfumed air. Words are poor instruments and hardly likely to do
justice to the exquisite charm of that blissful spot. Even photographs could only give a faint idea.

We had to tear ourselves away from this sanctified spot and come down for the puja at 8 oclock. The
silver covering of the lingam was removed and saw the cleft on the crown. Unlike other Shiva
temples in the north, the devotees are not allowed to enter the sanctum and do the abhishekam. We
could only observe from the adjoining room.

The villagers around donated the flowers, rice and other offerings for puja. These villages were far
below the temple but to these hardy hill tribes a walk of five or six kilometers with an ascent of a
thousand meters was nothing. Every morning one of the villagers would come with the daily offering.
They would wait for the prasadam that was distributed after the puja.

By gods grace we were not pressed for time and we spent a couple of days in this idyllic spot
roaming round the mountains, watching the sunset and sunrise and generally saturating ourselves in
this divine atmosphere so that it would remain an indelible memory for us.

What can be said about the journey back to the twentieth century. It took half the time according to
our watches but over two centuries as far as culture was concerned. Back to a world of roaring,
tearing traffic, jostling crowds, noise and screech of vehicles and people rushing madly all the time
not knowing that they were getting nowhere back to a world of chips and cheese and chay (tea)
from which we had escaped for a few glorious, enchanted days!

Namashivaya!
If there is one thing that the Himalayas teaches you it is that one should have absolute faith in God
alone. Nothing and nobody can help you in those high reaches except the almighty. Without this
faith and total surrender there is not much point in doing these treks. The value of the trek doesnt
lie in reaching the place but in the effort of getting there. Each step and each vista can either be a
dream or a scream depending on your metal preparation.

After having done Madmaheswar we thought that Rudranath would be quite easy but of course even
though Madmaheswar is actually a longer trek, there are villages en route where we can take rest as
well as get some sort of sustenance. Here there was nothing. We had absolutely no idea what we
were letting ourselves in for and had not thought of carrying any food with us. All we had was water
and a packet of biscuits. On top of which we had decided not to take either a porter or a guide as
most people do. We were sure that our belief in God alone would get us to the temple. The only
guide we wanted was Sri Rudranath himself!

The trek to Rudranath starts from the village of Sagar. For this one has to go to the town of
Gopeshwar and get a jeep from there to Sagar, which is 6 km away. From Sagar to Rudranath is a
tough 22 km. trek that has to be done in one day since there are no villages en route where one can
take shelter. However we were travelling on the proverbial shoestring and had just invested in
modern backpacks with a lot of facilities so we dared to do it without any porter or guide.

An hour after we started we came to a dense forest with absolutely no trails. It was a unusually thick
and we just kept climbing without much idea of where we were going. It is one of the most exciting
things in the world to walk in a trackless silent forest, with only the steady tramp of our feet and a
few birdcalls from here and there. Now and again a fallen tree trunk blocks your way. They look like
souls who are prostrating to the divine in absolute surrender. Sometimes golden rods of sunshine fall
through the chinks in the canopy above and stroke our faces with love and warmth. I just love that
feeling of total dependence on divine providence alone. My poor son and brother were burdened
with their backpacks so maybe they didnt quite have the same feeling as I did.

We had hardly walked a couple of hours when the sky became overcast and rumbling sounds could
be heard. Soon it started drizzling and then it came pouring down. Had we been in the open we
would have been totally drenched but thanks to the dense canopy above us we didnt get soaked.
We had come with some plastic sheets and raincoats so we covered the packs with the sheets and
huddled together under our raincoats. We thought it better to wait till the weather cleared a bit
before proceeding. We were also famished after the two-hour walk so the biscuits finished in a trice.
Just then it was nothing short of a miracle, but we heard the sound of tramping feet behind us and
who should appear but a Squadron Leader of the Indian Air Force accompanied by his team of men
who were doing the Panch Kedar trek. Of course they were loaded with food and tents and all types
of modern equipments, which made trekking easy. They gave us all encouragement and told us that
they would meet us on the plateau, which was an hour away. They had brought packed lunches and
we were welcome to join them. My eyes filled with tears when I thought of the grace of God who
had sent a whole squadron from the Indian Air Force to help us despite the fact that we were so
foolish as to go without any food!

Madmaheswar Temple

By this time the rain was letting up so we also started trekking with added vigour. When we reached
the bugyal or meadow they had already set up a small cooking unit and gave us a welcome cup of tea
as soon as we arrived. The view from there was really something. It was truly incredible. The
meadow was dotted with wild flowers and down below the valley stretched out with the sides
carpeted with tiny flowers. We still had a long way to our destination and we knew that we would
have to start walking if we wanted to reach before sunset. So we reluctantly refused their offer of
lunch but did take some sandwiches that they had packed and kept ready.

By this time the sun was up so it was a real delight to climb up those grassy slopes with hardly any
tracks except those made by goats and shepherds.

Since I was very slow my companions were soon well ahead of me. This was really what I wanted
since I love the sense of being all alone on the hillside with only the sounds of the insects, the
occasional ripple of streams in the distance and the brilliant sunlight. Suddenly a host of butterflies,
which had just come out of their cocoons, rose up before me like a cloud. They were all bright yellow
and it almost seemed as if the flowers had suddenly decided that they had enough of being tied
down to their stems and wanted to experience the joy of flying in the air! Now and again I would see
a clump of wild strawberries, small and bright red, nestling in their cluster of dark green leaves. The
sky above was the peculiar intense blue, which is found only in the mountains. Not a cloud marred
the sky. I was glad of my sun-hat without which I would certainly had sunstroke. It was wonderful to
walk through these ancient trails completely alone, meeting not one human being and best of all not
one tourist on a pony!

I knew that my companions would be getting restless so I hurried a little and reached Panar, which
was a sort of old deserted encampment. A shepherd was sitting there chewing tobacco while his
sheep chewed the grass on the hillside. My brother and son were having an interesting, if a little one-
sided conversation with him. They were happy to see me and the shepherd advised us to hurry up
since we still had about ten kilometres to reach our destination.

After some time to my joy the clouds arrived and covered the face of the burning sun. Once we had
crossed the bugyals the landscape changed to crags and peaks and cliffs and sheer drops. At one
place there was a ridge between two high peaks on either side with stones placed in asymmetrical
dedication, perhaps as a homage to the ancestors. Now that the sun was setting, the long and purple
Himalayan twilight set in. Barren, grey mountains flanked us on either side. The path was rough and
rugged, most fitting for yogis. Then suddenly the landscape changed and in the gloaming I saw that
the slopes of the mountain were clad in lavender rhododendrons like my clothes.

The long twilight was fading into the darkness of a mountain night and stars were dotting the dark
sky when we heard the sound of temple bells in the far distance. My son and brother were getting
rather worried at my tardiness. The Air Force had passed us a long while ago. The thought of
spending a night on the Himalayan slopes with our inadequate supplies was not a happy thought to
them. However luckily for me such thoughts never crossed my mind. In fact to walk through the night
without knowing anything about your destination except its name and without knowing if and where
we would get a place to rest was something which has always thrilled me to the core. Thank God
these rare Himalayan shrines are still untouched by the tourist trade and thus we could not make
advance bookings! God was our only guide and I always felt sure that He would provide! But the
body has its limitations and I must admit that I was totally exhausted by the time we got to the small
arch with a bell in the centre that normally heralded the entrance to all Himalayan shrines.

Rudranath Temple
The night puja was going on. The Squadron Leader and a few of his men were attending it. We went
straight in even though my upbringing normally forbade me to enter a temple without having a bath.
However I figured that Rudranath would forgive me for having waved such formalities. My feet were
getting really frozen, standing on the bare granite floor of the ancient shrine that had no pretences to
any embellishments. In fact it was a cave set deep in the rock. The lingam was covered with a silver
face, which had quite a fierce aspect. It was only the next morning when the mask was removed that
I saw the actual lingam, with Shivas face. It was benign and beautiful with half closed eyes.

Rudranath Temple

After the arati we approached the pujari and asked him if he could tell us where we could spend the
night. He was a dour, old man and obviously his solitary stay in such a holy spot had not softened
him. In fact it had made him rough and rude quite unlike the other priests we had met at the other
shrines. He was most unwelcoming and told us that the only accommodation was a shepherds hut,
which we could use if we liked. Since there was not much option we went there only to be met with
a cloud of smoke when we opened the wooden door. We couldnt make out much in the beginning
but as our eyes got accustomed to the smoke we saw that it was a small granite hut with a fire in the
middle. It was already crowded with four shepherds who were adding their bit to the general
atmosphere with smoke from their beedies (country cigarettes)!

However beggars cant be choosers so since I was the only woman, they were kind enough to give
me a corner in which I laid my sleeping bag and was flanked on the sides by my son and brother. We
went out for a small bit of fresh air and our nostrils were assailed by the smell of delicious cooking
which was coming from the impromptu kitchen which had been set up by the Squadron. Of course
they had their own tents for sleeping. We joined them for a delicious meal. Just imagine the fare that
the Lord had provided for us on top of this solitary mountain where we would surely have had to
starve had these people not been there. It was very doubtful if the surly pujari would have offered us
a meal.

After this we retired to our sleeping quarters. Of course I must admit that due to the bitter cold, the
smoke and the bad odour, I didnt manage to sleep much.

Nandi Devi (7816 meters)

When I went out in the morning all my pains and aches vanished with the breathtaking sight that
met my eyes. The soaring peaks of Trishul and Nanda Devi could be seen unbelievably close and the
purple rhododendrons could be admired in all their glory. The peaks were touched with gold as the
sun slowly rose. Temple bells were ringing so I ran to the shrine to see the Lords face without the
mask and watched the abhishekam or ritual bath. This time I was all alone with the pujari who didnt
even deign to glance at me. However I was least bothered. My heart was bursting with gratitude for
the grace, which had allowed a person like me who was most un-equipped for such things to come
and have darshan. Tears streamed down my eyes and all I could do was to fall down in full
prostrations and thank Him again and again.

I was sorely tempted to stay a couple of days as we had planned to do and go and see the Surya
Kund, Chandra Kund, Tara Kund and Manasa Kund. The Vaitarani River is also here. This is the river
that has to be crossed by the departing souls before they enter the next world. So some hardy
people do come here to do rites for their departed ancestors. Both my son and brother were very
anxious to leave as fast as possible since they didnt fancy spending another day in the shepherds
hut and least of all did they fancy having anything to do with the unfriendly pujari. Added to this was
the fact that our source of sustenance (the squadron), was leaving for their next destination, which
was Tunganath. So I had to comply with their wishes. We took a fond farewell of the peaks and the
shrine and started our downward trek.

Trishul

It was an incredibly long and tiring trek to Mandal where we were told we would find a PWD rest
house. The journey took us through rugged tracks and dense forests. We had an occasional glimpse
of a flock of deer gambolling in the distance and always the deep silence with the sound of gurgling
rivulets somewhere in the distance.

We managed to reach the rest house as the shades of night were falling and fell into the hard beds
which seemed soft as down after our experiences of the past few days. It is indeed strange how the
body demands its comforts even when the mind is saturated with beauty and abundance.
The return to civilization was a kind of drop from the heights of ecstasy to which we had been taken.
I always feel like crying when I reach the plains and my heart yearns to make another trip to the
inaccessible peaks of the Himalayas with their unbelievably holy atmosphere. Who were these
ancestors of ours who had discovered these spots? How did they reach there and who were the
people who continued to keep up the tradition through the centuries and conduct the daily pujas of
these lonely shrines is a mystery which has always fascinated me. The comfort of a soft bed and the
prospect of a delicious meal were never enough to tempt me to return to a mundane life.

Tungnath

Panch kedar trek

Badrinath & the Valley of Flowers Kuari Pass Khero Valley Chenap Bughyal 7 others...

Nanda Devi Sanctuary Nanda Devi Classic Roopkund and others...

Cradled in the Garhwal Himalaya's ranges are five of Hinduism's most important temples

inspired by the five religious forms of Lord Shiva, known as the Panch Kedar.

The Panch Kedar trek includes all the shrines associated with these legends.

Kedarnath is situated at the head of the Mandakini River,

where the Linga is a natural rock that resembles the hump of a bull.

Madhmaheshwar, at the base of the Chaukhamba Peak, is at the altitude of 3500 m.

The Linga is here worshipped in the form of a navel.

Tungnath

Tungnath, where the arm of Shiva appeared, is the highest temple in Garhwal (3810 m).

500 m above the temple at Tungnath is Chandrashila, with a breathtaking view of the Himalayas.

Rudranath is situated where the face of Shiva is said to have appeared.

There is a natural rock temple in which the Shiva Mukha is worshipped.

Nearby the temple, there are many little lakes like the Surya Kund, Tara Kund and Manas Kund.

Kalpeshwar is situated in the beautiful valley of Urgam.

There is a cave temple and Shiva is worshipped in his matted hair form,

when He tried to flee from the Pandavas at Kedarnath.

Trek route / Best time: June to October / 170 km circuit / 13 days (moderate).

Rishikesh Kedarnath Madmaheshwar Tungnath Rudranath Kalpeshwar - Joshimath.

It is a trek through dense forest and lush meadows full of colours,

passing through a few rustic villages steeped in old culture.

Mannarshala

(Refuge for snakes)

Kerala has many esoteric secrets of which many of them are hidden in the annals of its temples. One
of the strangest of the temples to be found in Kerala is known as Mannarshala, which is a refuge for
snakes of every type and description. Its hoary past intrudes into the 21st century but it continues to
retain the mystic magic of another age. It still clings to its ancient customs, which are as old as life
itself. These traditions are centred round the belief in the power of serpents their ability to protect
as well as to destroy.

Hinduism is a unique way of life. What it feared or could not understand, it enfolded into its
capacious bosom and revered and loved so that it became tame and domesticated. It was the power
of love that could transform a wild creature into a tame one. The more you fear a thing, the more
power it has to harm you. This fact was a well-known aspect of Hindu thought.

Snakes are things which all human beings have dreaded and shunned yet the ancient civilizations
always gave respect to them. They were said to possess the power to curse you if not in this life then
in another. Their curse would follow you life after life, until you atoned for it by some means or other.
All skin diseases as well as leprosy as said to be due to the curse of the snakes (sarpa dosha). Many
other misfortunes are also accounted for by their curse. Therefore all over India it is considered most
inauspicious to kill snakes. It is only the moderns who kill what they fear! The Hindus knew that
death was not the end of the story of life. By killing a snake they might be able to save this life but it
would result in untold suffering in another life. Thus we find that many of the old houses of Kerala
had a little copse exclusively reserved for the use of snakes. They lived there in comfort and the
family used to worship them and give them milk to drink and they left the family alone and never
bothered any of the members. With the breakdown of the ancient joint family system and the
compulsion to move into concrete flats instead of houses surrounded by land, these habitats for the
snakes became a big problem. Unless they were housed properly the family was sure to incur their
curse. Luckily in Kerala there are three big temples totally dedicated to snake worship. Most families
transferred their snake families to these temples and thus got rid of their burdens. In ancient days
snakes were not considered a burden but were a part of the family just like the cows and goats and
birds, but now the word family has narrowed down to mean only a father, mother and their
human children, and in this there is certainly no place for a snake or for any other creature for that
matter!
Nagaraja

The king of snakes is known as Nagaraja and the temple of Mannarshala is dedicated to him. It has a
unique history even in a place like Kerala, where fact and fiction, myth and miracle mingle together.
The town of Haripad lies twenty miles north of Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. The Nagaraja
temple of Mannarshala is three kilometres to the north of Haripad. The history of this temple is a
fascinating blend of fact, legends and events that have been handed down through the generations.
In fact it is said to have existed at the very start of this present epoch known as Kali Yuga.

Parashurama was the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu and he is closely connected with the formation
as well as the history of the land known as Kerala. He is said to have propitiated Varuna, the god of
the sea who allowed him to carve out a land for himself out of the seabed. Parashurama threw his
axe far out to the sea and the land mass known as Kerala rose up. Unfortunately the ground was
totally saline and unfit for cultivation. He then did tapasya to Lord Shiva who told him that the land
could be made habitable only by spreading the poison of snakes all over it. For this he would have to
worship Nagaraja, the king of snakes.

Parashurama

Undaunted by this, Parashurama chose a fitting spot for his tapasya and proceeded to worship
Nagaraja who eventually appeared to him in all his splendour. He spread his deadly venom all over
the land until it was completely desalinated and Kerala emerged as an emerald paradise, rich in
natural vegetation and resources. Parashurama now begged Nagaraja to take up his permanent
abode in this beautiful spot, to which he agreed. Parashurama then struck the earth with his axe so
that water spouted out of it. He bathed himself in this water and took the same for the installation of
the temple of Nagaraja. This is the spot where the present temple of Nagaraja is located in
Mannarshala and even today this water has to be used in all the rituals. The idol of Nagaraja, which
was consecrated here by Parashurama, is supposed to contain the spiritual essence of Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva. Its original name was Mandarashala due to the fact that the region was covered
with Mandara bushes containing white flowers. In the course of time this was shortened to
Mannarshala.
As in many other famous temples of Kerala, Parashurama himself performed the first worship of the
deity and then taught the method to the priests appointed by him. They were warned of the dire
consequences, which would accrue to them if they went against his mandates so it is that this is one
of the few temples, which has escaped the invasive modern culture and sticks faithfully to its ancient
principles of worship. He also advised every home in Kerala to reserve the southeast or southwest
corner of their compound for snakes who were the true guardians of this land.

Many years passed until a time came when the family of priests was threatened with extinction since
they had no male heir to carry on the sacred trust of the worship of Nagaraja. In fact just one couple
was left of the erstwhile large family. They didnt know what to do and prayed to their family deity to
help them. Just then another disaster struck. A raging forest fire consumed all the surroundings but
miraculously, left the temple untouched. All the snakes in the vicinity rushed to take shelter at the
feet of Nagaraja. Many of them were badly burnt. The couple were most distressed to see their
snake children in such a plight and did their best to treat the victims with mantras and herbs. They
also made little abodes for them and told them to stay there in peace.

Nagaraja was so pleased by their compassion for his family that he appeared before the lady known
as Sri Devi and told her that he would be born as her son in two forms one in his own form as a
five-hooded snake and another as a human child. To the amazement of the couple this vision came
to pass within a year. In the Malayalam month of Kumbhom (February\march), on the day when the
star known as Ayilyam was in ascendancy, Sri Devi gave birth to two boys. The elder was a snake and
the younger a human. The star Ayilyam is supposed to be a very auspicious one for snakes. The
children grew up together and were initiated into all the Vedic rites and rituals pertaining to the
worship of Nagaraja. After the birth of the children, the couple gave up conjugal life and became
recluses, totally engaging themselves in puja and prayer.

The day on which the star Ayilyam falls in the month of Kanni, (September\October) is very
important in all snake temples and many special pujas are done on that day. One year due to some
unforeseen circumstance the husband was unable to attend to the puja on that day. In fact he was
half way through the puja on the previous day when he was told about the occurrence, because of
which he was unable to complete even that puja. This is supposed to be a serious crime and one
which is sure to incur the wrath of the deity concerned which in this case happened to be Nagaraja
himself. There was no male available to continue the puja on that day. The next day, was the all-
important festival of snakes that was mandatory for them to perform. Sri Devi was sunk in despair
when she heard this. However she decided to take matters into her own hands. She purified herself
in the waters of the holy tank and went into the sanctum sanctorum where she sat in deep
meditation. At that time she heard Nagaraja telling her to continue with the puja herself. She was to
complete that days puja as well as perform the next days all-important puja. From that day onwards
she was to remain within the temple precincts and forget about her duties in the house and
concentrate only on the worship in the temple.

A new chapter was opened in the annals of the temple. In fact it was a new chapter in the annals of
Kerala temple history. The eldest female member of the family was accepted as the high priestess.
Normally the work of conducting pujas was one which was totally in the hands of males and this was
a most unorthodox and unprecedented procedure but such was the devotion and spiritual quality of
the female members of this family that they soon rose to a highly respected and revered position in
society. To this day the main pujas of this temple are conducted by the eldest female member of the
family who is tutored from a young age to accept the mantle of responsibility, which would fall on
her. They are to be completely celibate and have to follow a rigid discipline of prayer and meditation.

To get back to our original story. When the boys attained manhood, the human boy got married. The
snake son was known as Ananta and due to his presence, the family prospered and devotees started
pouring in. The family was the guardian of the sacred lore pertaining to the cure of snake bits, rats
bites, skin diseases and so on. Even now they practise this and it is a closely guarded secret of the
family, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

The snake Ananta used to roam about freely in the compound. He was perfectly harmless but the
pilgrims were not to know this and his form was enough to terrify most of them. On one Shivaratri
day (festival of Shiva), there was a big crowd and Ananta went around scaring people in a playful way,
until at last his mother got a bit annoyed and told him, Why dont you stop startling people and go
and sit in a corner in the cellar? Hardly were the words out of her mouth when she realised her
mistake and apologised for her words. But by then he had slithered into the cellar and only his voice
could be heard.

In future if you wish to see me, you can come to the cellar but see to it that no one except my family
members are allowed entry. With these words the door banged shut. The mother was heart broken.
Next day she took his favourite food and went in but she could not see him anywhere. She broke
down and wept. Anantas voice was heard once again. Mother leave the food and go away but you
may return on the 5th day. If there are any leftovers it can be distributed among the family members.
Once a year on this day (the day after Shivaratri) you may offer food to me. The rest of the time I
shall remain here in samadhi. On this day the members of the family may come here to get my
blessings. The rest of the time no one should disturb me..

This custom is followed to this day and the family members assemble in the cellar on this day to get
the blessings of Ananta who is endearingly referred to as Mutthassan or grandfather.

Mannarshala is an exceptional place since the senior most female member of the family is the final
authority on all matters pertaining to the puja at this temple. She is known as Valliamma (big
mother), and is installed before the cremation of the previous Valliamma. There are many unique
facets about the mode of worship in this temple. The Valliamma has to be a celibate and she is not
allowed to go out of the temple compound for long. If she is forced to go she has to return before
nightfall. She is not allowed to communicate directly with non-family members. Her time is to be
spent exclusively in puja, prayer and meditation.

The Valliamma who became a living legend was known as Savitri Antharjanam. . She stepped into the
honourable position of Valliamma at the tender age of fourteen and for the next seventy-five years
she lived the life of a yogi. Many are the miracles and cures, which are attributed to her.

As one passes the ornamental gate into the compound it appears as if we have entered another age
where nature and man lived in an amicable relationship with each other. There is a mysterious aura
about the place, which is covered with medicinal trees, creepers and plants all favoured by snakes.
We know that we have entered another world that belongs to another species. Rows upon rows of
snake figures carved on granite sit on the walls and line the grounds. There are also many snake pits
made of sand in which numerous snakes live happily. These include snake families that have been
brought here from other houses in Kerala, which have no facilities to keep the snakes in their own
abodes. It is a common occurrence to see snakes slithering away into the bushes. We are brought to
a realisation that this is their ground and we are the trespassers. They are totally unafraid and in turn
they generate a feeling of awe and respect rather than fear and disgust.

The little temple of Nagaraja is supposed to be six thousand years old and is the one, which had been
consecrated by Parashurama. Nagarajas idol made of granite stands surrounded by serpents on all
sides. His two hands depict the symbols of protection and boon giving. He is believed to be a
combination of the potency of Ananta ( the snake on which Vishnu lies) and Vasuki (the snake round
Shivas neck). Part of the worship offered to him is supposed to reach Ananta who resides in the
cellar.

Sarpayakshi is his consort and has a separate shrine of her own. Her idol is made of a quartz like,
transparent white stone. These two idols are hoary in antiquity and have defied the growth of
centuries.

A group of granite idols representing serpent divinities are to be seen in front of the temple. They are
mainly offerings by devotees. The cellar is another of the most sanctified areas of this temple. An idol
of her serpent son, Ananta has been installed on the porch of the cellar and here the Valliamma
offers food to her beloved son on the day after Shivaratri. Close by is a clump of trees called Appupan
Kavu, the grandfathers grove, which is supposed to be his favourite haunt. Some fierce looking
yellow snakes, supposed to be his attendants, inhabit this place. They move about freely here as well
as in the house without fearing or harming anyone. The family can know what situation is in store for
them by observing their stance. If they sway gently with upraised hood, they are happy and
everything is well. If the hood is put down misfortune is indicated. Many of the family members
mention seeing a golden snake that entered the room of the senior family member and lay there
with lowered head, refusing to budge. Within a short time, Savitri Antharjanam, the great Valliamma,
breathed her last.

Traditional music sung by the caste known as Pulluvas accompanied by their simple hand-made
stringed instruments, is highly beloved by snakes. Many of these people are given sanctuary by the
family and live in the compound, as their presence is compulsory for all, important festivals. They are
supposed to be the descendents of the original family who had sung for Nagarajas delectation.

Once in forty-one years, the festival known as Sarpa Pattu, (Serpent Song) is conducted here. This is
one of the fabled festivals connected with snake worship in Kerala. Records reveal that it has been
performed in this temple, one hundred and seventy-four times with only one break. This is a very
elaborate ritual and includes the performance of tantric rites based on highly scientific principles.
The expenditure is astronomical. Many traditional art forms of music and dance are encouraged
during this festival.

Stories of cures of snakebites and other miracles are often to be heard in this temple. It also
conducts pujas for the removal of sarpa dosha or the curse of the snakes. Barren women make an
offering of a round pot known as an uruli to Ananta and are blessed with a child. Mannarshala is
really a place of mystery where the supernatural holds hands with the natural, where time seems to
have stood still and nature and man live in harmony and peace.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

The Garhwal Himalayas has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Snow capped peaks,
misty mountains, green valleys, gushing rivers, the stately devataru (deodar) forests, grassy slopes,
abundant flowers and an amazing array of birds and butterflies all of which combine to make this
place one of the most charming spots on this planet. It is also one of the holiest places on earth. The
spiritual vibrations here cannot fail to be felt by anyone however insensitive. It is no wonder that this
place is known as devabhumi - the valley of the gods.

Lord Narayana

Badrikashrama

The four main dhams or holy shrines in the Himalayas are Badrinath, the abode of Lord Narayana,
Kedarnath, the abode of Lord Shiva, Gangotri, the source of the river Ganga and Yamunotri, the
source of the river, Yamuna. Of these Badrikashrama (Badrinath) is considered to be the most sacred.
In the Bhagavad Purana, Lord Krishna tells his friend and devotee, Uddhava that in future he would
be available only in the holy spot of Badrikashrama. He gave Uddhava his sandals and told him to
carry them to Badrikashrama and keep it there for people to worship. These are to be seen even
now. The Hindu scriptures say that the life of a Hindu would be incomplete without making a visit to
Badrikashrama. It is the supreme place of pilgrimage especially for the Vaishnavites (worshippers of
Vishnu and his avataras). According to the Padma Purana, the rishis found Uttrakhand (modern
Uttranchal) to be indeed a glorious temple built by Nature for the worship of the Supreme.

From time immemorial the whole of India has been linked with these holy spots by a bond of
consecrated faith.

Badrikashrama has a very ancient history. It dates from the Vedic period. It is a common belief that
many of the Vedic hymns and the major portions of the Upanishads were sung first in this spot
known as Badarikashrama. It is a place where countless sages and seers have done penance. No
other spiritual place in India is called ashrama - a sanctuary for spiritual seekers. The whole land
between Nandaprayag and Satopant is known as the Badri Vishal Kshetra. The great sages, Nara and
Narayana are said to be practicing tapasya here even to this day. The Mahabharata mentions that
these sages took a human birth as Krishna and Arjuna for the benefit of mankind. The Mahabharata
also mentions that Krishna visited Arjuna in Badarikashrama and lived with him for a considerable
period of time during their exile. The sage Vyasa also visited this spot. In fact the cave dedicated to
him is close to the temple and this is where he is supposed to have written the Mahabharata with
Ganesha as his scribe. It is in this cave that he collected the Vedas and divided them into four parts
which he taught to four of his chief disciples. Many sages like Vasishta and Kanwa went there to
meditate.
Five out of the six schools of Indian philosophy wrote their treatises in this holy land. It is no wonder
therefore that every Hindu considers a visit to Badrikashrama as a means of liberation from this life
of transmigration.

Sage Vasishta

Arundati, the wife of the great sage Vasishta asked her husband to tell her of the importance of
Badrikashrama.

Vasishta said, O Arundati! Even the greatest of all sinners becomes freed from all his bondages if he
but has a glimpse of Sri Badri Narayana. But this holy glimpse is not so easy to get. Only one who has
prayed to the Lord for a hundred births will have His darshan. Such a person is fit for liberation
(moksha). Even one who utters the name of Lord Badri Narayana will be freed from all sins. One who
bathes in the holy waters and offers food or flowers to the Lord and one who offers the akhand deep
(the eternal light) is indeed most fortunate. All the gods will bow at his feet. O Arundati! Lord
Badrinatha has the knowledge of all the Vedas and can bring one out of the darkness of ignorance
into the light of wisdom!

Badrikashrama

Badrikashrama is situated at an altitude of 10,244 feet amidst the snowy and magnificent valley
between the two mountains known as Nara and Narayana where the great sages known by these
names, meditated. The temple is situated on the right bank of the river Alakananda which is another
name for Ganga. The idol of the Lord here is a saligrama (type of stone) seated naturally in
padmasana (lotus pose). This is the only idol of Vishnu in this yogic pose. Here he sits alone in
splendid isolation without his consort and is immersed in his own atmic bliss. According to eminent
historians, the temple had existed well before the period of the Mahabharata. With the advent of
Buddhism, the territory surrounding this sacred place came under the influence of the Buddhists.
Some zealots destroyed this ancient temple and threw the idol into the Alakananda River.

It was Adi Shankaracharya, the founder of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy, who discovered
the image in the Alakananda from the pool known as Narad Kund and installed it in the Garud Gupha
near the hot water spring known as Tapta Kund. It remained here for about seven centuries. Then at
the insistence of the great Vaishnava saint called Varadarajacharya, the then ruler of Garhwal made a
temple at the spot where the present temple stands and had the idol installed therein. The gold
canopy of the temple is supposed to have been a gift of the famous Queen, Ahalyabai of Holkar.

Neelkanth

Narad Kund is a recess in the bed of the Alakananda River which forms a pool and is close to the
Tapta Kund. It is sheltered by a projecting rock which breaks the force of the river and allows people
to bathe in it. Adi Shankaracharya knew this by his great powers and retrieved the idol from this
pool. He is the one who has laid down the rules by which the Lord is to be worshipped. He decreed
that the Rawal or chief priest of the temple should come from the state of Kerala, far down south. He
also decreed that the chief priest of the temple of Rameswaram in the south, should be from the
state of Garhwal. Thus he ensured that there was a good interchange between the north and south
of this holy land. This tradition is followed to this day and the Rawal of Badrikashrama is always a
Namboodiri Brahmin from Kerala, the land of Adi Shankaras birth.

A short distance below the temple is the hot water pool known as Tapta Kund, fed by a sulfur spring
which is said to be the abode of Agni, the god of fire. This water has a temperature of 130 degrees.
To the left of this pool is the Surya Kund fed by a branch of the same thermal spring. These waters
are said to be very nourishing to the body. The Alakananda flows swiftly just below these kunds and
the boiling water falls into the icy waters of the river giving rise to clouds of steam.

Mataji feeding the poor at Badri

To the north of the temple is the spot known as Brahma Kapal where Lord Brahma is said to reside.
Ceremonies for departed souls are performed here. To the west of the temple between the gaps of
two mountains soars the magnificent peak of Neelkanth. It towers to a height of 21,650 feet. This
was acclaimed to be the virgin queen of the central Himalayas and defied seven attempts by famous
mountaineers from all over the world to conquer it. Sir Edmund Hillary was a member of the New
Zealand team which failed. At last a school teacher from Rajasthan called O.P. Sharma, who was a
great devotee of the Lord, accompanied by two sherpas (Nepalese mountain tribe), succeeded in
conquering it. This peak has been described as the most beautiful, the most difficult and most
elusive peak in the central Himalayas. It is a perfect cone and is visible only in the early morning
when it is dramatically lit up by the morning sun which spotlights it.
Two miles to the west of Badrikashrama towards the foothills of the Neelkanth there is a large green
meadow where the foot-print of Lord Narayana is seen to be engraved on a huge rock. This is known
as Charan Paduka. This meadow is dotted with flowers in August and offers an entrancing sight.

One mile from Badrikashrama on the opposite bank of the river is Shesh Netra where the eye of the
serpent Shesha on which Lord Vishnu reclines, is seen on a rock.

Shesh Netra

There are many important places to visit around Badrikashrama. The place is replete with tales of the
Pandavas who are said to have taken this route via Badrikashrama on their way to Heaven. From the
temple a bridle path goes to the village of Mana which is the last village on the Indian side. From this
village one path leads along the river known a Saraswati to Kailas and Manasarovar in western Tibet.
This is a route which is taken only by great yogis since it is fraught with difficulties. The Saraswati
joins the Alakananda at Mana at the place known as Keshava Prayag. Vyasa Gupha or the cave of
Vyasa as well as Ganesha Gupha, the cave of Ganesha, is found here. If we keep going we reach a
natural causeway across the Saraswati River formed by a massive mountain rock. This is known as
Bhim phul. When the Pandavas came here, the second brother known as Bhima is supposed to have
thrown this boulder across the river so that his brothers could cross the river with ease.

The Vasudhara falls is only three miles from here but due to the rarefied atmosphere the going is
difficult. These falls are over four hundred feet high and are at an altitude of 12,000 feet. The wind is
so strong that someone standing just under the falls will not get wet. It is said that only the pure will
feel the waters sprinkling over them.

Five miles from Vasudhara is the place known as Alakapuri which is the source of the Alakananda.

Here the river gushes out from between two glaciers, Bhagirath Kharak and Satopantha.

Satopantha Lake is at a height of 14,400 feet and is at a distance of 15 miles from Badrikashrama and
five miles from Alakapuri. It is a glacial lake three quarters of a mile in circumference bordered by
clumps of bushes. Celestial beings like Apsaras and Gandharvas are supposed to sport in its icy
waters. A number of glaciers encircle the lake. It is a mystic place filled with incredible charm and
beauty. Only very hardy pilgrims are able to reach this. Some yogis do live on its shores. The journey
to this lake takes about three days and can be done only between June and September. Every article
of food and accommodation has to be taken.
There are some caves in which yogis live.

Mataji & Br. Mohan feeding the poor at Badri

The Badrikashrama temple opens only for six months in summer from May to the beginning of
November. After this the whole township including the village of Mana closes down for the winter.
The temple is closed and the idol of Uddhava is taken down to Pandukeshwar and kept in the temple
there. The eternal snows cover the temple like a blanket and no one can enter. Before the Rawal
closes the door, he lights the Akhand Deep or the ghee lamp of eternity. Some special types of wicks
are used and the lamp is filled with ghee. These wicks are specially made be one of the families from
the village of Mana. This lamp never goes out and when the Rawal opens the holy door to the
sanctum in May, all pilgrims are able to see this yearly miracle. It is said that the puja during this
period is conducted by the celestial sage, Narada, the great devotee of Lord Vishnu. In olden days a
few hardy yogis would choose to live next to the Tapta Kund which is the only place which is not
covered with snow. Now of course there is a military headquarters in Mana so a few sentries are
always on guard.

Devaprayag

The pilgrimage to Badrikashrama starts from Haridwar or Rishikesh. From Rishikesh the first stop is at
Devaprayag which is the confluence of the Alakananda with the Bhageerati which comes from
Gangotri. The next stop is at Srinagar which is 35 km from Devaprayag. From there we go to
Rudraprayag which is the confluence of the Alakananda and the Mandakini which comes from
Kedarnath. The next important confluence is Karna Prayag where the Alakananda meets the Pindar
River coming from the Pindar glacier. Another 32 km and we arrive at Chamoli and 18 km away we
reach Pipalkoti which has some good restaurants where we can halt for lunch. Another 31 km away is
the famous town of Joshimutt which is one of the four mutts established by Sri Adi Shankaracharya.
There is a beautiful temple of Narasimha Murti who is the 4th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Pilgrims
going to Badrikashrama are supposed to worship here first. Legend goes that when the hand of the
idol of Narasimha Murti breaks, the whole Narayana Parvat will collapse and totally cover the temple
of Badrikashrama. After that all pujas and worship of the Lord will be conducted from the Narasimha
temple. It is to be noted that the hand is slowly decreasing in size at the elbow! In olden times when
the Rawal was taken in a ceremonial procession, he had to spend the night at this temple and
apparently one of the people in the crowd would be overcome with the spirit of Narasimha (half
man, half lion) and would dance with abandon and even kill a goat with his bare hands and drink the
blood as Narasimha had done to the asura Hiranyakashipu.

From Joshimutt the road goes down to the Alakananda and then climbs to the most picturesque
village of Pandukeswar. This place has a beautiful temple called Yogadhyan Badri and this is the
temple in which the idol of Uddhava is brought and worshipped during the winter months. The
father of the Pandavas, known as Pandu is said to have spent the last few years of his life here.

It is only 24 km from Pandukeshwar to Badrikashrama and the actual climb starts from here. Its a
very steep climb and by the time you reach Badrikashrama you find that a whole new climate awaits
you. Moreover the altitude is something which may make many people sick. For those who are going
for the first time it might be advisable to spend the night at Joshimutt and get acclimatized before
proceeding to Sri Badri Narayana darshan. The first sight of the temple is really thrilling. It nestles like
a jewel in the valley between the soaring Nara and Narayana mountains. In olden days only the
famous Kali Kamli Wala guest houses existed but now Badri boasts of even a five star hotel!

Yogdhyan Badri Temple

My first visit to Badrikashrama was at the age of sixteen. I accompanied by parents on what was
really one of the most thrilling trips of my life and one which was the prelude to many more trips. In
fact to date the Lord has been kind enough to call me twenty-six times to this ancient spot. I often
wonder what merit I had gained in a previous birth to be given this unique privilege. However of all
the trips I have made the one which is still indelibly printed in my memory is my first one, fifty years
ago.

Now when I look back at it I amazed at the courage and faith of my parents and aunt who
accompanied us. They were all brought up in a conservative Kerala family, used to great cleanliness
and order. I shudder to think of the types of accommodation we stayed in, yet I never heard any of
them make the slightest complaint. We come from a family of Krishna devotees and our family home
is in Guruvayoor which has one of the most famous Krishna temples in India. I suspect that it is only
their love and devotion to Krishna which gave them the courage to make this amazing trip.

We started by train from Kerala at the end of April since we wanted to join the Rawal when he
started from Rishikesh. There was no air conditioning in those days and though we had a whole
compartment to ourselves, I still remember the blistering heat when the whole carriage became like
an oven. We carried drinking water in mud bottles or kujas and my father had to dash out at
stations to fill the bottle from the tap outside. Sometimes he would manage to get a big block of ice
which would be kept on the floor of the compartment and helped to keep it cool for a short period. It
took three days and nights to Delhi where we stayed with relations. It was my first visit to Delhi and I
was highly excited. From there we took the bus to Haridwar which was really such a charming town
in those days. Next stop was the Shivananda Ashram at Rishikesh. Swami Shivanandas fame had
spread all over India by this time and my parents even knew someone who had come from Kerala to
take sannyasa. My memory of Swamiji is very vivid. He was sitting outside his kutir near the banks of
the Ganga and a lot of devotees were seated all round him. He was most kind and hospitable and
sent someone with us to show us to our rooms and gave us hints about how we should make the
trip.

Swami Shivananda

We had heard that the head of the Vasishta Gupha was a person from Kerala called Swami
Purushottamananda, so we made a trip to see him. Vasishta Gupha is an amazing place. The cave is
supposed to be the one in which sage Vasishta himself meditated. The vibrations of this cave were
really powerful. Swamiji was a very sweet person with a long gray beard and piercing, twinkling eyes.
He asked me to chant a famous Sanskrit poem written by a Kerala Namboodiri about the Lord of
Guruvayoor. He seemed disappointed when I said I did not know it. One of the first things I did when
I got home was to learn this verse.

The next day the Rawal and his party arrived. The Rawal was coming for the first time and he was
installed at a big ceremony held at the palace of the King of Tehri in the hill town of Narendranagar.
This palace has now been converted into the famous spa called Ananda. We accompanied the party
to the palace. It was a wonderful ceremony. The Rawal was seated on a throne, clad like a prince and
the King himself placed the turban of authority on his head. After that there was a big feast. Then the
Rawal was seated on a caparisoned horse and taken in procession. In earlier days the whole journey
from Rishikesh to Badrikashrama had to be made on horseback or pony or by foot since the motor
road stopped at Rishikesh. By the time we went, the road had been made right up to Pipalkoti. En
route at each of the prayags or confluences, my parents would alight and have a holy dip. The
confluences of all rivers are supposed to produce great spiritual energy and the custom was to bathe
in all the holy waters before reaching Badrikashrama.
At Pipalkoti we stayed at the Kali Kambli Walla dharmashala (guest house) which was a far cry from
the normal type of accommodation which my parents had been used to Im sure. However as I said I
never heard a word of complaint from them. From Pipalkoti up to Badrikashrama which was a
distance of about 80 km had to be done on foot. It must have been quite an intimidating walk for my
parents but again they said not a word. We had to get a pony for my aunt who could not walk. We
set off on our sacred pilgrimage filled with devotion and singing the names of the Lord. There were
some sadhus and a few other pilgrims with us. It was one of the most incredible experiences I have
ever had. I never felt the tediousness of the journey because of the astounding beauty of the
surroundings. It was my first experience of the Himalayas and I swore to myself that one day I would
return to this place and stay forever. I felt very sure that I must have lived in this place in a past life or
lives such was the impression it made on me. Almost thirty years had to pass before this dream
came to reality.

Badrikashrama on the Alakananda

We took about a week to reach Badrikashrama. The Rawals party had long outdistanced us. The little
villages en route were known as chattis. They boasted of nothing more than a tea shop or two.
Here we would have to stay and accept whatever food they cooked for us. For me everything was
strange and new and ambrosial. Each step I took with a lilt in my heart and a song on my lips. I
carried an old fashioned box camera and clicked away at all the remarkable sights. I cant explain my
feelings at my first sight of the snow capped mountains. I felt that I had come home. I skipped and
danced along the tracks, which wound their way up and down through grassy meadows and mossy
streams and rocks. I would question every sadhu who walked with us about his experiences and was
thrilled to hear their tales. They told me of a valley filled with all types of amazing flowers where the
devas sported and of glacial lakes where they bathed. I was filled with a deep desire to go to these
places. Little did I dream that I was destined to go to all these holy places.

Badri boasted of a few wooden tea shops and of course the inevitable Kali Kambli Wallah
dharmashala where we stayed. It was bitterly cold and of course there were no bathrooms. My
mother regaled me with the story of one of the princesses of Kerala who had been adventurous
enough to come here with her attendants. Unfortunately she went to the bushes at twilight since
there were no toilets and was never seen again. She was believed to have been carried off by a
leopard. I shivered with fright at this story and swore never to go to the bushes without taking
someone with me. Kali Kambli Walla was a great saint. He is said to have walked up and down
between these sacred shrines providing shelters for the pilgrims. He used to be clad in only a black
blanket and that is why he got his name which means, the black blanket man. His name is a beacon
light to all pilgrims visiting these places.
Next morning we went to the Tapta Kund for our baths. I was horrified at the temperature of the
water and refused to get in. My mother pushed me in without further ado and told me I was a sinner
if I did not have a bath in this most holy water. I came out looking like a cooked lobster but since it
was so cold outside the experience was quite enjoyable.

The opening ceremony of the temple was unforgettable. In those days the temple was rather small
and could hardly contain more than a dozen people out of which there were quite a few officials who
had to be present at the opening of the double locks which had been sealed with wax the previous
November. It was quite crowded and everyone surged forward and I was pushed to the front. I gave a
gasp when the mighty doors swung open. There was a blaze of light and the Akhanda Deep, the
eternal lamp, was still burning after six months under the ice! It was quite an incredible experience
and my eyes filled with tears. I knew that it was certainly not the first time that I had seen this. All
the hardships and discomforts of the journey were totally forgotten in this incredible sight. The Lord
seemed to smile and bless me with his benign looks. I just fell on the floor in full prostration.

We stayed for a few days in this magic place and while my parents performed various rituals, I
roamed far and wide exploring this enchanted land. My fathers classmate who had been a famous
lawyer, educated in England, had suddenly given up his promising career and gone to Badrikashrama.
He lived the life of a hermit in a small hut and was dressed only in sack cloth. My parents were
determined to meet him even though we had heard that he was a strict recluse and often threw
stones at those who came to visit him. However he allowed us to sit near him and accepted the few
presents, like tea and nuts which my parents had brought him with ill grace. For some reason he took
a liking to me and offered to take me to the caves of Vyasa and Ganesha and to the village of Mana. I
was thrilled and trotted beside him along the narrow track while he told me of his experiences. We
must have made a most incongruous couple, the old man with a grizzly beard and matted hair, clad
in sack cloth and the young girl in modern clothes with a camera slung at her side. He was most
scornful about the camera and told me not to act like a tourist. He said that the Himalayas revealed
their secrets only to the sincere seeker who was prepared to forsake comforts for the sake of Truth! I
hung my head sheepishly and tried to hide the camera. Due to this I was unfortunately unable to
take his photo. He stayed for ten years including winters when everyone else went down but at last
age and ill health forced him to come down. When he came to our home town he specially sent word
and asked me to go and see him which I did with great joy.

Lord Badri Narayana

Our return journey was made in the same style. My heart ached to leave behind this valley of the
gods. I felt their presence in every stride and swore that one day I would come back. It was only
much later that I realized that they had indeed blessed me for I was able to return to their land and
take up a permanent residence there.

The modern pilgrim can never feel the ecstasy of a trip like that. Too many vehicles, too many
comforts and too much noise seem to have driven the sensitive devas away. I remembered the
words of the sage from Kerala that the seeker of Truth had to choose between comfort and
spirituality!

Even though I have been many, many times to this ancient shrine in the years that followed, I dont
think I ever felt the same rapture which I had on that first memorable trip!

Jai Badri Vishal!

This is the famous sloka given in the Shiva Purana describing the 12 jyotirlingas of Shiva.

In Hinduism, the Absolute is known as the Brahman and is formless and without attributes. But the
human being has form and attributes so we need some form of the Absolute on which we can
concentrate. The lingam which is a rounded, upright stone is used as a symbol of Shiva. Worship of
the lingam is one of the most important aspects of the worship of Shiva. The word lingam actually
means a sign or characteristic. So the Shiva lingam is a sign of Shiva and helps us to remember him in
his formless aspect. The Shiva lingam is also considered to be the divine phallus, containing within it
the seed of the universe. From it all life is created. Together with the yoni or seat on which it rests
and which corresponds to the female vulva, the yoni-lingam represents the union of man and
woman, Shiva and Shakti, the cosmic Spirit in union with the cosmic Prakriti, which brings everything
into existence.

There are thousands of lingams all over India but some of them have a special importance. The most
important of these are called jyotirlingas and they are twelve in number. As given in the sloka, their
names are Somnatha, Mallikarjuna, Mahakala, Omkara, Kedara, Bhimshankara. Vishvanatha,
Tryambaka, Vaidynatha, Nagesha, Rameswara and Ghushnesha. Most of these are supposed to be
self formed or sprouted out of their own will. A few have been installed by human hands. Every Shiva
worshipper dreams of doing a pilgrimage to all these twelve jyotirlingas at least once in his lifetime.

We will now take a tour of all of them in turn.

Somnatha is the name of Shiva in the town of the same name situated in Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra
in the state if Gujarat in India. Prabhas Patan is the place where the Yadava clan fought amongst
themselves and came to an end as per Lord Krishnas wish.

Somnatha Temple

Somnatha is connected with the story of Dakshas curse to Chandra or Soma who is the moon god in
Hindu mythology. Daksha was one of the patriarchs and Soma was his son-in-law. However Daksha
took a dislike of Soma and cursed him that he would wane away to nothing. Soma appealed to Lord
Shiva to save him from this curse. Somnatha is the place where Soma prayed to Shiva. Shiva decreed
that he would not wane away to nothing but would have only fourteen days of waning after which he
would start waxing for the rest of the month. Excellent Somnatha Link!

Mallikarjuna

Mallikarjuna is the name of Shiva in the town of Sri Sailam near the town of Kurnool in the state of
Andhra Pradesh in South India. The temple is rich in carvings and architectural wealth. Adi Shankara
is supposed to have composed his great poem called Shivananda Lahari at this temple. The legend
concerning this temple is connected with Karthikeya, the son of Shiva. He had left Kailasa and gone
to stay on a hill in south India. Parvati was bereft at the departure of her son and begged Shiva to
take her there. Kartikeya refused to let them live on his own hill so Shiva and Parvati took up their
residence on the hill at Sri Saila from which spot they could pay periodic visits to their beloved son.
An interesting thing here is the sound of buzzing which seems to come from within the granite wall
at the back of the temple. Bees are supposed to have made their home here but they have never
harmed any of the devotees.

Excellent Mallikarjuna in Srisailam Link!

Mahakala

Mahakaleshwar is situated in Madhya Pradesh in the ancient and historic town of Ujjain or Avanti. It
is situated on the river Kshipra which is one of the four places in which the Kumbha Mela takes place.
It is mentioned in the Bhagavad Purana as being the place where the famous rishi called Sandeepany
had his gurukulam or institute of learning where all the princes of the land went for their education.
In fact Lord Krishna and his brother Balarama also did their course of studies in this institution. The
temple here is situated beside the cremation grounds and it is said that the ashes of this cremation
ground is taken for puja in the temple. Shiva is the Lord of destruction and ashes from the burning
ghat signify the ephemeral quality of life.

The legend goes that four Brahmin brother were great devotees of Lord Shiva and used to worship
him daily at that spot. However a demon wanted to put an end to their worship and went to kill
them. The brothers were confident that their Lord would protect them and continued their worship
undaunted. Suddenly the lingam burst open with a tremendous sound and Shiva leapt out
brandishing the weapons of destruction. His form was that of Mahakala or the great destroyer in the
form of Time. The demon was burnt to ashes. The brothers begged Shiva to stay there forever and so
he did.

Excellent Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Link

Omkareshwara is situated on an island in the middle of the river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. The
Shiva is here is also known as Mamaleshwara. Once the celestial sage Narada had gone on a visit to
the mountain known as Vindhya. The sage knew that the mountain was puffed up with pride so in his
usual bantering fashion he told Vindhya that the mountain Sumeru was superior to it. Vindhya
decided to become the equal of Sumeru and started doing tapasya to Lord Shiva. When Shiva
revealed himself, Vindhya begged him to remain there all the time so that it would be the equal of
Sumeru. Omkareshwara is the place where Vindhya did tapasya.

Excellent Omkareshwara Link!

Kedarnatha

Kedarnatha is the northernmost of the jyotirlingas and nestles in the snow clad Himalayas. It is snow
bound for six months of the year and opens only from May to October. The last twelve kilometers of
the journey to Kedarnatha has to be made on foot or pony. During the last part of their sojourn on
earth the five Pandavas (heroes of the Mahabharata war) and their wife, Draupadi proceeded to the
place in the Himalayas known as Kedarkanda. They went in search of their favourite deity, Shiva.
They thought they saw him and gave chase but they were unable to catch him. Very soon they were
joined by a wild looking dog and a noble buffalo. They came to realize that the buffalo was none
other than their favourite deity. Once again they tried to catch it but it ran away. The Pandavas
chased the buffalo and at last each of the brothers managed to catch one part of the animal. To their
consternation it came apart into five pieces in their hands. They threw the pieces far and wide. Those
spots where the pieces fell came to be known as the panch Kedars or the five Kedars and are
important pilgrim spots in the Himalayas. The hump of the buffalo fell at a most auspicious spot and
came to be known as Kedarnatha. The lingam at Kedarnatha is in the shape of the hump of a buffalo.

Excellent Kedarnatha Link!

Kedarnatha Lingam

Bhimshankara is situated in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra. The easiest way to go there is via Pune.
This is the spot where Shiva is said to have destroyed the three demons known as Tripurasuras. The
legend connected with this place has to do with one of the brothers of the demon known as
Kumbhakarna who was a brother of Ravana, the demon king oof Lanka. His son was called Bhima.
When he heard of the death of his father at the hands of Rama, he swore vengeance on all the
devotees of Vishnu (Rama was an incarnation of Vishnu). His first target was the king called
Kamarupa whom he captured and threw into a dungeon along with his wife. The couple started
earnest prayers to Shiva to save them. When he heard this, Bhima rushed to the dungeon with
upraised sword to kill him. At that moment Shiva split open the lingam and jumped out of it and
killed the demon. The couple begged him to remain there and hence the lingam here is known as
Bhimshankara.
Vishvanatha temple Bhimashankar Temple

Vishvanatha temple is situated on the banks of the holy river Ganga in Varanasi in the state of Uttar
Pradesh. It is the most famous temple of Shiva in India and attracts thousands of pilgrims every year.
The famous Manikaran ghat is the place where countless Hindus have been cremated. The fires of
cremation have never been extinguished here since time immemorial since dead bodies are being
constantly brought there. Anyone who sits for a few minutes at this ghat will realize the transitory
quality of life and start looking deeper into the meaning of life. The creator Brahma himself is
supposed to have done tapasya in this spot. It is said that Varanasi will not be destroyed even at the
time of the great deluge when the rest of the world goes into dissolution. Shiva will raise the city on
the point of his trident and protect it while destruction rages all around.

There is another story connected with this city. Once Shiva and Parvati had gone to the world of
Brahma. He began reciting hymns through all his five mouths in praise of Shiva. But one of the
mouths was making mistakes and so Shiva, who was a perfectionist where music was concerned,
plucked off the head which was making mistakes. But since this was a great crime, Shiva found that
he could not shake off the head which had stuck to his back. For many years he went round with the
head on his back. It was only when he went to the holy city of Varanasi that the head fell off. So Shiva
decided that he would stay there in the form of a lingam. This lingam is called Vishwanatha or the
Lord of the universe. The first humans to worship there were Swaymbhu Manu and his wife
Shatarupa who were the first couple to be created by Brahma.

Tryambakeshwara

Tryambakeshwara is situated on the banks of the Godavari River. In fact the river has its origin on a
hill above the temple. The temple is about ninety kilometers from the pilgrim city of Nasik in the
state of Maharashtra. The place is associated with the sage Gautama and his wife Ahalya. They had
prayed to Shiva for a long time. At last the Lord appeared and asked them to choose a boon. He
begged Shiva to allow the Ganga to flow beside his hermitage so that he could bathe in her purifying
waters and expiate for his sin in having killed a cow by accident. Shiva granted the boon. However
Ganga insisted that she would go there only if Shiva took up his residence there. This was agreed
upon and Shiva stayed there in the form of a lingam. Ganga flowed beside him and took the name
Godavari. To reach the source of the Godavari one has to climb some hazardous steps up the
mountain near the temple. The steps lead you to a small shrine where water gushes out of a stone
cows mouth. One can also trek up the mountain to the top where the river actually has her source.

The temple of Vaidyanatha is situated in the state of Bihar in the town of Deogarh. Ravana, the
demon king of Lanka, was a great devotee of Shiva. He practiced intense tapasya in the Himalayas,
but still Shiva failed to appear, So he made a fire and decided to sacrifice all his ten heads. He started
throwing them one by one into the fire. After the ninth, Shiva appeared and asked him what he
wanted. Ravana prayed for superhuman strength and the restoration of his nine heads. Only Shiva
could grant such a boon for he was Vaidyanatha, the Lord of all physicians. Shiva also gave him a
wonderful jyotirlinga and told him to take it straight to his capital city of Lanka. He warned him never
to put it down. Ravana started back carrying the radiant lingam. The gods feared that if he took it to
Lanka, he would indeed become invincible so they sent Ganesha to thwart him. Ganesha took the
form of a young brahmachari and appeared before Ravana just as he felt a terrible urge to answer
the call of nature. Ravana was forced to give the lingam to the boy who had so providentially
appeared before him and warned him never to keep it down. Hardly had Ravana gone than Ganesha
put the lingam down. When Ravana returned he found no trace of the boy and try as he would he
was unable to budge the lingam which had become rooted to the spot! This is the lingam which is
known as Vaidyanatha.

Excellent Vaidyanatha Link!

His Holiness Sri Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore worshiping Nagesha Linga

The tenth jyotirlinga is known as Nagesha and is situated near the pilgrim city of Dwaraka in Gujarat.
There was once a merchant who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. During his travels he often had to
cross a forest which was inhabited by a demoness called Daruka who kept harassing him. He begged
Shiva to help him. Shiva came with his snakes or nagas and drove Daruka away. Daruka worshipped
Parvati who gave her another forest to roam about without troubling anybody. The lingam which was
worshipped by the merchant came to be known as Nageshwara, Lord of serpents. Parvati also took
up residence here and is known as Nageshwari.

Ramanatha Swamy Temple Rameshwaram

The huge temple of Rameshwaram is situated on the island called Rameshwaran in the state of
Tamilnadu. This spot is the closest bit of land in India to the island of Sri Lanka. Ravana, the demon
king of Lanka had abducted Sita, the wife of Rama, king of Ayodhya and taken her to his island
fortress. Rama came to rescue her but before he could cross the straits which separated the
mainland from the island of Lanka, he made a lingam of Shiva and prayed to him to help him rescue
his wife. Shiva appeared and blessed him with all success. Rama requested Shiva to stay in that spot
forever. This is the lingam called Ramalingeswara and it is one of the most famous places of worship
in India.

Grishneswara

Grishneswara is the twelfth and last of the jyotirlingas. It is situated close to the famous caves of
Ellora. Once there was a Brahmin called Sudharma who had a wife called Sudeha. They had no
children and so his wife asked him to marry her niece, Ghrishna in order to get a son. She was a great
devotee of Lord Shiva and she made a vow that she would make one hundred and one lingams of
Shiva daily and worship them. At the end of her puja she would immerse the lingams in the pond
near by. After having completed one lakh of pujas she conceived and got a lovely baby boy. As can be
expected her aunts nature changed with the birth of the child and one day she killed the baby and
threw the body into the pond in which the lingams were immersed. Next morning Ghrishna got up
and started her daily ritual of worshipping Shiva. She refused to be distracted even when her
husband announced the disappearance of the baby. At the end of her puja, Shiva who was pleased
with her devotion restored the baby to her. When he raised his trident to kill her aunt, Ghrishna
begged him to spare her life and asked for the boon that he would stay near the pond in the form of
a lingam. He agreed and this lingam is known as Grishneswara.

Devotees of Shiva consider it to be a rare good fortune to be able to make a visit to all the twelve
jyotirlingas in one lifetime.

Aum Namashivaya
BATU CAVES

The States of Selangor and Perak in Malaysia have a number of limestone caves. The Batu caves are
about fifteen kilometers away from Kuala Lumpur In the biggest of the caves is housed a shrine of
Muruga or Karthikeya, the war god and the eldest son of Shiva. The Sanskrit word for cave, is "guha"
and one of the names of Lord Muruga is also Guha since he likes to inhabit caves.

Lord Muruga

As you approach the foot of the cave you can see a towering statue of Lord Muruga which dominates
the scene from a kilometer away. There are many small shrines at the foot but what interested me
most was the story told to me by Dr. Naga, who is scholar of Saivism. He said that a great yogi called
Mouni Swami had meditated in that cave in the last century and it was entirely due to his tapas
shakti (power of austerity) that Lord Muruga had manifested himself in that cave. His samdhi was at
the foot of the cave but unfortunately the authorities knew very little about such matters and the
samadhi shrine was inside a sort of godown overrun by bats and mice. The door was locked but by
the Swami's blessings we were able to get the key and venture inside. To my horror I saw a rat scuttle
off as we approached. The first room was piled with all sorts of rubbish and I had to gingerly pick

my way through. At the corner stood the samadhi marked by a small slab of concrete. But what
interested me most was the fact that a rough sort of Shiva lingam was growing above the slab

in a most peculiar fashion. I learnt afterwards that is was "swayambhu" or growing

by itself. In the gloaming as I stared fascinated at the stone I could definitely make out the features of

a man. It was a strong face with a mop of hair and a beard. I could even see the benign eyes watching
me. I was overwhelmed with a sense of joy and thanked the Swami for allowing me this wonderful
opportunity of having his darshan. I was reminded of the samadhi of Bogar Nath swami in the hill
shrine of Palni in Tamil Nadu.
Muruga Temple in Batu Cave

After this I went up the 300 steps leading to the cave temple. It was an enormous cave with
stalactites and stalagmites growing all over the place. Water was still dripping from the roof. In one
niche in the wall was a lovely figure of Lord Muruga in his form as Bala Muruga or the child Muruga.
Further up in another niche was his figure as the General of the army of the Gods in full regalia. It
was a fascinating shrine and my heart was bursting with gratitude to the divinity who had led me
there.

Now for the story of the cave. It is said that during the British occupation at the beginning of the 20th

century, one of the rubber plantation owners had taken up some of the Indian workers to collect
bat's droppings from the cave to be used in the rubber plantation. Apparently they found a spear
stuck into

the ground just at the spot where the idol of Muruga is kept now. Of course to the Indian, the spear
is a insignia of Lord Muruga and as soon as they saw it they started worshipping it. All the workers
would come and bring flowers and incense and worship the Spear. Of course the Englishman had no
idea of what it all meant. All he knew that the Indians were a superstitious lot and he had no time to
waste with their nonsense. So he cracked his whip and told them to get on with their work and not
waste half their day in worshipping this fetish. Since they did not listen to him, he went forward and
plucked the spear from the ground and threw it into a heap of dirt in the corner. The Indians were
shocked at this barbarous act on the part of the Englishman and warned him of the dire
consequences which were sure to follow. Of course the intelligent westerner laughed in scorn at
their ignorance. However it is said that very soon he fell ill of no known disease and very soon his
condition began to deteriorate. No doctor could discover what he was suffering from. At that time
when his mind was in a weak and humble state it is said that he had a vision of Lord Muruga who
told him that he would get well if he reinstated the spear and gave permission to his workers to
worship it. His miseries had made him a

wiser man so he promptly hunted out the spear and kept it back in its place and the Tamil workers
were allowed to continue with their worship. Since then the temple has grown and prospered and

today countless pilgrims as well as tourists of other nationalities come to the shrine. Some come to
worship and some as a tourist attraction. To the devout, the atmosphere is charged with the power
of Muruga, the son of Shiva and many miracles are supposed to have taken place there. Of course
the veil or spear manifested itself in that place only due to powerful presence of the Mouni Swami
who had mediated on Lord Muruga for many years at that very spot.

Hari aum Tat Sat

Koteeswara Mahadeva
The small Shiva shrine known as Koteeswara Mahadeva is a little known temple in the district of
Tehri. It is about twelve kilometres from the small town of Chakka which is on the by pass road to
Devaprayag. It is an extraordinarily beautiful temple and reminds one of the Omkareshwara temple.
The architecture is very simple but as usual the spot chosen by Shiva is a most beautiful and desolate
one. The river Bhageerati which comes from Gangotri gushes her way down the valley to this spot.
Here she makes a loop and circumambulates the linga of Koteeswara Mahadeva before proceeding
on her way to join the Alagananda at Rudraprayag. This in itself is a remarkable phenomenon. All
rivers meander their way down to the sea and they certainly do not think of tracing their way
backwards. But here the Bhageerati does exactly that. Her source is in Gangotri in the Himalayas and
thus she has to proceed south in order to reach the sea but at this particular spot she makes a loop
and flows quite a way to the north. Only then does she turn round and proceed on her way south. By
this manoeuvre she actually does a pradakshina or circumambulation of the idol of Shiva. In all Hindu
temples, devotees will always make a round of the sanctum in a clockwise manner. This is supposed
to bring immense benefits, so it looks as if the river is also following this ingrained habit of all temple
goers. So here she is known as uttara Ganga or the Ganga which flows north.

Gangotri is the place where the king sage known as Bhagheeratan practised immense austerities in
order to compel the heavenly Ganga to fall on the earth and bring salvation to his ancestors. The
ancients believed that the power of self discipline and self denial while concentrating on God
produced a tremendous force which was capable of bending the divine forces and making them
comply with the requests of the person practising this tapasya or austerity. However even though
Ganga agreed to come to the earth, she was of the opinion that the earth would not be able to bear
her weight and would get swept away into space. So Bhageeratan did another bout of penance to
Lord Shiva who promised to break Gangas fall and catch her in his matted locks. However, now new
problems arouse. In order to curb Gangas pride, Shiva enfolded her in his locks and she could not
find a way to come out. She, who had thought her strength was enough to sweep away the earth,
now found that she was incapable of penetrating through the dark jungle of Shivas hair! Once again
the poor king was foiled in his attempt to bring the Ganga to the earth. But Bhageeratan was not a
man to be easily beaten. His name has come to be synonymous with infinite patience and infinite self
sacrifice. Once again he underwent severe penance until Shiva relented and agreed to release a small
amount of the waters of the heavenly Ganga from his locks and this is the river which we see today.
Her name at this point is not Ganga but Bhageerati, as a tribute to the king who had undergone
superhuman trials in order to save his ancestors. In turn you find that at this point the Ganga goes
out of her way in order to salute the Lord who had curbed her pride and who now cherished her
forever in his locks.
Ganga Devi

The approach to this temple is through Rishikesh or Devaprayag. From Rishikesh one has to take the
road leading to Chamba. When you reach the small town of Khadi one has to take a right turn into a
very narrow mountain road which winds its way to the little village of Gajja which is about 64
kilometres from Rishikesh. The road from here proceeds downwards towards Devaprayag. The village
of Chakka lies about 12 kilometres from Gajja. Before reaching Chakka a small road turns off from the
main road to another village. One has to go along this road for about five kilometres before reaching
the track which goes down to the temple of Koteeswara. From here there is a steep descent through
a narrow track which leads through fields.

Our first view of the temple is quite breathtaking. Far below us lies the small round peninsula on
which the temple is situated surrounded by the river which glints in the sunlight and dances round
the temple chanting Aum Namashivaya all the time. The laburnum trees were all in bloom when
we went and shed their golden splendour all around. The air was saturated with the perfume of a
tiny white hill jasmine and the inebriated bees buzzed around in ecstasy whether at the thought of
having the darshan of the Lord or because of the intoxicating perfume of the flowers, was hard to
say. Having reached the temple the right thing to do is to go further down and bathe in the
Bhageerati. Despite the summer heat, she is icy cold due to the melting glaciers from which she has
originated. Those who are not happy about having such a cold douche can also dabble their feet and
wash their hands and faces and thus get rid of some, if not all, of their impurities! Then one has to
carry some of this holy water and go to the temple. The structure is a modern one and not worth
looking at. But the linga inside is said to be swayambhu or self born. It is a huge stone shaped like a
hump like the linga at Kedarnath. It has strange markings all over it. The usual pot containing Ganga
water is suspended over it and drips continuously. This is Gangas way of worshipping the Lord and
helping to keep him cool. Those who lose their tempers easily are asked to pour Ganga water over
Shiva so that their temper is cooled. A pujari or priest will normally be seated there. He mutters the
usual prayers. It is obvious that he does not know much. But we are allowed to do our own puja and
worship the Lord according to our own method. It was wonderful to sit there and absorb the
vibrations.

The nicest thing about this temple is that it is totally off the beaten track of the normal pilgrim so it
has an untouched, pristine look. The usual rabble and crowd of hawkers and beggars are not to be
found. One is alone with the music of the river and the sweet cooing of the doves and the sound of a
cuckoo in the distance. The Lord rests in his favourite solitude untroubled by the pestering crowd of
devotees with their infinite woes. He is wrapped in the embrace of his wife, Ganga.

The way back is uphill and very tedious especially if the sun is hot. At least on the way down we are
kept enthralled by the frequent glimpses of the temple surrounded by the river but the climb back
feels longer and certainly more strenuous. However one is sustained by the exhilarating experience
which one has just gone through.

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is indeed a unique place the Lands End of India where the three mighty oceans the
Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea mingle their waters and roar in an incessant
paean of praise to the divine. The Divine Mother chose this special place at the very tip of the
peninsula of India for her special abode. She is the virgin goddess - Kanya Kumari, who came to stay
here centuries back. In course of time the place came to be known by her name.

One of the fascinating things about this place which makes it not only a pilgrim centre but a tourist
spot, is the fact that here at the tip of the holy land of Bharat one can watch the setting sun and the
rising moon at the same time. This is an unbelievable scene especially if we are lucky enough to be
there on a good day when the sky is clear. Another interesting thing is that we can see the sun rising
in the morning and setting in the evening from the same spot. The confluence of the three oceans as
well as this phenomenon of the sun rise and sun set are said to give special spiritual vibrations to this
place. It is a unique experience to watch the three oceans beating on the rocks and watch the sun set
and moon rise at the same time.

The story of how the goddess chose this place is a most interesting one. The great king, Bharata who
ruled the entire land of Bharat (ancient name for India), in ancient times, was the one who gave his
name to the country. He had eight daughters and one son. He divided the country into nine equal
parts and gave the southern portion to his beautiful and youngest daughter Kumari. She was the
incarnation of the Divine Mother and had taken birth at the bequest of the gods in order to kill the
demon, Banasura who had been given a boon by Shiva that only a virgin could kill him. However she
forgot her mission and fell in love with Shiva, the Lord of Kailasa. He agreed to marry her for after all
she was, Parvati, his consort through eternity. A date was fixed for the wedding.

Sunrise on the Bay of Bengal at the Swami Vivekananda Memorial

There was great dismay amongst the gods when they heard this news, since this romance would put
a stop to all their plans. Banasura could only be killed by a virgin so they thought of a plan to thwart
the divine wedding. They informed Shiva that the most auspicious time for the marriage was at
midnight on a particular day. The goddess was also informed of this. Both of them started their
preparations. The wedding banquet was ready and the bride was clad in all her finery. Shiva set out
in good time from his Himalayan abode but when he reached a place which was about thirteen miles
from Kanyakumari, Indra, the king of the gods took the form of a cock and started to crow, thus
proclaiming the approach of dawn. Hearing this Shiva was most disappointed and decided that there
was no point in continuing his journey since the auspicious time was over. He alighted from his bull
vehicle and stayed put in that place which is now known as Suchindram and has a magnificent
temple of Shiva.

As for the goddess she waited in vain. Morn came and still there was no sign of her bridegroom. She
was both unhappy and angry and upturned all the vessels containing the various food articles which
had been prepared for the banquet. These are supposed to have calcified into the sand and pebbles
on the beach. Even today you can see grains of sand looking like rice, pebbles looking like lentils and
different coloured gravel and stones resembling many types of food articles. Kumari returned to her
penance and vowed to remain a virgin kanya forever.

Kumari Devi Temple

Asuras are noted for their eye for beauty and Banasura soon came to know of the existence of this
fascinating female at the tip of the country. He came to see her for himself and was totally captivated
by her beauty and begged her to marry him. She said that she had vowed to marry only the one who
could defeat her in battle. The demon was delighted to hear this since he was sure that he could
overcome her easily. He drew his sword and rushed at her but she took on her terrible form as Kali,
holding a trident and slew him easily. Thus the gods had their way. But Kumari was determined to
remain a virgin forever and continued with her penance.

The origin of the temple is hidden in the hoary annals of the history of our land. There are many
versions as to who was the first to consecrate her at this particular spot. One story claims that it was
Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu who was supposed to have retrieved the land mass
known as Kerala from the sea by throwing his axe into it. He begged the goddess to take her place
there at the tip of Bharat forever and thus guard the holy land from all harm. The other story gives
this honour to the great sage Agastya who is noted for the amazing deeds he did in South India.
Apparently the sage desired to have a vision of Kali as a young girl and she was pleased to accede to
his request and appeared in the form of Kanya Kumari an enchanting young maid.

A third version gives a more historic aspect. In the third century BC, when Cheran Chenkuttuvan was
the ruler of the land, there was no idol as such. There were only the bare walls of the sanctum on
which the waves would come and beat. These walls still carry weather beaten marks on them. He is
said to have got a special stone known as Rudraksha Shila which is found only in Himachal Pradesh
and got the idol made. Priests have certified that the idol is certainly not made with the granite stone
which is normally found in that region.

However since the temple has been mentioned in the Mahabharata it is to be supposed that it is
actually much older than the 3rd century. During the Mahabharata war, Balarama, the elder brother
of Krishna did not wish to participate in the war and decided to go on a pilgrimage. This is mentioned
as being one of the temples that he visited. This temple is also said to be one of the hundred and
eight Durgalayas or temples dedicated to Durga. A 1st century book called Periplus of the
Erythrian Sea carries a reference to Kanyakumari which was apparently a famous pilgrim centre
even at that time. However the present temple was built in the 8th century y the Pandyan kings of
Madurai and renovated and added to by the Cholas. She was the family deity of the Pandyan royal
family. The temple is replete with many inscriptions both on the inner walls and on the pillars which
proclaim its antiquity. A lot of valuable historical information can be got from these inscriptions.

Kumari Devi
The main shrine is located right on the ocean front and the goddess faces east towards the sea.
However the main entrance is to the north. Before entering the temple, devotees take a dip in the
triveni sangam (confluence of the three waters). Such confluences of rivers and oceans are
considered to have high spiritual vibrations. It is also an auspicious place for doing the last rites for
the dead.

The idol of the goddess is one of the most enchanting ones which we can ever see. The double row
of prayer beads clasped in her right hand proclaims her to be an eternal anchorite. However she is
always fabulously attired and adorned with garlands and necklaces. The lustre of her diamond nose
ornament dazzles the eye of all who look at it. At one time the doorway to the east facing the sea
used to be left open and apparently many ships mistaking the light coming from this jewel for a light
house came and crashed on the rocks. Since then the door has been closed and is opened only five
times during the year on special occasions. Some say that this diamond is actually the famous Orloff
diamond of Europe! Others claim that at some period of time, pirates came and stole many of the
jewels including the diamond nose ring and the present one is a substitute made by one of the kings.
Whatever the truth of these various claims, it is a fact that even today we cant help but be dazzled
by the brilliance of her nose ring which is highlighted by the various oil lamps which are lit in the
sanctum. In fact it is a real delight to sit in front of her and drink in her amazing beauty.

Swami Vivekananda Memorial

Unlike other temples, the sanctum is actually almost on par with the adjoining mandapam (kind of
dais). Thus the steps leading into the sanctum are very shallow. When we sit on the floor in front of
her we can have a very close view of the goddess if we are lucky enough to go at a time when there
is no crowd.

Even though the temple now comes under the state of Tamilnadu, the priests are still chosen from
the Brahmin families of Kerala and they still adhere to the Kerala type of five pujas per day.

The most spectacular festival here is the Navaratri or nine days of worship of the divine mother in the
month of September\October. This is the time when the Devi clashed with the demon Banasura. The
tenth day is known as Viyajayadasami, or the tenth day of victory and the goddess is taken on a silver
horse in a procession to a place called Mahadanapuram which is eleven kilometres from the temple.
Here the priests enact the battle between her and the demon much to the delight of the devotees.
In the twentieth century another historical event took place in this most spiritual place. Swami
Vivekananda, the great devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, the sage of Bengal came to this place and paid
homage at Kumaris feet. He was filled with a divine energy which propelled him to swim across the
turbulent waters of the sea and cross to a rock on which he sat in deep contemplation for three days.
This rock is now known as Vivekananda rock. The clear imprint of the Devis foot is also to be found
here. It was from the feet of the virgin mother that he found the inspiration for his future work in
India. Needless to say this is a unique place that has attracted many saints and sages from all over
the land throughout the ages.

Swami Vivekananda Memorial

It is easily accessible both by road and rail. One can fly to Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala and then
take a car to the temple. There are many other interesting places worth visiting en route like the
ancient palace of Marthanda Varma which is noted for its unique Kerala architecture and the Shiva
temple of Suchindram which has been mentioned earlier.

Thus Kanyakumari is the pride of India, guarding the entrance to the holy land from the south.
Undisturbed by the ebb and flow of the seas as well as of the fortunes of humankind, the eternal
virgin beckons us to perpetual beatitude.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

ATTUKAL BHAGAVATHI
The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is one of the ancient temples dedicated to the divine mother in
Kerala. It is very close to the famous Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Trivandrum. It is popularly
described as the Sabarimala of women, since women form the major portion of the Devis devotees.
The Goddess in the temple of Attukal is worshipped as the Supreme Mother, creator of all living
beings as well as their destroyer. All pilgrims who visit the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple make it a
point to visit the shrine of the supreme Mother known as Attukalamma. When the world was riddled
with demonic forces, the gods prayed to Vishnu to send some power to protect them and his maya
took the incarnation of the Devi to annihilate evil and protect the good in the world in the present
era of Kali. Attukal Bhgavathy is one such incarnation.

Bhadrakali

According to mythology, Attukal Bhagavathy is supposed to be the divinised form of "Kannaki", the
famous heroine of Chilappatikaram, the sangham work of Tamil Literature written by Ilamkovadikal.
Kovalan and Kannaki are the heroic characters of this famous work of literature. Kovalan was unjustly
accused of stealing the queens anklets and executed. Kannaki in her wrath destroyed the ancient
city of Madurai. It is said that on her way to Kodungalloor (another famous Devi shrine of Kerala) she
went first to Kannyakumari and then stopped at Attukal. The songs of the "Thottampattu sung
during the annual temple festival, are based on the story of Kannaki. Moreover, architectural
depictions of Goddess Kannaki seen on the gopuram of the temple substantiate this story.

Kannaki is supposed to be the incarnation of Parvathy, the consort of Siva. The all powerful and
benign Attukal Bhagavathy reigns eternally supreme at Attukal and looks after her devotees as
lovingly as a mother does her children.

There are many stories connected with this temple. It is said that the goddess revealed herself to a
fervent devotee of a notable family called the Mulluveettil family. One evening a young girl appeared
before the head of the family while he was bathing in the Killi River and requested him to help her
across the river. He was so impressed by the charm of her personality that he prostrated before her
with awe and reverence and helped her to cross the river and invited her to his house nearby. The
whole household was charmed by her sudden appearance in their midst and started preparing some
food and other offerings for her for they felt sure she was of divine origin. However by the time they
finished their preparations the girl had vanished.

ATTUKAL BHAGAVATHI
 That night the old man had a dream in which she showed herself as an idol and demanded that he
should establish an abode for her in the nearby grove. She promised to mark the exact spot with
three lines. The next morning the old man went to the spot revealed to him in the dream and to his
great surprise he did find three marks indented on the ground. He lost no time in erecting a temple
on this consecrated spot for the goddess who had blessed him with her beatific vision both physically
and in his dream. This temple remained unnoticed for many years. But due to her increasing power
more and more people were drawn to her. Fairly recently, the temple was renovated by the local
devotees. They also installed a beautiful and majestic icon of the Devi with four arms, bearing
weapons of destruction, like the spear, sword, skull, shield etc. The consecration ceremony of this
temple was performed by no less a person than the high priest of the Badrinath Temple in the
Himalayas.

There are two idols of the goddess in the sanctum sanctorum. At the centre of the Sanctum the
original idol of the goddess Attukal Bhagavathy has been installed. It is enclosed within a gold
covering embedded with jewels. The second idol of the goddess is installed besides the original one.

The present temple is a harmonious conglomeration of both Kerala and Tamil styles of architecture.
It is fairly new and lacks the charm of the ancient temple architecture of this region. However there
are some beautifully carved figures of Mahishasuramarddini, Goddess Kali, Rajarajeswari, Parvathi
with Lord Siva and various other depictions of the goddess in her various forms in and around the
temple. Around the corridors surrounding the temple, various other gods are depicted as well as the
epic stories of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu . On either side of the elegant front gopura or gate
- are the icons based on the story of Goddess Kannaki. On the southern gopura, the puranic story of
"Dakshayaga", where the goddess Sathi immolates herself in her fathers Yaga or fire sacrifice is
vividly depicted. The decorated gate at the entrance of the temple is another example of modern
sculpture.

Pongala Mahotsavam

The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. It is
actually an offering of rice to the goddess cooked by women in the grounds adjoining the temple.
Though this practice is prevalent in some parts of South Kerala and Tamil Nadu, nowhere has it
gained the popularity that it has at Attukal. In fact it has gained world fame. Women bring rice and
milk and sugar or just plain rice as well as fire wood and make little ovens in the grounds of the
temple and cook the rice and offer it to the goddess. They undertake it in fulfillment of their vow.
They vow that they will offer Pongala to the goddess if their desire is fulfilled. Many, many miracles
are reported as to how the goddess has fulfilled all types of wishes from the desire for a bridegroom
or a baby to the recovery from a serious illness. In ancient times this was a small affair conducted
within the precincts of the temple grounds. Hardly ten or fifteen women took part in it. But due to
the increasing popularity of the goddess and her ability to fulfill all the varied desires of her
devotees, more and more women are taking part in it.

Slowly the place for making the little ovens spread beyond the grounds of the temple to the
neighboring regions and now it has spread right up to the big temple of Sri Padmanabha Swami
which is about five kilometers away. From a small one day affair it has become a ten-day program
commencing on the Karthika star of the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham (February-March)
and closing with the sacrificial offering known as Kuruthitharpanam on the tenth night. It is on the
ninth day of the festival that the world famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam takes place. The entire
area of about five kilometer radius around the temple including the grounds of the houses of people
of all castes, creeds and religions, open fields, roads, commercial institutions, premises of
Government offices etc. are all used as the consecrated ground for conducting the Pongala ritual.
Thousands of women devotees come from different parts of Kerala and India. Drawn by the magic of
her wish fulfilling ability you find that in the last few years some foreign women have also taken part
in the ceremony.

The festival is exclusively for women and the enormous crowd, which comes to Trivandrum on this
auspicious day is reminiscent of the Kumbha Mela Festival in North India except that it consists
entirely of women while in the Kumbha Mela, the sadhus (yogis) predominate. It is a sight to be seen
indeed where thousands of little fires are lit and women start to blow desperately at their flames.
The temple priest blows the conch and this is the signal for all the women to place their little pots,
preferably of mud, containing rice and water on the fire and blow and blow at the fire to cook the
rice. Many of the devotees come from very rich families and have never lit an oven with firewood
and have absolutely no idea how to handle it but the locals are very helpful and assist them to get a
roaring fire going. When the rice is cooked the conch is blown again and all the offerings are taken to
the temple.

The author visited this temple with the web master and his wife. We were taken there in a very
strange manner. We knew nothing of the temple history though I had heard of the Pongala festival. I
never realized that the celebrated temple was so close to the Padmanabha Swamy temple. It was the
Devi alone who guided us to her sacred presence. My friends who were American Hindus had
accompanied me to many Kerala temples without any problems. Unfortunately they were stopped
from entering the Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple without the permission of the Raja of Travancore!
Naturally all of us were very disappointed. They waited outside while I made a quick visit to the
temple and told Lord Vishnu how my friends were stopped from entering his wonderful temple.
When I came out we found an auto rickshaw driver and I asked him if there were any interesting
temples in the vicinity which we could go to. He immediately mentioned Attukal Bhagvathy. Actually I
had no idea of who she was and did not connect her with the Pongala festival of which I had heard
much. We reached there at twilight. As soon as I entered the precincts I felt her magic overpower
me. It was time for her evening arati and without realizing her grace we were lead straight to the
front and given a special place right in front of her. The door closed and opened again in a blaze of
light and beauty which made me gasp in delight. There stood the divine mother bathed in light with
many lights being waved before her, ready to grant the wishes of her devotees. It was an
indescribable scene and we were overwhelmed with a sense of awe and wonder. It was only later
that I was told by a friend that to get a front place during the evening arati is indeed a special honour
which only she can give! People are said to queue for miles just to get a glimpse of her even at
ordinary times and to have the privilege of standing right in front of her during the evening arati is
indeed a miracle! We were poor ignorant people totally unaware of anything. She herself had lead us
to her blessed feet and allowed us to have this blissful vision. It was truly a miracle and it certainly
more than made up for having been denied entrance to the Sri Padmanabha Swami temple. When
we came out I saw the posters advertising the next Pongala festival, announcing the date and other
details. It was only then that I realized the extent of her grace for I had not known anything
concerning the temple and the whole trip had been arranged entirely by her! May her grace be
showered on all those who happen to read this article.

Aum Aim Hreem Kleem

Small wonder then. that, Sri. Vidyadhiraja Chattambi Swamy, the well known saint of Kerala, found
this temple premises ideal for his meditations. There are so many stories which prove the greatness
of the Goddess and which attract thousands of devotees to the temple.

Kataragama is sometimes known as dakshina Kailasa or the Kailasa of the south, Kailasa in the
Himalayas and Kataragama in the far south constitute a north-south axis not merely in yogic lore but
also in geography. They both lie on the same line of longitude 80.10 degrees east. This fact was well
known to all the yogis who lived in Kataragama. This axis refers to the sushumna nadi or subtle nerve
centre that runs through the human spine. All the seven chakras or subtle centres of psychic energy
are located along this nerve. Kailasa in the Himalayas corresponds to the Sahasrara Chakra or the
thousand petal led lotus, which is the seat of Shiva, while Kataragama is likened to the Muladhara
Chakra situated just above the anus in the human body. The Devi Kundalini lies curled up just above
the Muladhara Chakra and is the point of entry for those who want to practice Kundalini Yoga. She
has to be awakened by yogic practices and forced to rise up through all the chakras until she attains
union with Shiva in the Sahasrara Chakra. This axis is also likened to the light, which was emitted
from the Supreme at the start of creation.

In south India it is said that all the exploits of Kartikeya took place on the Indian continent but
according to the Sri Lankan version he travelled from Kailasa to Kataragama on the island of Sri
Lanka. Strangely enough both these places lie on the same line of longitude. Kartikeya is supposed to
have crossed the straits to Sri Lanka and then gone on foot to the hill of Katirmalai (hill of light) from
where he led the host of the gods and defeated the demons. The Skanda Purana also indicates that
Murugan fought the demons at this place.

Esoterically speaking the descent of Skanda from Uttara Kailasa to Dakshina Kailasa or Kataragama is
an allegory for the descent of Spirit into matter. This is further enhanced and made into the story of
Murugan and Valli. Murugan, the Supreme Spirit comes to earth to woo and wed the yearning
human soul as portrayed by Valli. The very name of the place katir-kaman supports this idea. Katir
means effulgence or light and kaman passion or love. The effulgence comes from Kailasa and
kindles into the flame of passion that is to say the Paramatma descends into the human form and
weds the aspiring jivatma.

In ancient times when sacred geography played an important role in the construction of important
towns, a configuration of seven hills was considered to be an ideal location for the capital of a state
or for the construction of a temple. Notable examples in Europe are Athens, Rome, Constantinople
and Jerusalem. In India the famous temple of Thirupathi is located on seven hills and the same
applies to Kataragama, which is also on seven hills. The number seven signifies the reversal, return
and integration of the soul to its original status of innocence. This is the object of all those who
follow Kumara or Murugan.
Katargama Temple

Bhogarnatha as well as many other siddhas and saints are connected with this shrine. But strangely
enough there is no icon or idol of Murugan in this place. His aspect as pure consciousness alone is
worshipped here. The sanctum sanctorum contains a small casket with the shat-kona yantra, which is
a mystic design in which two triangles interlock. The six points thus created refer to the six cardinal
points of space. Thus the six-faced Shanmukha is the Lord of Space. He is the conscious presence
abiding at the source and centre of our three-dimensional world, which is a field of infinite
possibilities. The Sri Lankans believe that Kartikeyas entire career took place on this hill for it is here
that the six cardinal points of space collapse and return to their undivided singularity.

The most well-known and romantic incident in Murugans career took place here. This was his secret
courtship and marriage with Valli Amman, the daughter of the chief of the Veddas, who were the
indigenous tribes of the forest. From a conventional point of view, this union of a god and a tribal girl,
almost an outcaste is a gross mis-match. But as we have seen, this combining of the two, represents
the union of the Supreme Spirit with the earth bound soul that craves for this merger.

The legend attached to this temple is as follows. Lord Murugan had taken an incarnation in South
India by the name of Kataragama. His wifes name was Tevayani. This name is actually the Sri Lankan
distortion of the name Devayani or Devasena, who was Subramanyas first consort. It so happened
that Kataragama had a quarrel with Tevayani and left her and went to the island of Sri Lanka. He
proceeded to the hill called Katirmalai, which was the abode of the tribe called the Veddas. This hill is
just above the present day shrine of Kataragama. One day when he was out hunting, he met the
adopted daughter of the Vedda chief known as Valli. The rest of the story is the same as the romance
of Valli and Subramanya described in many of the Puranas.

Inside Katargama Temple

In the Hindu tradition, vows play an important role in the relationship between the deity and the
devotee. Though a child, Valli had made a vow that she would marry no man but Murugan himself.
This is the core of the legend of Kataragama. In Sinhalese folklore Lord Kataragama also makes a
solemn vow that he would ever remain at Kataragama to help and protect his devotees. Murugans
devotees are famous for making difficult vows in order to gain his grace. They pierce their cheeks
with arrows and walk barefoot on hot coals. But strangely enough none of them seem to get hurt.

The story of their romance is most intriguing. Murugan knew of Vallis vow but he did not approach
her in his own form but in a series of disguises. As we have seen in Kataragama temple there is no
idol. Only the yantra is worshipped. Thus in this place Murugan is regarded as formless. Therefore
whatever form or face he chooses to show is only a guise. His true devotee is expected to penetrate
the disguise and realise that he is indeed formless. Due to his tricks and methods of teasing his
devotees, the Lord of Kataragama, like Krishna is lovingly called a thief and a rogue!

Kataragama found Valli in the millet field and approached her as a handsome young hunter and
proposed to her in a brazen attempt to make her violate her vow. She adamantly refused to succumb
to his charms. Next day he took the form of an old Brahmin and tottered in front of her and begged
for some food. She offered fruit and honey, which was all she had, but he said he needed water to
wash it down. She agreed to show him the way to the well. On the way he asked her if she was not
afraid of living in a field in the midst of the jungle all alone when the men were away hunting.

She said she was afraid of nothing except elephants. Immediately Ganesha appeared in front of them
as an elephant and Valli clung to the old man and begged him to save her. He said he would do so
only if she agreed to marry him. She promptly agreed and he brought her back safely to her village.
When her family saw them they rushed to attack Kataragama whereupon he changed himself into a
tree. The Veddas proceeded to cut down the tree but at the very first blow, blood gushed out of the
wound so the Veddas discovered his identity. They realised that he was Murugan, the god they had
been worshipping for centuries so they joyously agreed to the marriage. Thus Kataragama and Valli
lived happily together for many years.

Babaji at Katargama

In the meantime Tevayani was tired of her lonely existence and sent Kataragamas teacher who was
known as Muttulingam Swami as well as a Muslim called Mohammed Navi, to search for her
husband. They knew that he had gone to Sri Lanka so they followed him and eventually came to the
region of the Veddas. However they were unable to locate him even though they wandered in the
forest for a long time. They were on the point of giving up the task when Muttulingam Swami
discovered that someone else had smoked the opium pipe that he had used and left on the hill the
previous day. He knew immediately that only Kataragama would have dared to do such a thing. Once
again they started searching for him even more earnestly and very soon discovered him. They
insisted that he accompany them back to India. The thought of forsaking Valli was inconceivable, so
he refused to go.

Instead, he persuaded his guru, Muttulingam to stay behind but the Muslim, Mohammed Navi
returned to India and blurted out the whole story to Tevayani. She was determined to get her
husband back and went post haste to Sri Lanka. She found Kataragama and pleaded with him to
return to their home in India but he refused. So she decided to stay on with the Veddas. It appears
that the Muslim, Mohammed Navi had also followed her. The Veddas accepted all of them and they
lived amicably together till the end of their lives. When they died the Veddas built a temple for
Muttulingam Swami and a mosque for Mohammed Navi on either side of the temple of Valli. They
also built a shrine for Tevayani.

Obviously the mosque was built in order to reconcile the two religions. Muslims are allowed to visit
the shrine at all times except the time of the main puja, since Mohamed Navi was the one who had
betrayed Kataragama. If any Muslim is found inside at that time, he is severely beaten. However at
other times all castes and religions are welcome to Kataragama, which has become a Mecca for
Muslims as well as a Kailasa for Hindus. Lord Murugan, in his form

as Kataragama is available to all, irrespective of caste, creed or social status. His grace is abundantly
given to all.

Kataragama has all the three points which all sacred shrines are supposed to have -murti, or idol,
sthalam or holy spot, and teertham or holy river. The sacred yantra, or mathematical figure imbued
with spiritual power is kept in the place of the idol. The sthalam or place is the holy hill known as
Katirmalai and the teertham or river is called the Manika Ganga or the Ganga of gems.

Kataragama has an amazing ambience. The atmosphere is filled with mystery and magic. Countless
miracles keep taking place here. The main temple has two apartments. The sanctum sanctorum is
heavily veiled with seven curtains. It does not have an idol of Kataragama. Instead it has a casket,
which contains the mysterious yantra (mystic diagram), which is embossed on a golden tablet
studded with gems. This is where the divine power is supposed to reside. The Lord in his nada bindu
form (form of letters and sound) is enshrined in the yantra.

The great sage Kalyana Giri who was a disciple of Bhogarnatha made this yantra. By his intense
tapasya he made Murugan available to every devotee through this yantra. He is supposed to have
come from North India and done intense tapasya for twelve years chanting the great mantra of
Murugan, (Aum Sharavanabhava) without sleeping. When he went into Samadhi the Veddas were
supposed to have looked after him and thus got the blessings of Kataragama. The place where the
sage had sat for his tapasya is the sanctum sanctorum of the temple where the casket containing the
yantra is kept.

Kartagama Priest

After he left his body, two other sages also known as Kalyana Giri, are supposed to have taken over
the puja of the yantra. The priests who came after them still conduct pujas according to the rites as
established by them, which is what was originally taught to them by the Veddas. So it is tribal in
character. They tie up their mouths with a white cloth when they offer the pujas so as not to defile
the articles used in the ritual with spit, which might fly from their mouths. They also offer fruits and
honey from the jungle rather than elaborately cooked foods.

The Kataragama Mahadevale temple is on the left bank of the Manika Ganga, which is the holy river,
which flows near Kataragama. It is here that Murugan is supposed to reside. The place is shrouded
with mystery. It is a modest single story building and is said to have been built in the 2nd century BC
by the Sinhalese king Duttugemunu who was directed to build the temple by Lord Kataragama
himself. Yogis who meditate here say that the temple has actually seven stories three above and
three below apart from the ground floor, which everyone can see. These correspond to the seven
lokas or astral worlds that lie above this planet. In fact the temple is a microcosm of the hierarchical
cosmos described in Indian tradition.

Certain places on earth are believed to exude a mystic power since they are in direct contact with
their subtle counterparts in the astral worlds. The Mahadevale temple is one such place.

Manika Ganga
Another interesting feature of Kataragama is the famous pada yatra or pilgrimage on foot. It is a
tradition, which has been inherited from the islands indigenous forest dwellers the Veddas. The
devotees start from the far south of the island. They take about forty-five days to two months to
reach the Kataragama shrine in the remote north-eastern jungle. The yatra is timed so that the
devotees can reach the temple in time for the biggest festival there. This custom existed long before
the arrival of the other major religions associated with this shrine.

Pilgrim with cheeks pierced with silver vail.

The pada yatra is not a mere walking journey but a spiritual passage through subtle dimensions that
are revealed only to the devout participant. The pilgrims traverse through the shadowy world of
outward appearances and penetrate into the effulgent realm of katir kaman or light and delight.
Only one who is imbued with faith can appreciate what it means to cross the threshold of ordinary
time and plunge into the realms of sacred time and sacred space. The voyage to the innermost
sanctum is a spiritual journey into ones own metaphysical centre.

The festival for which the pilgrims come, starts on the new moon day of the Tamil month of Adi -
July\August and ends on the full moon day of the same month (Adi), which comes in August. Thus
the worship of Murugan is connected with the lunar cycle. The new moon marks the beginning of the
ritual associated with Murugan and ends with the full moon denoting fulfilment. Each night during
the festival, the sacred casket enclosing the yantra is placed on the back of an elephant and taken
round in a procession round the temple. It is said that when it reaches the shrine of Tevayani the
drums beat very loudly in order to drown her cries of protest! Apparently she has not stopped her
supplication of Kataragama, entreating him to return with her to India.

Inside Katargama Temple

Devotees of Murugan undertake many vows. One of the strange sights here is that of pilgrims
carrying earthen pots with burning camphor on their heads while they follow the procession.
Strangely enough none of them seem to get their heads burnt by this unique offering. A day prior to
the termination of the festival, there is a fire-walking ceremony. Only devotees, who are inspired by
the deity to be a vehicle for the exhibition of divine power, dare to take part in the ceremony. In the
early hours of the morning they bathe in the sacred water of the Manika Ganga or the river of gems,
and then step barefoot on to the forty feet track of burning embers fearlessly. To the amazement of
spectators none of them who have thus been inspired ever get burnt. Those who come to scoff
remain to pray!

There are other indigenous forms of worship here that are even more amazing to behold. Some
pilgrims go round with their mouths gagged so that they cannot talk or eat. Others have their lips
and cheeks pierced with silver-headed pins. Some votaries hang themselves on hooks to a tree that is
especially reserved for this purpose. The hooks are pierced through the flesh of their backs! These
types of customs might seem barbarous to the modern mind, which is the western mind, but it must
be realised that whatever form of self-punishment is undertaken as a fulfilment of a vow, the
devotee is found to be unscathed at the end of the process. This can only be called miraculous.

Pilgrims Offering Hanging Tapas

Sometimes inexplicable trances and possession by the spirit of Kataragama are found amongst the
pilgrims. No scientific explanation is feasible for the doubting modern mind. Another common
experience during the festival is for children to get lost but invariably they are always brought back to
their parents in a mysterious manner. Murugan in the form of Kataragama is supposed to answer the
prayer of sincere devotees in many mystifying ways. He appears in various human forms and gives
them advice. But when they search for the person later, he is never to be found. The history of
Kataragama abounds with innumerable episodes of this nature.

Ancestral memory and present day happenings bear witness to the thousands of miracles that have
been enacted on this stage by the divine play of Lord Kataragama. Millions of boons have been
received through his ever-abounding grace. The subtle presence of many siddhas who have lived
here many years ago are felt by people even now.

Naga puja or snake worship existed here from about 220 BC and still continues. As we have seen,
worship of Murugan is considered the best way to alleviate the effects of sarpa dosha or the curse
of the snakes. Many cures are affected here of people getting cured after having been bitten by the
poisonous snakes that abound in the neighbouring forest.
The sacred vibhuti or ashes in this temple is obtained by digging at a place called vibhuti malai. This
again is another divine mystery since no one knows how it got there. Indeed there are many such
inexplicable happenings in this extraordinary temple.

Till very recent times the only way to reach Kataragama was by foot. The path led through thick
equatorial jungle, infested with snakes and wild animals. It was very similar to the pilgrimage to
Sabarimala, which will be described later. Only the intrepid and the faithful could make this
hazardous journey and return home alive. Even today there are a few people who still follow this
ancient trail and go on foot. Now of course the town has been connected by road to all major cities
of Sri Lanka so most people prefer the safe method of going by some motor vehicle.

Even in this age of scepticism, Kataragama is an extraordinary place where strange things happen
which appear to defy the laws of science. Most Hindus believe that the pilgrimage to Kataragama is
feasible only if Murugan himself issues an invitation. It was entirely due to HIS grace that the web
master and Mataji were able to make this extraordinary journey to this mystic place last December.

The Temple of Guruvayoor

The Krishna temple in the town of Guruvayoor in Kerala is one of the five famous Krishna\Vishnu
temples in India. The others are Jagannath Puri in Orissa, Venkatachalapati in Andhra Pradesh,
Nathdwara in Rajasthan and Dwaraka in Gujarat. Of course there are many other famous ones of
Vishnu as well as of Krishna but these are considered to be the most popular. Even though the idol in
Guruvayoor is that of Vishnu it is still known as a Krishna temple since the boy Krishna is always said
to be running around incognito in the temple precincts. Guruvayoor is known as Bhuloka Vaikunta
or the abode of Vishnu on earth.
Mahakshetra Guruvayoor

The temple is classified as one of the Mahakshetras or Great abodes of worship. There are many
such in the holy land of India but few which can claim to have all the ten qualifications of a
Mahakshetra.

The signs are:

1. antiquity (the temple is believed to be over five thousand years old.

2. Presence of records, (it has quite a few copper plates and palm leaf scrolls).

3. Origin in a forest (this place was a forest at one time).

4. Proximity to the sea, (it is near the Arabian Sea).

5. Royal connections (the royal family of the Zamorins of Calicut

have been the custodians of this temple from ancient times).

6. Mention in ancient literature (it has been mentioned in the Mahabharata).

7. Grandeur of festivals (the temple has many grand festivals)

8. Situation at an elevation (this is not so but it has a large body of water beside it).

9. Grandeur of sculpture and architecture. (Even though the original temple did not have any great
sculptures yet the walls of the inner courtyard has some extraordinary wall paintings made from
vegetable dyes, which date to antiquity. The recent construction has plenty of sculptures). The
temple now runs a school where this ancient art of wall painting called chomiru chitram is taught
to young people and reproductions of the originals are made available to devotees. These are the
material features which are to be considered in the classification of a Mahakshetra. Of course
needless to say the temple should also have special spiritual significance and the presence of
numerous devotees who have personally experienced the Lords grace.

krishnattam
The whole life of this town revolves round the temple and there is very little activity beyond what is
connected with the temple even though there are a few other noteworthy temples in the area. One
can get to Guruvayoor by car or train from the town of Thrissur which is very close to Cochin. There
are many flights connecting Cochin with all the big towns of India.

Lord Krishna in Guruvayoor is popularly called Sri Guruvayoorappan. Appan means lord or father so
the title means the Lord of Guruvayoor. The small idol is made of the stone known as black antimony
and is a magnetic stone said to have special medicinal properties. Every morning the Lord is anointed
in til oil. He is then sprinkled with a special cleansing powder made of herbs known as vaka. This
powder is light brown in colour and gives an added hue to the idol. Crowds go to the temple at 3
A.M in order to see this charming sight. Then water from the temple, consecrated with mantras is
poured over the idol for his ritual bath. This holy water is then eagerly drunk by the devotees since it
is said to contain a little of the miraculous properties of the stone of which the idol is made.

Lord Krishna

The history of the idol goes back to the hoary past to the age of Dwapara when Lord Krishna was
alive. His parents were Vasudeva and Devaki. She was the sister of Kamsa, the cruel king of Mathura.
They two of them had been great devotees of Lord Vishnu for many ages. After assiduously wooing
him for many births, the Lord had manifested himself to them and promised that he would be born
as their son for three lives in succession. He promised them liberation at the end of these three
births. This was their last birth as Devaki and Vasudeva in the clan of the Yadavas in the city of
Mathura and Krishna was born to them as their eighth son. The idol of Lord Vishnu which is found in
Guruvayoor is one which had been worshipped by Devaki and Vasudeva and one can easily imagine
that it must also have been worshipped by Lord Krishna himself. This is the greatness and glory of
this particular idol of Lord Vishnu that Vishnu himself had done puja to it in his incarnation as
Krishna.

At the end of his earthly sojourn, Krishna prophesied to his friend and devotee, Uddhava that the
island of Dwaraka, which had been his stronghold, would be swept away by the sea, seven days after
he left his mortal body. He instructed him to rescue the precious idol of Vishnu which his parents had
worshipped, and hand it over to Brihaspati, the guru of the gods who would come to him. After
seven days, the island submerged in the sea as foretold by Lord Krishna. Uddhava went sadly to the
seashore and saw the idol bobbing up and down on the waves far out in the sea. He begged the wind
god Vayu to bring it closer to him. The wind wafted it gently to the shore and Uddhava picked it up
lovingly and cradled it in his arms. As he was wondering how to contact the guru of the gods, he
found that Brihaspati himself was walking towards him. Uddhava told him the whole story of how
Lord Krishna had instructed him and Brihaspati who knew everything agreed to take it and install it at
some special place. He was sure that he would be given further instructions.

Now Brihaspati asked Vayu, the wind god to transport him through the air so that they could choose
a perfect spot for the installation. Carrying the precious idol in his hands, Brihaspati was wafted
across the sub-continent of India till they came almost to the sea shore to the spot where the
present town of Guruvayoor now stands. Looking down Brihaspati saw a beautiful lake filled with
lotuses on the banks of which Shiva and Parvati were dancing. He was charmed by the sight and he
requested Vayu to float him down. For some time he stood spell-bound by the dancing couple. When
they had finished he prostrated to them and begged Shiva to tell him of a perfect spot to install the
idol of Vishnu. Shiva said that this was indeed the ideal place. He told him to build the temple right
there at one end of the lake where he and Parvati had been dancing. He magnanimously said that he
himself would take up residence at the other end of the lake which was known as Rudrathirta. The
temple of Mammiyoor to which Shiva shifted still exists. However during the course of time the lake
dried up little by little and now only the temple tank adjoining the Guruvayoor temple remains to tell
the tale of this ancient lake. The word Guruvayoor has special connotations. It is made up of two
words guru and vayu. Guru means preceptor and vayu is wind. The idol was installed by
Brihaspati, the guru of the gods and Vayu, the god of wind and hence came to be known as Guru-
vayoor! The word also has an esoteric meaning. It stands for the body of the human being which is
the abode of wind. The five pranas or vital breaths are what sustain the body and make it function
properly.

Rudrathirta, Temple of Mammiyoor

Though the idol traces its antiquity to the Dwapara Yuga, the present temple is only about five
hundred years old. However the shrine must have existed in some form or other even at the time of
the Mahabharata. When the Pandavas departed from this world, they left their kingdom to Arjunas
grandson, Parikshit who was their only surviving progeny. Parikshit died of snake bite and his son
Janamejaya swore to take revenge on the king of snakes and carried out a huge sarpa yajna, or
sacrifice of snakes, in which thousands of snakes perished in the flames. For this heinous crime he
was cursed by the snakes and became a leper. Forced to leave his palace and his kingdom, he
wandered miserably from temple to temple till he came to the shrine of Lord Guruvayoorappan.
Here it is said that he did tapasya for many months and was eventually totally cured of his dread
disease.

The next mention of the temple is in the annals of the history of the Pandyan kings who ruled south
India in the 14th and 15th centuries. The legend goes that one of the kings of this dynasty was told
that he would die of snake bit. In despair he went and prayed at the shrine of Lord Guruvayoorappan
till the day which had been foretold by the astrologer came and passed without mishap. He
questioned the astrologer about this and was told to examine the heel of his left foot carefully. There
he saw the marks of a snakes fangs. Due to the grace of Lord Guruvayoorappan he had been saved
from sure death. The grateful king built the temple and endowed it with funds to carry out the pujas.
The present structure of the temple hails from that time.

Another miracle recorded in the temple history happened in the 16th century. The famous poet and
scholar, Meppathur Narayana Bhattathiri, composed the poem known as Narayananeeyam, which
is a wonderful epic in Sanskrit consisting of one thousand and thirty six verses. The composition of
the poem is connected with a miracle.

Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri

Narayana Bhattathiri was born is a family of Namboodiris, who are the Brahmin caste of Kerala. By
the age of sixteen he was a great Vedic scholar. However he soon fell into bad company and began to
neglect the daily duties enjoined on him by his caste and upbringing. His father-in-law was a very
pious and learned astrologer. One morning when he was seated on the veranda scrutinising a yantra
in front of him, Bhattathiri who had woken up late came rushing out and in his hurry to reach the
yard he jumped over the sacred yantra. The old man rebuked him in strong terms for his negligence
in the pursuit of his swadharma and for dissipating this human life which should have been spent in
the pursuit of the final goal of liberation. Somehow the effect of this rebuke was electrical. He
realised his mistake and promised to mend his ways and begged the old man to accept him as his
disciple.

Bhattathiri became one of his greatest disciples. In his later years the astrologer was stricken with
crippling rheumatoid arthritis. Bhattathiri was a very great devotee of Lord Guruvayoorappan by this
time and he begged the Lord to allow him to take over the disease of his master. Needless to say the
old man improved and Bhattathiri contacted the dread disease. He was totally afflicted and could
hardly move. He made his friends take him to Guruvayoor. Every morning he would take his bath and
be carried to the temple. Here he sat propped up by the wooden pillar on the eastern side of the
southern porch and composed his immortal classic called The Narayaneeyam which is a condensed
version of the Srimad Bhagavata Purana which describes the glories of all the ten incarnations of
Vishnu with special reference to the Krishnavatara. The hundred-canto poem follows the original
closely and describes all the incarnations of Lord Vishnu starting with the Fish. Naturally he
elaborated at length on the life of Lord Krishna. Every day painfully, he would continue with his self
imposed task and at the end of each canto he would beg the Lord to cure him of his dire disease.

Lord Narayana

The special thing about The Narayaneeyam is that it is addressed directly to the Lord of
Guruvayoor. Bhattathiri imagined the child Krishna sitting in front of him listening avidly to the stories
of his own incarnations. Hence many of the stories sound as if they are being told to a child. At times
the pain would be too intense for him and he would stop in the middle of a story and throw his stylus
down and refuse to go any further even though the child was anxious to hear the end of the story. At
this time it is said that the child Krishna would come close and stroke his limbs and make him fit to
carry on with the tale the next day.

As the days and months slipped by with Bhattathiri singing the praises of the Lord, he got
progressively better. By the time he sang the last canto he was completely cured. Moreover he was
blessed with a vision of the Lord standing inside the sanctum and smiling at him. The hundredth
canto is a description of this beatific vision. He starts this canto with the words, In front of me I am
seeing Bhattathiri lived to the ripe old age of a hundred and six years. He spent most of his life in
the temple worshipping the Lord of his heart. The poem is indeed a gem of both devotion and
erudition. Even though most of the temple has been re-modelled and the pillars changed into
marble, the wooden pillar on which Bhattathiri rested during his arduous labour of love is still
retained.

Mention should also be made here of some of the famous devotees of the Lord of Guruvayoor. The
old Namboodiri Brahmin known as Poonthanam was a great devotee and many miracles took place
during his lifetime. What he lacked in erudition he made up in devotion and his famous poem called
Jnanapana is a masterpiece of devotion and wisdom. Vilvamangalam was another great devotee.
Krishna is said to have appeared in person and sat before him whenever he did his puja! Another
great devotee was Kururamma who was a childless widow. When she grew too old to attend to her
own necessities it is said that the boy Krishna came to her in the form of a servant boy and did all her
menial work for her! Prince Manavedan who was the Zamorin or ruler of Calicut was also a great
devotee. He composed the ten chapters in the life of Krishna known as Krishnattom Kali which is a
unique dance form of this temple. At one time these ten episodes in the life of Krishna, starting with
his birth and ending with his ascension could only be played in the temple or the royal palace.
However now due to its greatness it is now being played in other places also. Manavedan is said to
have had the good fortune of embracing Krishna when he actually appeared during one of the
scenes.

Guruvayoor Temple

The present pujas or rituals which are conducted in the temple are reputed to have been established
by Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, who is supposed to have established most of the
ritualistic observances in all the great Kerala temples. There is an interesting story about Adi
Shankaracharya, the famous founder of Advaita Vedanta or the school of non-dualism which is
connected with the temple of Guruvayoor. At that time Shankaracharya advocated only meditation
on the supreme Brahman, the formless Absolute. He possessed many siddhis or supernormal powers
and one day when he was travelling through the air, he happened to pass over the temple of
Guruvayoor where Guruvayoorappan was being carried round on an elephant on his daily morning
ride! This is a ritual which takes place three times a day and crowds flock to see the pageant.
Shankaracharya was about to pass on with hardly a glance at the procession below, when despite his
fabulous powers, he found himself forcibly dragged to the ground in order to bow to the embodied
Brahman who was being carried round on an elephant!! After this he became a great devotee of the
Lord. It is to be noted that even though he was a pure advaitin or advocate of the non-dual reality of
Brahman, he established many temples all over India including the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath
and Kedarnath and laid out the types of rituals to be followed therein!

Adi Shankaracharya

Many cases of cures and miracles have been attributed to Guruvayoorappan. In fact the monthly
magazine of the temple describes the personal experiences of many devotees that continue to take
place even now.

The temple opens at 3 AM and closes late at night very often at 10 PM or even later when there are
special functions. One has to queue for hours to get a fleeting glimpse of the charming figure inside
the sanctum sanctorum. The Lord is decorated in various ways during the different pujas. Early
morning he is shown as a young child wearing only a small red kaupina and various bits of simple
jewellery as befitting a child with a peacock feather in his coronet. He holds a ball of butter in his
hand. For the next puja at 10 AM he looks a little older. He is fully adult by the noon puja which is the
most elaborate. This ornamentation remains on him till the next morning. It is a strange experience
of most true devotees that even though the crowds may be great somehow or other they manage to
get a close up view of the Lord even though many people have to leave without being able to get
inside. One of the striking features of this temple is that the idol has been so placed that it is visible
from very far off, way beyond the main temple doors. The web master, Arvind Burger being an
American would not have been allowed to go inside since the temple is not open to non-Hindus, but
in his own miraculous fashion, Guruvayoorappan literally took him by the hand and allowed him to
have darshan from inside the inner courtyard without any of the guards noticing his white skin!!

View of the idol from outside temple!

The author of this article hails from this town. Her grandfather was one of the Zamorins of Calicut.
Her family house has existed here for generations and all those born in that family have the tradition
of being great devotees of the Lord. In fact the name Vanamali which she has adopted as her
spiritual name is another name of Lord Guruvayoorappan since he wears a garland of five wild
flowers round his neck. A set of people are employed by the temple for the sole purpose of making
garlands for the Lord since they are continuously being changed. The history of the family contains
many incidents of various miracles that have taken place due to the grace of Guruvayoorappan. They
have a tradition that whenever a baby becomes three months old it is taken to the temple by the
mother and left at the doorway of the Lord. She then turns away and walks off since she has now
given over the charge of child to the Lord. From then on the child is a vassal of the Lord. Even though
the family members are now scattered over the face of the globe this tradition is still followed and all
of them feel a keen and inseparable bond with the delightful blue boy of Guruvayoor. May the grace
of the Guruvayoorappan fall on all those who read this!

Hari Aum tat Sat

Rewalsar
From Mandi we proceeded to a lovely little village called Rewalsar. It was a most refreshing change
from the hustle and bustle of Mandi. It is at an altitude of 1360 m above sea level and about 25 km
from Mandi. It is sacred to all the three major religions of India- Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
Seven mythological lakes associated with the Pandavas are located above Rewalsar. It is also
associated with the legends of Lord Shiva and Lomas Rishi. There is also a famous Krishna temple in
the town.

The tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Govind Singh visited Rewalsar to request the kings of the hill states
for their support against Aurangzeb. He stayed at Rewalsar for a month. Raja Joginder Sen of Mandi
built a gurudwara (Sikh temple) at Rewalsar in 1930 to commemorate the Guru's visit. The place is
particularly sacred to the Namdhari Sikhs since it has been mentioned in Sau Sakhi as a sanctuary.

Lomasha Rishi at Rewalsar

The famous Rewalsar lake (Tso Pema to Tibetans) is associated with Padmasambhava also known as
Guru Rimpoche), who is recognized as the second Buddha of this age. One version of a legend has it
that the king of Mandi commanded Padmasambhava to be burnt alive after rumours that the Guru
had attempted to convert his daughter to Buddhism, which was not accepted then. The king also
buried his daughter alive for having dared to disobey him. The pyre burned for a full week, with great
clouds of black smoke arising from it, but after a week, a lake appeared at the spot where he was
burnt and the princess manifested herself in the middle of the lake seated on a lotus. When the king
opened the pit in which his daughter had been buried alive there was no sign of the body.
Padmasambhava had totally disappeared. It is said that he went from there to Tibet to spread the
dharma of Vajrayana Buddhism. Padmasambhava was a great tantric and he is said to have actually
taught the Tibetans the Hinduism of the Tantras even though they did not know it and called it
Buddhism.

Rewalsar

The village is dominated by this lake. It has a maximum depth of 6.5 metres. and is rectangular in
shape. In fact Rewalser is built around the lake which has a floating island. We had booked into the
tourist guest house which had just been built. It had a lovely design and was made of pine wood so
the whole place had the aroma of pine. My window looked straight at the huge statue of Guru,
Padmasambhava. In fact the whole area round this place was dominated and permeated with the
vibrations of this great tantric. Each time I looked out of the window I could see his piercing look
boring into me. Of course all the interesting things to be see were around the lake so a walk round it
was absolutely imperative.

Montage

Our first stop was at the temple dedicated to the great sage Rishi Lomasha. Next came, the Shiva
temple and Guru Govind Singh's gurdwara and of course Buddhist monastery founded by Guru
Padmasambhava.

The Tsechu fair was held in Rewalsar in 2004 to commemorate the birthday of Padmasambhava. The
fair was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama and was attended by Urgyen Trinley Dorje Karmapa along
with 50,000 other Buddhist pilgrims. The fair was held after a gap of 12 years.

The two Buddhist monastries here are known as Drikung Kadyud Gompa and Tso-Pema Ogyen Heru-
kai Nyingmapa Gompa.

As we walked round the lake we were followed by many Buddhists constantly twirling their prayer
wheels in the left hand and endlessly repeating the mantra Aum Mani Padme Hum while running
their fingers over the rosary held in the right hand. Most of the women wore the traditional Tibetan
costumes. We went to both the beautiful monasteries encircled by huge prayer wheels. I tried
turning each as I passed as the Tibetans did but had to give up the attempt very soon since my palms
were getting torn.

Padmasambhava Cave
Next morning we went to the caves of Padmasambhava where he is said to have meditated. This is
quite a distance from Rewalser and we had to pass through the rural areas of Himachal. It was such a
beautiful experience.

We passed through fruit orchards where the apple and apricot trees were in full bloom. Little
cottages dotted the hillside, roofed with typical Himachal slate tiles. The peasant girls carrying huge
loads of grass for their cattle were all extremely beautiful. In fact I thought them more beautiful than
the Kashmiris since they did not have the typical hooked noses.

Padmasambhava Cave

At last we reached the little village where we stopped the car and climbed up to the cave. Here also
the whole place is looked after by Tibetans. We went into the cave set deep into the mountain and
here again there was this imposing figure of the Rimpoche with his pointed beard and piercing eyes.
What an amazing personality he must have been. The place was filled with many ghee lamps which
gave out a pleasant smell and no smoke. We decided to sit and meditate on the ledge which had
been provided. Im not sure how long we meditated but very soon I felt a radiance emanating from
him and rays of bright yellow light entering straight into my heart. The sensation was very pleasant
for a while but after some time it started to become quite uncomfortable and I had to open my eyes
and found him staring at me in his usual fierce fashion, which I found a bit intimidating. Perhaps he
thought I had not responded correctly to his blessing. However I was grateful to him for having given
it even though my acceptance was perhaps a bit reluctant..

Padmasambhava Murti in Cave

Our next halt was in another cave in which there was a huge imprint of his foot on the wall. We
walked down the pleasant hill slopes shady with pine trees and got into our car. I was a bit troubled
and not sure why he had blessed me with his favours but I felt I was not ready for it and would
perhaps have to return at some other time either in this life or another to accept his blessings fully.
From there we climbed higher and went to the Rajarajeswari temple which was like any other Hindu
temple. In a way I was happy to get back to a familiar atmosphere with the usual din and noise.

Rajarajeswari Temple Vista

The view from here was spectacular and we could see some of the Himalayan snow peaks. The
temple authorities have even built a guest house here. From here we carried on to our next
destination Naggar.

Dwaraka

Lord Krishna 's Home Discovered

"The sea, which had been beating against the shores, suddenly broke the boundary that was
imposed on it by nature. The sea rushed into the city. It coursed through the streets of the beautiful
city. The sea covered up everything in the city. Arjuna saw the beautiful buildings becoming
submerged one by one. He took a last look at the mansion of Krishna. In a matter of a few moments
it was all over. The sea had now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of the beautiful city,
which had been the favourite haunt of all the Pandavas. Dwarka was just a name; just a memory."
Mausala Parva, Mahabharata.

Hinduism is not a historical religion. If somebody were to prove conclusively that Krishna, Rama and
the various gods of the Hindu pantheon never existed, most Hindus would not mind in the least and
the religion would continue to flourish as it has done for so many centuries. However to the devotees
of Krishna, he is as real as any of their friends or relatives or children depending on how they regard
him-as friend, relation, child or lover. This being so, most Indians have not bothered to verify his
existence. This itself is very strange since there have been countless devotees of his who have heard
the haunting melody of his flute calling to them across the centuries and even seen glimpses of his
enchanting form. But this is a failing in the Indian mentality which considers historicity to be of least
importance. What is more important to us is the impact that such a being has had on us. Krishna has
shaped the trend of our culture, our art, music and sculpture over the centuries and this is enough
for us. The very fact that the stories of Krishna have stood the challenge of centuries should have
proved to us that such a personality did indeed exist in solid flesh and blood at the time given in our
scriptures. The modern mind is the western mind and has a scientific bent and our generation should
have tried to price open the veil of the centuries and found out the truth about our favourite god.

But unfortunately the modern educated youth of our country have been fed on a pack of lies which
have been given in our history books which have been written by western orientalists with vested
interests. Our youth have been brainwashed into believing that our scriptures are all a pack of lies or
at best a type of myth and fantasy. However the fact is that our Puranas are true records of our
glorious past. When the English first came to India they were shocked to find that if the dates given
in our Puranas were true, Indian civilization pre-dated theirs by thousands of years. They refused to
accept the fact that a glorious civilization flourished in India at a time when in Europe, they were still
scurrying around like barbarians clothed in skins and carrying crude weapons. Thus they labelled as
myth all historical evidences in the Hindu scriptures especially in the Puranas.

Brainwashed by the views of the western historians we have forgotten to gaze at our scriptures with
an unprejudiced look. If we did so we would realise that Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata was a
contemporary of Lord Krishna and was actually describing events which he had observed himself and
in some of which he had played an important part. But unfortunately as I said, our Puranas have
never been recognised as a true record of our history by western historians but have been dumped
into the category of myth and fantasy. This type of classification had been done by the British
colonial scholars who were in reality missionaries who did not want Indian history to clash with the
views of the bible. Destroying the historicity of Krishna was an important part of their campaign to
establish their own religion in India. To give them their due it might be possible that they did not
understand or realise the depth and wisdom which was embedded in the Hindu scriptures. The sad
fact is that the Indian historians, who should have known better, blindly copied the facts given by the
westerners in their books.

Early western Indologists in their missionary zeal tried to put down the importance of the Vedas as
well. They labelled them as primitive mythology. However, many great souls like Schopenhauer in
Europe and Waldo in America acclaimed the Vedas as the greatest revelations of divinity known to
man. It is said that when Oppenheimer who invented the atomic bomb, watched the explosion, he
quoted from the 11th chapter of the Sreemad Bhagavad-Gita. When asked if this was the first ever
nuclear explosion he said yes, in modern times, meaning to say there were many before that. In
fact there is evidence to prove that nuclear weapons were used in the great Mahabharata War.

Another despicable thing done by the western historians in order to belittle the greatness of the
Aryan culture was to say that the Aryans were a foreign race who came from outside. Modern
archaeologists have proved this to be absolutely false. Archaeology certainly does not support the
Aryan invasion theory. Recent independent studies show no evidence of a foreign invasion occurring
in India at the dates pointed out by the historians. The river, Saraswathy is described more than 50
times in the Rig Veda. Satellite pictures very clearly show the Saraswathy rising in the Himalayas and
going to the Arabian Sea. The drying up, due to many geographical reasons, is also clearly seen in the
pictures. The great Vedic culture flourished all along the banks of the River Saraswathy and was
essentially a product of the holy soil of India and not an implant from outside. This is clearly shown in
the Vedas. Why did those historians not accept the data given in the Vedas instead of going on a trip
of their own in order to establish their own views which were certainly not supported by anything in
our scriptures and inflict their religion on this country?

Unfortunately our own historians have only copied all the false observations of our own countrys
history and these are the views that are being taught to our school children. Brought up on western
educational methods and books, our children have been taught to scorn their own religion and doubt
the reality of their gods who are the corner stones of our culture.

Luckily this century which is famous for its thirst for investigations, has unearthed many astonishing
facts, which will prove, for those who need proof, that our scriptures were absolutely correct in their
description of the fabulous city of Dwaraka which was built by Krishna as the stronghold of the
Yadavas. It will also prove that Krishna was indeed the superman or supreme incarnation of God as
our scriptures declare.

The City of Dwarka had existed

from 32,000 to 9,000 BC.

When the Pandavas heard that Krishna, their friend, God and guide had left this mortal plane,
Yudhistira, the eldest Pandava and King of Bharatavarsha (India) sent his brother Arjuna, the middle
Pandava to Dwaraka to find out what has happened to the Yadava clan. When Arjuna reached the
place he was appalled to find what was happening. The quotation given above is from the
Mahabharata and is a first hand account of how Dwaraka went under the sea underArjunas very
eyes, as prophesied by Lord Krishna.
The modern city of Dwaraka is to be found in Saurashtra and is a great pilgrim centre since our
scriptures declare it to be the seat of the Yadava clan and Lord Krishnas capital. However according
to the stories mentioned in many of the Puranas like, the Mahabharata, Harivamsa, Vishnu Purana
etc. that fabled city of Dwaraka had been washed away into the sea. Soon after the Lord left his
mortal body, the city was washed away as he had predicted, the scene of which has been graphically
described above.

In 1983 some excavations were done outside the modern city of Dwaraka, which revealed the
existence of a glorious city of ancient times. They found seven temples one on top of the other. The
bottom most one was the most interesting since it showed many pottery shards and seals which
clearly pointed to the existence of a fantastic city at about the time mentioned in the Mahabharata.
These findings encouraged the Marine archaeology centre of the National Institute of Oceanography,
to take up a serious work along the coast of the island known as Bet Dwaraka.

The strongest archaeological support for the existence for the legendary city of Dwaraka, comes from
the structures discovered in the late 1980s under the seabed off the coast of modern Dwaraka in
Gujarat by a team of archaeologists and divers led by Dr S.R. Rao, one of India's most respected
archaeologists. An emeritus scientist at the marine archaeology unit of the National Institute of
Oceanography, Goa, Rao has excavated a large number of Harappan sites, including the port city of
Lothal in Gujarat.

In his book The Lost City of Dwaraka, published in 1999, he writes about his undersea findings:
The discovery is an important landmark in the history of India. It has set to rest the doubts
expressed by historians about the historicity of the Mahabharata and the very existence of the city of
Dwaraka.

Conducting 12 expeditions during 1983-1990, Rao identified two underwater settlements, one near
the present-day Dwaraka and the other off the nearby island of Bet Dwaraka. This tallies with the
two Dwarakas mentioned in the epic. These underwater expeditions won Rao the first World Ship
Trust Award for Individual Achievement.

Dr Rao is to be congratulated on his efforts in corroborating these truths with evidence that can
stand the test of critical analysis and scientific evaluation. He says that further digging and diving, in
Indias vast treasure trove of historical facts will further corroborate the key dates of our eventful and
glorious past.

Another important find by the divers was a conch seal that established the submerged township's
connection with the Dwaraka of the Mahabharata. The seal corroborates the reference made in the
ancient text, the Harivamsa that every citizen of Dwaraka had to carry such a seal for purposes of
identification. Krishna had declared that only one who carried such a seal could enter the city. A
similar seal has been found onshore.
From 1998 to 2001 many underwater explorations were set about which pointed out to a highly
civilised city which must have existed at that site, which had great maritime connections with many
other countries and which must have been washed away by something like a tsunami or some such
hurricane. Dwaraka was a large well- fortified city with an excellent drainage system, massive gates
and a wall stretching about hundred eighty miles. It was a sprawling city with gardens and orchards
and bastions, with a population of about 10 thousand people. There are many clues which point out
to the fact that it must also have been a bustling port. Many ancient anchor stones give ample
evidence of this.

All these findings have suddenly roused a lot of interest amongst all Hindus both in India and abroad
since it is solid proof of the existence of one of the favourite gods in the Hindu pantheon, namely
Lord Krishna.

Around the same time archaeologists from other countries were also busy. Along the coast of the Bay
of Cambay and off the coast of modern Dwaraka, they found evidence of a settlement deep under
the sea. In seventy feet of water, they found sandstone walls and cobbled streets. Looking up the
descriptions of the city of Dwaraka as found in the ancient Hindu scriptures they realised that this
must be the remains of the legendary city of Dwaraka ruled by the great God King, Krishna. Wood
and pottery chards were found that can be dated back to 32,000 years again proving that the time
limits set in ancient Hindu scriptures might be true even though most westerners dismissed it as
being absurd. But now with these findings they cannot help but believe, if they want to believe. For
many years now western Indologists have shut their eyes to the glory that was ancient India. The city
had existed from 32,000 to 9,000 BC. This discovery proves that the life of Krishna is not mere
mythology but it is a true, historical record of a towering personality who had lived on this holy land
of India.

A mighty war between the super human, Krishna

and the alien- Salva...

The west coast of Gujarat was the traditional land of the Yadavas, or Yadus, the clan of Krishna.
According to the Bhagavad Purana, Krishna led the Yadavas on a thousand kilometre trek from
Mathura, the first capital of the Yadavas towards the west coast of India to establish a magnificent
city called Dwaraka, where they could start a new life, safe from their enemies in the Gangetic plain.

The Mahabharata says, Dwaraka was reclaimed from the sea. Raos divers discovered that the
submerged city's walls were erected on a foundation of boulders, suggesting that the land was
indeed reclaimed from the sea. However after its Lord and master left this plane, the sea claimed
back the land which had been taken from it. One cannot separate Dwarka from Krishna. If the city
existed, then it is true that Krishna also existed.

Dr Narhari Achar, professor of physics at the University of Memphis, Tennessee, has dated the
Mahabharata war using astronomy and regular planetarium software. According to his research
conducted in 2004-05, the titanic clash between the Pandavas and the Kauravas took place in 3067
BC. Using the same software, Dr Achar places the year of Krishnas birth at 3112 BC. Actually our
Puranas set a far earlier date.

Another very interesting fact found by astronaut technologists is that the war between a king called
Salva and Lord Krishna, which is described both in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Purana, is
actually a description of a war with an extra- terrestrial being.

The Bhagavad Purana says that Salva had done great tapas to Shiva and had been given an aerial
vehicle called the Saubha which was as big as a palace and which had miraculous powers like
becoming invisible and appearing at different places at the same time. Salva had been itching to get
his hands on Dwaraka and when he heard that both Krishna and Balrama were away at Indraprastha,
the capital of the Pandavas and only Krishnas son, Pradyumna was left to guard the city, he decided
that this was an opportune moment to attack it. He flew over Dwaraka in the Saubha and destroyed
the outer woodlands and gardens. Then he directed his attack against the bastions of the city so that
his army which was marching over land could easily penetrate it. Flashes of lightning, hail stones,
cyclonic storms and clouds of dust were released from the Saubha which was equipped with all the
latest type of weapons! Pradyumna and some of the other sons of Krishna ably defended the city for
twenty seven days but were overpowered by Salvas superior forces.

Lord Krishna heard of the attack and hurried to his sons rescue and there ensued a mighty war
between the super human, Krishna and the alien- Salva. In this Krishna is said to have fired arrows
which resembled thunderbolts and balls of lightning and brilliant piercing rays of the sun. The
weapons used by Salva makes one suspect that he was using alien technology. His spacecraft made
of metal seemed to appear simultaneously at different places like the UFOs. But Lord Krishna
retaliated with weapons which had the force of superior spiritual power and Salva who was hard
pressed resorted to magic tricks and created the form of Lord Krishnas father, Vasudeva and
proceeded to cut off his head in front of Krishnas eyes. Krishna faltered for just a moment but then
realised that this was another trick of his enemy and very soon he brought the Saubha down with
one of his miraculous astras(missiles), charged with the power of potent mantras. But Salva escaped
and came to fight with him again in the great Mahabharata war.

Krishna is famous for his lilas or pranks and games. All these centuries he kept his identity a secret
and played along with the western historians and allowed people to think that he was only a myth of
the febrile imagination of the mighty intellect of Vyasa! But now it looks as if He has decided that this
is enough. He has chosen to reveal himself- tear open the veil of maya in which He has shrouded
himself and expose the truth of his inspiring life to the public gaze!

It is in view of such great findings that I have ventured to write a new Introduction to Sri Krishna Lila
which is being re-printed by Inner Traditions, Vermont, USA. I hope this will bring about a revival of
interest in the perennial philosophy of Hinduism and uplift the glory of the supreme incarnation of
Lord Krishna.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

TEMPLE OF KARNI MATA

Of all the temples I have visited in India, the temple of Karni Mata in Bikaner, Rajasthan is by far the
strangest. You could almost call it bizarre. Rajasthan itself is one of the most colourful States in India
and offers many unique sights to the tourist but the temple of Karni Mata is unique. It lies in a little
village called Deshnoke, 30 miles south of Bikaner. The latter along with Jaisalmer is one of the
famous desert towns of Rajasthan. The town itself is pretty crowded so we had decided to stay at a
beautiful heritage hotel called Gajner Palace out of town. One of the important reasons for staying in
Bikaner was to visit the goddess Karni Devi. The story of this goddess is quite fascinating.

On September 20th, 1387 a baby girl was born to a family of Charans in a village called Suvap in
Jodhpur district. Her father was known as Mehaji. Charans are the traditional ballad singers of
Rajasthan but every state has its own unique ballad singers who go by different names. Their work
was go from village to village singing the ancient ballads taken from the great Indian epics, the
Ramayana and the Mahabharatha.
Mehajis wife had given birth to six girls before she conceived Karniji. In those days the birth of a girl
was a sorrowful event and when his wife conceived for the seventh time, the father was very anxious
that this one would be a son. In the eighth month he engaged two maids to look after his wife and
see to her safe delivery but even after ten months she showed no signs of labour! One of the maids
was frightened and ran away but the second one remained. The parents were naturally most worried
and did not know what to do. One night the mother had a vivid dream in which the goddess Durga
appeared to her holding the trident in her hands. She informed her that she need not be afraid and
that a portion of her effulgence had already been conceived in her womb and that she would be
born at the twenty-first month without any problem. Though the parents were quite distressed,
there was nothing much they could do about this since it was the will of the goddess. Traditionally
the Charans are worshippers of Shakti, or the Divine Mother mainly in her form as Durga. Eventually
the baby was born on the 7th day of the bright fortnight in the month of Aswin Sept/Oct. She was
called Ridhubai. It was only much later after she performed her first miracle that she was renamed,
Karni.

Needless to say the parents were quite disappointed that the baby was a girl. The mother was most
unhappy since everyone who came to see the baby mocked at her at having given birth to seven
girls. Nobody would bring any presents for a baby girl. One day Mehajis sister came to see the baby.
She taunted her sister-in-law and knocked her on her head with bent fingers. Everyone was shocked
to see that her fingers remained in that bent position and refused to be straightened out. One day
when Ridhubai was five years old, her aunt condescended to bathe her. Innocently the child
questioned her about her bent fingers. When she heard the story she took her aunts hand in her
own and gently stroked it. To everyones amazement the fingers straitened themselves and became
whole again. Everyone was stunned. Her aunt who had scoffed at her mother now proclaimed that
this was not an ordinary child but an incarnation and renamed her, Karni. The mother now told
everyone about the wonderful vision she had of the goddess Durga during the eighth month of her
pregnancy.

Karniji performed many miracles during her childhood. Once her father was bitten by a cobra while
coming home through the fields. When he did not return by evening his wife became anxious and
sent people to search for him. They found his dead body in the fields and brought it home. Even
though he was not breathing, they tried different home remedies to try and save him but nothing
seemed to help. The little girl Karni was sleeping in the courtyard and woke up hearing the noises.
When she saw her father lying unconscious on the ground, she came near him and laid her hands on
the place where the snake had bitten him. Then in a sweet childish treble she asked her father to
wake up. To the astonishment of all those who had gathered there, Mehaji immediately got up and
was astonished when he was told the whole story.
Rao Shekha of Pugal (a chieftain), had heard many tales about the young girls extraordinary powers
and was desirous of meeting her. Once he was going with an army for battle when he met Karni
going to the forest with a lunch box for her father. When he saw her, he dismounted from his horse
and bowed low before her and asked for her blessings in the coming battle. She gave her blessings
but insisted that he was her guest and he should share her meal. Sheka said doubtingly that his army
comprised of about one hundred and fifty people and the little lunch box would hardly suffice for
them. She merely smiled and asked all of them to be seated and started serving them herself. All of
them had a full meal of yogurt and chappathis and still the container was not empty. Everyone was
astonished and Rao Sheka fell at her feet and begged her to bless him. Needless to say he was
victorious in his battle.

When Karni came of marriageable age her father was anxious to get her married. She herself chose
her bridegroom and informed her father that she would marry a person called Deepa who she knew
to be an avatar of Lord Shiva. The marriage ceremony was conducted very simply and the party set
off for the grooms house. Very soon they felt very thirsty but did not have enough water for all. Karni
was being carried in a palanquin and Deepa was riding beside her. He parted the curtains and asked
her what they should do. She told him to look behind and there to his surprise was a pond of clear
water. While the attendants were drinking their fill, he brought some water to the palanquin. Karni
now showed him her form as Durga, seated on a lion. He was naturally surprised at the vision. She
now told him her story and then resumed her original form and accepted the water he had brought
for her.

Rajasthan is a state on the brink of the Thar Desert and water was always a problem. Karniji gave the
blessing of water to many villages on the way. She blessed a village that their shrinking well would
always be full since they allowed her a share of their meagre water for her cows. At another village
she turned a pot of milk into ghee to the astonishment of the women.

They continued on their way and came upon a Rajput bride, weeping beside the dead body of her
husband. Karni stopped the entourage and got out and asked the woman the reason for her grief.
She replied that her husband had been bitten by a poisonous snake and now lay dead. Karnis heart
was moved by the distress of the bride. She went close to the corpse and said, Stand up Oh brave
Rajput! Immediately he got up as if from sleep. He did not know what had happened to him and
when his wife explained they both fell at Karnis feet and thanked her.
Soon they reached another village where a carpenter, Anada requested her to stay in his home
during the night. She consented and stayed there. Before she left his mother asked for a boon for her
son. She begged her for a mantra which would save him from all dangers. Karniji asked him to
remember her name when he was in danger and she would save him. A couple of days later Anada,
having repaired the wood work inside a well, proceeded to come up using a leather rope. Before he
reached the top, the leather rope broke and he felt himself falling into the well. He called out to
Kanrniji in deep anguish and immediately saw a double headed snake coming and catching the two
ends of the rope, thus allowing him to clamber safely to the top. The snake disappeared as soon as
he reached safety. Anada left his village and shifted to Deshnoke after Karniji settled there.

The party then left the village and Karniji announced that the place where they would reach at
nightfall would be the place which she would make her own. The Sri Karniji temple of today is only 2
kms from this place. Next morning after milking the cows, she drove a branch of the Khejari tree into
the earth and started using it as a pillar for churning her curd. She sprinkled some curd on the dry
branch which sprang into bloom with young and tender leaves. This tree is still alive and growing.

The place where she had decided to reside was full of grass and bushes and had been used as a
grazing ground for horses. Karni decided that that this was a good place for her to settle down with
her people and cows. The ruler of that place was a wicked man called Kanha. He ordered his vassals
to disperse the cows and drive away the party. They came with sticks and stones and assaulted
Karnis party. She merely looked at them and said, Get away you jackals! Immediately all of them
turned into jackals and ran off howling to the forest.

The next morning when she was doing her puja, Kanha came riding on an elephant. He abused her
and ordered her to clear out.

After finishing her puja, Karni came out and Kanha ordered her to leave at once. Karni replied that
she would do so if he was able to load her box on the cart. Kanhas men did their best but they could
not shift the box. The elephant was now called but even he could not move the box an inch. However
Kanha continued to threaten and abuse at her. She drew a line on the ground with a stick and
forbade him to cross the line on pain of death. Kanha defiantly rode over the line on his horse but
suddenly a lion appeared out of nowhere and killed him with a blow of his huge paws. After that
Karniji and her party continued to live unmolested in that region which later came to be known as
Deshnoke.
She strictly banned the cutting of trees and wood in and around the village except for funeral
purposes for cremation. In fact she is the forerunner of the national parks of today. These fields
provided grazing ground for the people and they could also earn their livelihood by picking fruits
which were growing in abundance. She also prohibited the brewing of country liquor and the selling
of meat. Even today you will not find liquor shops or butchers in this region.

Once when Karni went on a visit to Pugal, a pair of terrible dacoits came to Deshnoke and started
plundering and killing. They captured the cattle and killed the chief cowherd called Dashrath. They
also killed Karnis favourite bull. One of the young girls then suddenly remembered Karniji and called
to her to come to their aid. Karniji appeared immediately, holding aloft the trident in her hand,
looking like a veritable Durga. She killed the dacoits and freed the cows. She declared that when a
temple would be built for her, Dasraths idol would be kept in front of it and an eternal fire would be
lit in his remembrance. This is done to this day.

As we know Rao Shekha of Pugal was a great devotee of Karniji One day as he was sitting in his
audience chamber listening to poetry being recited by famous poets there was a clap of thunder and
a bolt of lightening streaked down in a zig-zag right on top of Shekhas head. Just then he felt as if
Karniji was beside him and protecting him with her sari which she threw over his head. He could see
nothing but the glow of her sari. All those who were standing near him had seen the bolt of
lightening and could not believe that he was still alive. Of course he was the only one who had the
vision of Karniji. At Deshnoke, people saw Karniji standing with her sari thrown like an umbrella
towards the sky. After this incident Shekha used to go on the 14th day of the bright fortnight of every
month to Deshnoke to offer worship to his goddess.

Her fame spread and many people came to her to get her blessings. Once a merchant who was her
devotee happened to be on the ship carrying merchandise to the neighbouring islands, when a storm
struck and the ship was in danger of sinking. Immediately he remembered Karniji and begged her to
save him. She was milking a cow at that time when his call came. Her mother-in-law saw her raise
her arm and stretch it out as if to catch someone. She kept her arm in that position for quite a while.
When she withdrew her hand, her mother-in-law was surprised to see that her whole sleeve was
dripping with salt water.

Once one of the scions of that region called Rao Bika came to Karniji and asked for her blessings to
establish a new fort. He resided near her and got her constant advice and encouragement in all his
undertakings. She knew that he was anxious to build a fort so she chose the spot where it should be
built and laid the foundation herself for the Bikaner fort in 1542. Rao Bika installed Karniji as the
principal goddess of the state for he firmly believed that the state of Bikaner was her gift to him.

Once when Rao Shekha came on his monthly visit to Deshnoke, Karniji proposed that his daughter
should marry Rao Bika. However Rao Sheka was reluctant to agree to this proposal. Karniji did not
say a word but soon after Shekha was arrested on some charge or other and put behind bars. His
wife came crying to Karniji and begged her to save her husband. Karniji said that her husband would
be saved if she agreed to his daughter marrying Rao Bika. The mother immediately agreed but
wondered as to who would give her daughter away in marriage since her husband was in jail! Karni
told her not to worry. It is believed that Karniji took the form of a kite and brought Sheka on her back
and carried him to the marriage function and allowed him to give away the bride!

Camels were the only means of transport in Rajasthan in those days. Once a caravan was travelling
through the desert when one of the men in the party called Chough Bithu found that his camel had
broken a leg. The rest of the party were forced to carry on, leaving Bithu behind. They assured him
that they would send another camel for him as soon as they reached the next halt. Choughji started
calling to Karniji to help him. Suddenly she appeared and told him to get back on the camel that
would carry him safely to Deshnoke. He clambered on to the camel who was standing on all fours but
immediately after they reached Deshnoke the camel died. He was surprised to find that a slender
iron rod had been inserted in the wounded camels foot. This iron was later taken out and made into
a trident which is still to be found in Karnijis temple.

Once when Karniji was returning home from a visit to the adjacent village she found a weeping girl.
When questioned, the girl said that she had hit a calf to try and drive it out of a field and the calf had
died. The sin of killing a cow was only next to the sin of killing a Brahmin and girl feared that she
would be ostracized by the villagers and banished. Karniji could never bear to see any woman in
distress so she laid her holy hands on the calf and told it to rise up. The calf jumped up and started
frisking around.

Karniji and Deepa had four sons in all. Four of the villages around Deshnoke have been named after
them. After the birth of her sons, she became a sannyasini and did not live with her husband. One
day the youngest son, Lakhan went to the lake known as Kolayat to attend a fair. Unfortunately he
drowned while swimming in the lake. His dead body was carried to Deshnoke on a bullock cart.
Karniji took the body and kept it near her in her sanctorum and closed the door for the whole night.
In the morning her son revived.

The next day she made a strange statement to Yama, the god of death. No descendent of mine
should ever be taken by you!
She declared, Every descendent of mine shall take a birth as a kaaba or mouse and remain in my
temple. When the mice die they shall be re-born as members of my family. This will continue for
generation after generation and people will revere these mice as my relations and worship them and
feed them and they shall get merit thereby!

Henceforth Karniji forbade any of her relations ever to take bath in the lake of Kolayat. They follow
this rule to this day and do not even touch the waters of this lake. This is the story of why her temple
is filled with mice that run about quite harmlessly. It is considered to be very lucky to see a white
mouse since that is supposed to be the goddess herself.

The Rawal Jaitsi of Jaisalmer was suffering from a tumour and decided to go to Deshnoke to get her
blessings. When she heard of his tumour, she decided to go there herself and thus forestall his visit.
She went with her eldest son and coachman. The Rawal was greatly touched at her kindness in
sparing him the pain of the journey. She touched the place of the tumour with her holy hands and
cured it.

While returning, her son and coachman sensed an urgency in her to reach the village of Gadiyala. It
was only when they reached that she told them that she had decided to give up her physical body at
that place. She was one hundred and fifty one years old at that time. She asked her son to go and
fetch water for her from the pond and asked the coachman to pour the water over her body as she
remained sitting firm and straight in a meditative pose. The coachman poured the water over Karniji.
Everyone who was present was awed by the sight of a pure flame of light which came out of her
body and spiralled up towards the orb of the sun. This happened on the 9th day of the bright
fortnight of the month of Chaitra (March/April) in the year 1595.

Her son broke down and started to weep uncontrollably. Then a voice spoke from the sky. No mortal
can become immortal. The body has to die some day or other. Do not grieve therefore. Go back to
Deshnoke and you will find an idol carved by a blind mason who is sleeping in my room, keeping the
idol under his head. That idol should be installed in that sanctorum by you. Her son stopped
weeping and set out to carry out his mothers wishes. He found the idol as described by her and
installed it at the sanctorum on the 14th day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, five days after her
Samadhi. This is the place where the present temple of Sri Karniji is situated. From then onwards, the
descendents of her four sons have been continuously offering worship to her in that temple. This
sanctorum where she used to conduct her worship had been constructed by her. It was a round
shaped room made with big stones which were held together without any cement, mud or water.
She had decorated the ceiling and roof with wood from the jaal tree which is a very soft wood and
not at all durable but by her grace the wood still exists in its pristine state without any signs of decay.

The fine marble work of the main gate was done during the reign of Maharajah Ganga Singh. His
minister, Sethji engaged a mason called Heerji to make the temple. Heeraji called his brother and a
famous mason called Ganga Ram along with many other masons from his village and commenced
the formidable task. Each stone was laid with great precision and care. However the masons fell out
and the work stopped and Heeraji left the place with his workers.

Sethji then called another famous mason and assigned the work to him. But after some time this
mason also got confused and left. Thus it remained incomplete for 20 years and Sethji died. Then the
former Maharaja of Bikaner, Ganga Singh took up the work and called Heeraji again to come back
and finish the work. Heeraji was above seventy years at that time and at first he refused but at the
rajas insistence he returned with his younger brother and started work on the temple afresh. After
ten years of labour the main gate of the temple was finished. Much of the work is still unfinished. No
one knows why. Maybe it is the desire of the goddess. However the marble work done by the
Maharaja is quite outstanding.

The idol of Karniji is made of the golden-coloured rocks found in Jaisalmer and was carved by a blind
mason of Jaisalmer as she had told her son. It is a very beautiful idol with a crown on her head, ear
rings and necklaces. She holds the trident in her left hand under which is the head of a lion. Her right
hand holds the head of a man. The lengha (skirt) she wears has natural folds but this is not very
visible due to the vermillion with which the idol is covered. The doors of the sanctorum are covered
with gold leaf.

There are many rooms housing various idols and a kitchen which houses two huge pots named,
Saawan and Bhadwa. On festival days, the halwa or Prasad made with 14,000 kgs of wheat is made in
these pots and distributed to all the devotees. Of course the mice get a fair share. The birth day of Sri
Karniji is the main festival here. It is said that even now people make vows to her and many miracles
still take place here. Recently a fire broke out in the ammunition department of the Bikaner army but
strangely enough no harm was caused to the town. This again is attributed to the grace of Sri Karniji.
Our driver was not sure where the temple was located. However we set out bright and early from
Gajner palace and was guided to the temple by Her grace. The desert sun beat down on us as we
walked towards the beautiful marble temple. As soon as we got in we were surrounded by hundreds
of mice. They hardly seemed to notice the people who were milling around. Some of them were
eating the sugar balls and nuts which were thrown to them by the devotees. Others were hanging
over a huge bowl of milk, drinking with great gusto. Some were fast asleep in the middle of the floor
so that you had to pick your way carefully in order to avoid them. What was most remarkable was
that none of them were afraid. Normally mice will scuttle off into their holes at the approach of
human feet. Here they moved about unafraid, busily attending to their own agenda, oblivious to the
rest of the world. We peered round the holes and corners hoping for a glimpse of the fabled white
mouse but unfortunately none of us were lucky enough to see one. Even though everything was
made of marble yet it was difficult to find a clean place to sit since people had thrown all sorts of
eatables for the mice in their effort to gain the blessing of the goddess. I was a bit unhappy to see
that many of the rodents were diseased with peeling skins since they were being fed on too many
sweets. I really wish the authorities would do something for this and forbid the giving of sweets to
the mice. They should be fed only on some healthy foods.

We stood in the queue and went into the sanctorum. We were not allowed to sit or even stand for
any length of time since people were pushing from the back. At first Arvind was not allowed to go in
since he was a white but afterwards, he was sanctioned by Karnijis grace. This has happened in many
temples I have gone with him and despite the initial obstruction he has always managed to get in.
This is not strange considering what a great devotee he is. I was anxious to see the actual idol about
which I had heard but unfortunately it was covered with so much of beautiful clothes and ornaments
that only her face was visible. It was a strange and beautiful face and I really wanted to sit in a corner
and meditate but decided against it since I must admit that I was not too happy at the thought of
mice running all over me!

However I sat for a short while without closing my eyes and what intrigued me was the fact that the
mighty Mother Goddess, has deigned to incarnate herself in so many places and forms in this
incredible country of India. Karniji was only another in the long list of goddesses who had incarnated
before her. This is indeed a punya bhumi or the Holy Land.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Amarnath
The Himalayan pilgrimages are the oldest organised travel system, evolved over time by Hindu sages.
They combine the spirit of wonder with that of adventure and spirituality. Of all these pilgrimages to
the different temples of the Himalayas, the journey to the cave temple of Amarnath is one of the
most difficult. The cave stands at 3,888 m. and is situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of the
Lidder Valley in the state of Kashmir. It is 46 Km. from Pahalgam and 141 Km. from Srinagar the
capital of Kashmir.

The temple is reported to be over 5000 years old and has been mentioned in ancient Hindu texts.
The stories in the epics narrate how the temple was formed. In ancient times the valley of Kashmir
was a big lake. The great sage called Kashyapa drained the water through a number of rivers and
rivulets and thus created the valley of Kashmir. In fact the ancient name of this region was Kashyap
Puri which eventually turned into Kashmir. Hi is said to have brought a lot of Brahmins over from
India and settled them there. The legend of the draining of the waters might be an allusion to the
geological transformation of this region, when the massive lake which was as big as a sea was
compressed by the Indian geological plate to form the Himalayas.

Once when the great sage called Bhrigu was travelling through this region he saw a cave. He was
drawn to go inside and there he was struck with wonder when he saw the huge ice lingam within. He
is said to have been the first to have Darshan of the Holy Cave with the image of Shiva, in the form of
a Lingam. It is actually a stalactite, which starts growing with the waxing of the moon in the month of
Ashada (July/August) and reaches its full size on the day of the full moon in the month of Shravana
(August/September). By its side are two more ice Lingams, which are thought to be those of Parvati
and Ganesha. This is why in ancient days when journeys to those precarious regions took much more
time than they do now, the yatra used to take a full month and began on Ashadha Poornima (Full
Moon Day of Hindu Month 'Ashadha' (July/august) and ended on Shravana Poornima (Full Moon Day
of Hindu Month 'Shravana' August/September), when the Lingam reached its zenith.

The earliest reference to Amarnath can be seen in the Nilamata Purana (v.1324), a 6th century
Sanskrit text which depicts the religious and cultural life of the early Kashmiris and details many of
Kashmirs own creation myths. The pilgrimage to the holy cave has been described with full
topographical details in the Bhringish Samhita and the Amarnatha Mahatmya. Both these ancient
texts are thought to have been composed even earlier. References to Amarnath, have also been
made in historical chronicles like the Rajatarangini and its sequels and several Western travellers
accounts. The original name of the tirtha, as given in the ancient texts is Amareshwara- the immortal
god. In course of time it became Amarnath the immortal Lord.
One of the legends gives the story of the Naga Sushruvas, who in his fury burnt to ashes the kingdom
of King Nara when the latter tried to abduct his daughter, who was already married to a Brahmin
youth. After the carnage he made his abode near the lake now known as Sheshnag, which is one of
the stops on the yatra.

Sheshnag Lake

In the Rajatarangini it is said that King Samdhimat Aryaraja (34 BCE-17CE) used to spend the most
delightful Kashmir summers in worshiping a lingam formed of ice in the regions above the forests.
This is definitely a reference to the ice lingam at Amarnath. There is yet another reference to
Amareshwara in the same book. Queen Suryamati, the wife of King Ananta (1028-1063), granted
under her husbands name, agraharas at Amareshwara, and arranged for the consecration of
trishulas, banalingas and other sacred emblems.

In his Chronicle of Kashmir, a sequel to Kalhanas Rajatarangini, Jonaraja relates that that Sultan
Zainul-abidin (1420-1470) paid a visit to the sacred tirtha of Amarnath while constructing a canal on
the left bank of the river Lidder .In the Fourth Chronicle named Rajavalipataka, which was begun by
Prjayabhatta and completed by Shuka, there is a clear and detailed reference of the pilgrimage to the
sacred site. According to it, in a reply to Akbars query about Kashmir, Yusuf Khan, the Mughal
governor of Kashmir at that time, described among other things the Amarnath Yatra in full detail.

Amareshwar (Amarnath) was a famous pilgrimage place in the time of the Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan also. In his eulogy of Shah Jahans father-in-law Asif Khan, titled Asaf Vilas, the famous
Sanskrit scholar Panditraj Jagannath makes clear mention of Amareshwara (Amarnath) while
describing the Mughal garden Nishat laid out by Asif Khan. The King of gods Indra himself, he says,
comes here to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva

Francois Bernier, a French physician, accompanied Emperor Aurangzeb during his visit to Kashmir in
1663. In his book Travels in the Mughal Empire, he writes an account of all the places he visited in
Kashmir. He says that he went on a journey to a grotto full of wonderful ice formations which was a
two days journey from Sangsafed. At that time he was recalled by the emperor who was worried by
his long absence. The editor of the second edition of the English translation of the book, Vincient A.
Smith, writes in his introduction: The grotto full of wonderful coagulations is the Amarnath cave,
where blocks of ice, stalactites formed by dripping water from the roof are worshipped by many
Hindus who deem these to be the images of Shiva.
Another traveller, Vigne, in his book Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh and Iskardu writes about the
pilgrimage to the sacred spot in detail, mentioning that the ceremony at the cave of Amarnath takes
place on the 15th of the Hindoo month of Sawan and that Hindoos of every rank and caste can be
seen collecting together and travelling up the valley of Liddar towards the celebrated cave. He
visited Kashmir after his return from Ladakh in 1840-41 and published his book in 1842. His book
claims that the Amarnath Yatra drew pilgrims from the whole of India in his time and was undertaken
with great enthusiasm.

Amareshwara- The Immortal God

Guru Arjan Dev is said to have granted land in Amritsar for the ceremonial departure of Chari, the
holy mace of Lord Shiva which marks the beginning of the Yatra to the Holy Cave. In 1819, the year in
which the Afghan rule came to an end in Kashmir, Pandit Hardas Tiku founded the Chhawni
Amarnath at Ram Bagh in Srinagar where the Sadhus from the plains assembled and were given free
rations for the journey, both ways from his own private resources. This has been referred to by the
Kashmiri naturalist Pandit Samsar Chand Kaul, in his booklet titled The Mysterious cave of
Amarnath. The cave is deeply enshrined in Kashmiri folklore.

Local legend has it that a shepherd boy called Buta Malik, belonging to the nomadic tribe of the
Gujars was the one who discovered the cave. He found a sage inside the cave who gave him a sack
full of coal. On reaching home he opened the bag and found to his utter surprise that the bag was
full of gold coins. He ran back to thank the sage but could not find him. However he found the
spectacular ice lingam of Lord Shiva. He couldnt believe his eyes and ran back and announced the
discovery of this miracle to the villagers. Then onwards the cave became a sacred place of
Pilgrimage. Even today part of the money collected from pilgrims is given to Buta Maliks family.

Amarnath is the place where Shiva divulged the secret of immortality, (Amar Katha) to his wife
Parvati. She had been questioning him incessantly about these esoteric secrets. He had tried to
shelve her questions but when he found that she was indeed a determined student, he agreed to tell
her. He chose an isolated spot far from civilization and this was the cave of Amarnath. It is said that
he even left behind his faithful servitors along the way. He left Nandi, his bull vehicle at the village of
Pahalgam. At the next village of Chandanwari, he released the moon from his hair and on the banks
of Lake Sheshnag, he released the snakes entwining his neck and hair. His son Ganesha was left at
the high plateau of Mahagunas and at Panchatarni, he left behind, the Five Elements - earth, water,
air, fire and sky - that make life possible. As a final precaution, Shiva created a replica of himself
called Kalagni and ordered him to set fire and eliminate every living creature in and around the Holy
Cave. Finally, he entered the cave with his wife, Parvati. He sat on a deerskin and started to meditate.
When he came out of his Samadhi he started to narrate the Amar Katha or the secret of immortality
to Parvati. Unknown to them, a pair of mating doves eavesdropped on this conversation and learnt
the secret. These birds are reborn again and again, and have made the cave their eternal abode. Even
today these birds can be seen by pilgrims.

The original pilgrimage used to start from Srinagar on the fifth day (panchami) of the bright fortnight
of the month of Shravana (August/September). The next halt was at Pampur, 9 miles south east of
Srinagar. Subsequent halts were at Avantipur, Brijbihara and Martand. En route to Martand are
Anantnag and Gautamnag. Martand is known for its ancient temple dedicated to the Sun God, which
is now in ruins. It is known as the architectural lion of Kashmir. It is a temple with a colonnade of 84
columns full of artistic work. This temple dates back to Lalitaditya of Kashmir of the 8th century. The
next halt is at Aishmukam, and the next is Pahalgam, which is reached on Dasami, the tenth day of
the bright half of the month. At Pahalgam is the confluence of the rivers Seshnag and Liddar.
Pahalgam is 96 Km. from Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir.

Amarnath is the place where Shiva divulged

the secret of immortality, to his wife Parvati.

Nowadays the pilgrimage starts from Chandanwadi. It is the confluence of the rivers Asthan Marg
and Seshnag. From there the pilgrims have to go to the peak called Pishu Ghati, thought to be the
site where the demons were crushed by the gods. From there the trek takes you to the glacial lake
called Seshnag which is 12000 feet above sea level. The next halt is at Wavjan and then the terrible
trek to the plateau known as Mahagunus which is 14000 feet. From here there is a descent leading to
Panchatarni. This is the last halt and from here, the cave of Amarnath is reached on the day of full
moon, when the stalactite reaches its full and stunning formation and becomes a perfect lingam,
smooth and rounded at the top with a space at the bottom where your hand can pass.
I did this trek to Amarnath twenty five years ago with two other friends. We were from the south and
had very little idea of when the actual trek would start. I had only heard of the temple of Amaranth
and as usual with all my treks, the Lord Himself gave me the desire and then prompted me to go and
guided me. Those were the days when there was no web and no Google from which one could get so
many ideas of what was in store for you. All I had was a burning desire to have darshan of the Lord.
Somehow I managed to convince my two friends to come with me. We went to Delhi by train and
then to Srinagar by bus, passing through some spectacular scenery. From there we went to
Pahalgam. It was already the fifth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadra. The pilgrimage
had already finished on the full moon day of Shravana. I had no idea that this was a trek meant only
to be undertaken at a specified time so we pressed on to Chandanwari. When we reached there we
were given the happy news that the trek was impossible at this time of the year and no one would
accompany us. Without a guide we would be totally lost. There was dismal drizzle during the 3 days
that we stayed there. I prayed and prayed to the great Lord (Maheswara) to allow us to go but the
prospects were bleak. On the third morning which was a Monday and special for Shiva, I went to the
Amaranth temple in Chandanwari. After my prayers I met the priest and told him how anxious I was
to go to the cave temple. He gave me a scornful look and said, Tumko bilkul nai ja sakta! (You will
never be able to go there!)

Till then I had been having high hopes that somehow we would be able to manage it but at that
moment I felt that I was being told by Amarnathji himself that it would be impossible and I just burst
into tears. Why did you bring me to this point if you did not mean to take me there? I asked him. At
last I rallied round and told myself sternly that He was just testing my resolve and only those who
were truly determined would be able to have His darshan. My friends urged me not to go on with
this foolhardy venture and that we should stay a couple more days in that delightful town and return
home. I stubbornly resisted their pleas since I felt deep within my bones that HE would not let me
down. But I also knew that going on our own was out of the question so I decided to ask some of the
pony drivers if they would be willing to come. Most of them refused. At last 3 Muslim pony owners
agreed and said they would come with us. They asked for a stiff fee but I was forced to agree since
there was no one else. My friends reluctantly agreed to accompany me even though they thought it
very rash.

The ride took us through 12 kms of spectacular primeval country side. Towering over us was the
Sheshnag Mountain which was so called due to the seven peaks resembling the head of the mythical
snake, Sheshnag on which Lord Vishnu relaxes. A cascading stream accompanied us with wild
scenery untouched by modern civilization. I drank the waters of the river and discovered for the first
time what was meant by the words sweet water. I couldnt stop drinking, it was so sweet. The
second night camp was normally at Wavjan which overlooks the deep blue waters of the glacial lake
called Sheshnag. This lake was still and blue and was a perfect mirror for the dark peaks surrounding
it. The whole scene was unbelievable and looked as if it was a painting since everything was so still
and not a ripple marred the clear reflection of the mountains on the lake. One could not tell where
the mountains ended and where the lake began. The tales of love and revenge associated with
Sheshnag came vividly to my mind. Of course we did not stop there since we could not afford to lose
even a day and thus we carried on, up and up, through the most rocky and difficult terrain, steadily
gaining height till we reached the dreaded Mahagunas Pass at 4600 mtrs (14,000 feet). It was a real
stiff climb which we did on foot since it was too steep and rocky to go on the ponies. The rarefied air
and the fact that we were really ill clad for such weather was a bit disconcerting but I felt exhilarated.

At the top there was a brisk wind which nearly blew us off. Obviously there had been a downfall of
snow in the plateau and as we pressed on in the pristine snow, I saw a huge three-toed footprint. I
was terribly excited to see it and thought that it must be the Himalayan yeti. I asked the pony drivers
about it. They also said that a huge creature which resembled a human being and which had only
three toes was often seen by them. I peered anxiously into the distance to have a glimpse of the
beast but except for that one huge footprint there was nothing. Where had he vanished? What
would we do if we were confronted by such a creature? I thought to myself. As if to tease me I
suddenly spied a tiny little creature looking like a chipmunk which was scurrying around, foraging for
food. It suddenly crossed our path but apart from that there was nothing to mar the breathtaking
panorama of pure white untouched snow stretching as far as the eye could see. The weather was
freezing but the fact was that I hardly noticed it. I was so intoxicated by the air and the land and the
feeling that the Great Lord (Mahadeva), was striding above us.

Once we crossed the plateau we had to descend to the meadow land called Panchatarni where we
had to halt for the night, before setting out for the last lap to the Amarnath Cave. We reached
Panchatarni at sunset and I had an amazing vision of Lord Shiva in his form as a Yaksha. It was a huge
figure which strode across the plain with his hair flying in the wind, holding his damaru in his hand.
He had one foot on one mountain and the other on the other mountain and was towering over the
meadow. I was thrilled with this sight and couldnt even talk about it to my friends. Even today I can
close my eyes and recall that amazing figure, silhouetted against the crimson sky.

Near Panchatarni

The pony drivers went straight to a pilgrim shed at Panchtarni, which had already been locked for the
year. This was the only place where we could get shelter from the weather. Somehow they managed
to break open the lock. There were two rooms out of which I was given one and the others shared
with the drivers. The windows were nailed down with planks to keep out the snow and wind so there
was no light at all. The drivers prepared some sort of dinner for us and something to be taken for the
next day.
I was so excited that I hardly slept.

From Panchtarni to Amarnath the distance is only 6 kms and an early morning start was advisable
since we had to return to the same place on the same day before nightfall. Usually pilgrims could
return to Panchtarni in time for lunch and continue up to Sheshnag for the night halt. It was a clear,
bright day and very, very cold. As I said we were most ill clad for the climate and did not even have
gloves or a jacket. All we had were sweaters and shawls! I was keen to walk a little but the drivers
seemed rather anxious and urged us to go as fast as possible on the ponies. They were a taciturn lot
and didnt talk much to us so we didnt know why they were anxious since the day seemed very good
to us. It was a tortuous path which eventually led to a ledge about three feet wide with a steep rocky
mountain on one side and a sheer drop of perhaps five hundred feet on the other. I made the
mistake of looking down and had to hang on to my pony since I felt terribly dizzy. Fortunately the
ponies were very sure footed and I just clung on without daring to look down. After this came the
decline to the small valley ending in the magical cave.

The drivers were very stern with us and told us not to waste a moment.

We were allowed to just run down to the cave, have darshan and run back again. I couldnt believe
that after all this we had actually reached the cave. I ran down and as I ran I remember noticing the
two doves which were flying here and there near the mouth of the cave. In those days there was no
litter and no signs of civilization except for some red flags which were fluttering in the breeze. I went
and stood in front and was enthralled by the overwhelming beauty of the place. The lingam was
much bigger than I had expected. In fact it filled the whole cave and came from the top of the cave
right down without touching the ground at the bottom. It was slowly starting to melt and
disintegrate! Even so it was an awe- inspiring sight. What would it have been like at its zenith! Near
by were the two other lingams which were supposed to be of Parvati and Ganesha. But these had
already slid to the ground. Tears rolled down my eyes and all I could do was to chant Aum
Namashivaaya! I didnt feel the cold rising from the ground when I prostrated fully, thanking Him
again and again for bringing us to this divine spot. I didnt feel like stirring from the place but the
voices of my friends brought me back to consciousness.

Come on, Come on! they said, The pony drivers are shouting for us.

Somehow I scrambled up to the ledge where the ponies were waiting for us. I wanted to sit and stare
at the cave for a while but the drivers sternly refused. The ponies also seemed strangely restless and
were snorting and stamping the ground. We have to go fast, said the drivers. A storm is coming
and we have to reach Panchtarni before dark. But its only six kms. from here I said, and we can
reach it in a couple of hours.

It was already eleven oclock. The men said nothing but packed us on to the ponies without giving us
time to eat the breakfast we had brought. We had hardly crossed the ledge when the whole situation
changed. The sun disappeared in a flurry of snow and the whole sky became overcast. As we drove
on it became darker and darker and soon the blizzard started to blow in all its fury. There was a
driving wind which blew the snow into our faces which were totally unprotected. As I said we didnt
even have gloves. I couldnt even put my hands into my pockets since I had to hang on to the reins.
Fortunately the ponies were determined, sure-footed little creatures that seemed to know their way
perfectly. The men walked beside them with their heads down. Their turbans covered their heads
and a scarf was tied round their mouths so that only their eyes could be seen.

Very soon I couldnt see who was in front of me and who was behind. But I thought I should try and
encourage my friends who had come only at my compulsion. Let us chant Aum Namashivaaya I
said and tried to say it but no one seemed inclined to follow and soon I too could not speak a word.
The sound of the wind was terrible to hear and the driving snow made it impossible to open your
mouth. I had to close my eyes and put my head down or else Id have been blinded. Of course none
of us had thought of bringing glasses. One might think that this would have been a nightmare
journey. But somehow that is not my memory of it. The thought that we might all die on that lonely
mountain side within a few minutes did not even occur to me. I felt exalted and never for one
moment was I frightened. Inside me was a deep sense of gratitude that He had allowed me to
glimpse His glory not just in the cave but in all his magnitude on the mountains. It was pitch dark and
any moment we might have plummeted down hundreds of feet into a ravine. But I was beyond
thought.

Glacer Amernath

Inch by inch the ponies pushed their way through the storm until they reached the pilgrim shed
where we had spent the night. I found that it was impossible for me to get off the pony since I was
totally frozen stiff. Two of the men had to lift me off the saddle and take me inside and put me down
on a bench and still I couldnt flex my legs or arms. My hands were like pieces of wood and refused to
obey my commands. They wouldnt open and were still bent as if clutching the reins. The men got a
fire going but when I stumbled towards it, anxious to show my hands and feet before, they sternly
refused to let me do so. One of them took my hands and placed them under his armpits and held
them there for a long time before they thawed and only then did he allow me to go near the fire. I
was told that the best way to get frost bite was to go straight to a fire and try to thaw your hands and
feet. Luckily my friends were not half as badly off as I was. They confessed to me later that they
never thought we would make it.

I tried to get some sleep but couldnt do so due to the howling of the winds and the rattling of the
windows. I expected the whole roof to be ripped off any minute and all of us exposed to the snow
and wind. Very slowly towards dawn the blizzard withdrew itself to its own secret hiding place from
which it had come to explore the earth and wreak whatever havoc it could do as if it were indeed
part of the asuric (demon) hordes which used to bear down upon the land in times of yore. At last
we woke up to a bright morning. When we went out the whole world looked as if it was covered with
a white, fur blanket so pure and pristine that I felt the storm of the previous night was just a bad
dream.

We climbed back on our ponies and I found that my bottom was really sore. However there was
nothing for it but to press on to Chandanwari. As the day wore on, our spirits also rose and as we
rode into the little town we felt like conquering heroes. One by one people started to come to the
road to watch our triumphant return and soon the streets were lined on either side. Some of them
even cheered. No one thought we would ever make it through that terrible blizzard. If I had a hat I
would have twirled it around and tossed it into the air. As it was we shouted for joy and waved at all
the people who were there. That evening I went to the Amaranth temple and told the priest that his
prediction had proved false and we had indeed made the trip to the cave. He was really astounded
and refused to make any comment. But I had a comment, If god wills, He can make the impossible,
possible!

Aum Namashivaaya!

Balaji Hanuman of Menhendipur

I had wanted to go to Mehendipur to see Balaji ever since I wrote about him in the Vanamali book on
Hanuman. How I got the information is anybodys guess but its a fact that every time I start writing
about any deity, the information I need comes to me in a mysterious fashion. It is said that whenever
you want to go to a temple, the deity s wish to see you should match your own, only then will the
visit come to pass. So this November when my sister came for a visit we decided that this was the
best time to go to see him and obviously he also agreed since my sister is a great Hanuman bhakta.

We took a car from Delhi all the way to Mehendipur and reached about 1 pm and went straight to
the temple. We had been given a special police escort which enabled the car to go right up to the
temple which was a boon to my sister who is not able to walk much. The entrance did not look
anything like a mandir and we were escorted by the side gate into the temple where we could gaze
as long as we liked from the side. The figure is cut out of the rock and had a strange look on his face.
In fact this was one of the weirdest Hanuman temples I had ever been to. The whole place vibrated
with some power which I could not quite place. In front of the deity were placed all types of food like
laddus and types of fruits and sweets which were liked by Hanuman. After praying we came to the
main entrance and found it was quite empty so we went once more by the actual entrance and I was
intrigued to see quite a few girls sitting on the side who appeared to be in some sort of trance.
Sometimes one of them would roll their head around and emit some cry like a soul in agony. It was
only later that I was able to understand the reason for all this. As usual I offered a garland to Balaji
since my main offering to any deity was a garland or vanamala since that was my Vanamalis
favorite offering and to me all gods whatever their shape or form was only another form of my
beloved Vanamali.

We went out of the side gate and were ushered to another underground sanctum in which was the
second special deity of that place. He was Lord Bairava which is a fierce form of Shiva. Of course like
all Shivas figures, this was only a big black stone and one had to stand to a side and bend down to
have a glimpse of the deity.

Sri Pretaraj

King of Ghosts

From there we were taken up the stairs to the third deity of this amazing temple and he is Pretaraj or
the king of ghosts. He is also known as Yamaraj or the king of death. There is an eternal fire burning
in front of him being fed by the priests. There was a big hall adjacent to this in which were seated
many people of both sexes who all appeared to be either intoxicated or possessed of some spirit for
they were swaying from side to side with disheveled hair and groaning now and again. It was almost
2 pm by then and the man who was escorting us told us to wait a few more minutes and we could
watch the show! Apparently from 2 to 4 pm all these poor people who were possessed by spirits or
considered mad would start dancing to some music and slowly they would get cured. This was the
specialty of this temple. However neither of my companions was interested in staying for this exotic
sight so we had to leave even though I did manage to sit for a few minutes in that hall pulsating with
strange vibrations.

Now let us look into some facts about this extraordinary temple. The shrine is supposed to have
miraculous powers to cure all those suffering from insanity or those possessed by evil spirits or
ghosts. Many such people, known locally as sankatwalas flock there in hundreds and get cured.
The deity is known as Sri Bheruji Pret Raj Sarkar. The temple priest, Sri Kishore Puriji prescribes the
necessary treatments. First of all they are made to stick to a strict vegetarian diet and then made to
read some of the Holy Scriptures. If the spirit inhabiting their bodies is a really malefic one, the
patient even has to be beaten or given some other physical pain like rolling stones on their chests or
other parts of their bodies to force the spirit to leave the body. When the patient is violent he is even
shackled to stop him from running away and attacking people. I had been to such a temple in Kerala
called Chottanikkara which is a Devi temple and such sights are common at that place so I wasnt
shocked as some others who had never seen such sights before. But as we say the proof of the
pudding is in the eating and apparently ninety percent of the victims who go there return home
totally cured. Hence the popularity of the place.

The Hanuman is known as Balaji since he is only a baby monkey here. The story goes that at one time
the baby Hanuman had jumped at the sun thinking it to be some sort of exotic fruit and to stop him
from doing harm, Indra the king of gods had given him a hard whack with his thunderbolt which had
made him fall. His father, the wind god had rescued him and took him away to a safe place to recover
and this was the place where the baby (bala) Hanuman had been kept safe by his father. Baby
though he is, he is capable of curing all ailments of both body and mind and granting all powers to
his devotees.

The story of the place goes back a thousand years. This was a dense forest infested with wild beasts
at the foothills of the Aravalli range. The ancestor of the present Mahant had a dream in which a
divine voice ordered him to be prepared to take up the duty of serving the Lord in his form as Balaji.
In his dream he saw thousands of flickering lights approaching the place. When they came near he
saw that the lights were being carried by a huge army of men accompanied by horses and elephants.
They circumambulated Balaji and the commander came and prostrated to him. After this the whole
of this extraordinary contingent returned the way they had come. At that time the priest heard a
voice telling him, Rise up and attend to my pujas. I intend to perform many miracles here. When
he woke up he started searching for the place he had seen in his dream but could not find it. At last
after doing intense sadhana the Lord appeared before him and directed him to the place where he
found the three divine forms. These three deities are Pavana putra Hanuman, Sri Bhairava Baba and
Swayambhu or Sri Pretraj Sarkar. He started doing pujas there and very soon miracles started to
occur and people started to come pouring in. During the Muslim rule someone even tried to uproot
the idol of Balaji but they could never find the base and soon realized that the whole mountain was
his body! Soon the fame of the temple spread and people who were in deep distress due to various
factors including possession by spirits started flocking to this place and all were cured by Balajis
grace. A small pot which is kept at the feet of the deity is always full of water due to the continuous
flow of water from the left side of the Lords chest. This is sprinkled on the heads of the afflicted and
suffering and gives immediate relief.

I would have liked to stay the night at the place and go for another darshana but my companions
were anxious to reach our next destination and thus we went to the town of Dosha and the next day
we proceeded to Nathdwara and my darling Giridari Vanamali.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

SHIRDI
Shirdi was a very small and insignificant village in Maharashtra, quite unknown to most people. It is
in the district of Ahmednagar. One has to cross the Godavari river at a place called Kopergaon before
reaching Shirdi. For some inexplicable reason known only to himself, this was the place chosen by
the great saint, Shirdi Sai Baba to make his appearance. Today it has become a flourishing town
attracting millions of devotees from all over the world because it was on this blessed spot that Sai
Baba played his immortal lilas.

The life of this saint is remarkable in as much as nobody knows his parentage, name, birth place or
caste. Many people asked him these questions but he always parried them and refused to answer
any question regarding his personal life. He revealed himself under a neem (margosa) tree just
outside the village at the middle of the 19th century. He appeared to be about fourteen years of age
and was sitting and practicing meditation under the tree for days, without caring for the heat or cold
or rain. The simple folk pestered him with questions but all he said was that it was under this tree
that his guru had practiced penance. After this the boy disappeared for some years.

His next appearance was with a marriage party which was coming to the village of Shirdi from the
village of Dhoop. The marriage party was being led by a Muslim called Chand Patil. This man had lost
his horse on one of his journeys and though he searched everywhere he couldnt find it. As he was
walking back dejectedly, he saw a fakir (holy man) sitting under a mango tree. The fakir beckoned to
Chand Patil who went near and saw that he was preparing to smoke a chillum ( a kind of pipe). He
asked Chand Patil what he was looking for and when he heard about the lost horse, he advised him
to go and search near the rivulet. To his amazement, Chand Patil found the horse quietly grazing at
the exact spot pointed out by the fakir. He realised that the man not an ordinary person. When he
returned to the fakir, the latter was just about to smoke his pipe but he had neither of the two things
necessary to light it. There was no fire and no water to wet the cloth to put over the pipe. The fakir
casually took his stick and thrust it into the earth and came out with a live ember which he put into
his pipe. Then he dashed his stick on the ground and immediately water started to trickle out. The
Fakir prepared the pipe and drew hard at it and handed it over to the astonished Chand Patil. The
latter now invited him to go and stay in his house. This invitation was accepted and in a few days
when Chand Patils marriage party set out to Shirdi, the fakir also accompanied him.

When the marriage party came to the outskirts of Shirdi, it stopped just outside the temple of
Khandoba. A person called Mahalsapati was the priest of this temple and when he saw the young
fakir he was so struck by his looks that he addressed him as Ya Sai (welcome Sai). This name stuck
to him and ever since people started addressing him as Sai Baba. Nobody knew his real name, if he
had one. From that day onwards Sai Baba lived in Shirdi till his Mahasamadhi in October 1918. He
lived all his life in a broken down masjid or deserted mosque which he called Dwarakamai. He kept a
dhuni or sacred fire burning all the day and night and distributed the ashes from this to people with
his blessings. This ash had miraculous powers and even today it is capable of curing all ailments.
Today Shirdi has become a bustling town to which hundreds of people come to worship at the shrine
which contains the mortal remains of the great saint. He had prophesied that his tomb would speak
and anyone who came there would be blessed. And so it has come to pass.

I had been wanting to go to Shirdi for many years and last August I suddenly decided that the time
had come for me to go there. It is said that no one can go to Shirdi without Babas permission so I
prayed to him to grant my request. Hardly a week later a series of episodes took place which can only
be called miraculous. A set of people whom I had never met arranged the whole trip for me. A
person who lives in Dubai sent me a mail to say that he would arrange the whole trip and even
offered to pay all my expenses. I was quite overwhelmed as can be imagined but decided to play
along with Babas lilas. I made a booking from Delhi to a station called Manmad which I was told was
the closest I could get to Shirdi. I was met at the station by someone with a car and taken to Shirdi
where accommodation had been arranged at a very good hotel. I spent three days there and
attended what are known as aratis which take place three times a day. Usually one has to stand in a
Q for hours in order to enter the temple and take part in the arati. To my astonishment I was given
VIP passes for all the aratis, for all 3 days. The chief priest showered me with prasad and even did a
special arati for me. He also invited me to his house and gave me special prasad.

My first darshan of Baba left me speechless with joy. He looked so beautiful. The statue is made of
white marble and looks quite life like. He was seated in his classic pose on a granite stone with his
right leg bent over the left and left hand resting on his right foot. I felt he was looking straight at me
and smiling. The only thing which upset me was that he was dressed in a green gown and my
favourite colour is purple. Needless to say the next time I went for darshan he was dressed in my
favourite shade of lavender!

The morning arati was a wonderful experience. I was allowed to go by the back way and stand right
in front of him. They sing a song to wake him up and again the coincidence, if it can be called such
was amazing. They began the whole ritual by using a waking up song for my darling Vanamali! It was
as if Baba wanted to assure me that HE was indeed Vanamali and had been waiting for me to come
all these years. My eyes filled with tears and I just couldnt contain my emotions. I knew then that it
was indeed true that he was still there calling his devotees to him, blessing them with the fulfilment
of their desires, blessing them with enlightenment if that was what they desired. After the ritual was
over they started chanting my favourite invocation to Vanamali called the Vishnu Sahasranama. The
prasad which was distributed that day was butter instead of their usual stuff which is Krishnas
favourite.

There were many such so called "coincidences" but for me they were all miracles. I felt that every
moment Baba was watching over me and seeing to my every comfort. After each puja, the ushers
would tell everybody to leave the hall but one morning they somehow overlooked the fact that I was
sitting right in front of his shrine and I was able to finish all my prayers before thy spotted me.

Thursday is a special day at Shirdi as it is in Vanamali ashram. Even on this day I was given front place.
On Thursday nights the famous Chavadi procession takes place where Babas picture is taken in
procession from the Masjid to the place known as the Chavadi close by just as it was during his
lifetime. The streets are crowded at this time and it is very difficult even to get a glimpse of the
procession but again we managed to get a place right in front of the procession so that we had the
best view of it. I know that most of these things may not mean much to all or many or some of you
but to me as I said everything was a miracle.

After the three miraculous days were over, Baba arranged that I was taken to many other famous
pilgrim spots in and around Shirdi. I went to the Khandoba temple which was where the wedding
party had rested. There my attention was drawn to a small doorway over which was written
Mahalsapatis grandson. As has been narrated earlier, Mahalsapathi had been he priest of the
temple when Baba came with the marriage party and he was the first one who welcomed him and
addressed him as Sai. So it was possible that his grandson might even have seen Baba when he was
alive. I went into the room and saw a wizened old man curled up on a cot. When he saw me he sat
up and beckoned. I went near him and he placed his hands on my head and blessed me. I felt that it
was indeed Baba who was blessing me. I asked him if he had seen Baba and he said that he had been
four years old at the time of Babas Mahasamadhi and he had had the good fortune to have been
blessed by him and to have sat on his lap. I couldnt believe my luck. I had been asking the people
who were escorting me, whether there was anyone left in Shirdi who had seen Baba but they said
that they had never met anyone. Baba had led me to the very person I had been looking for. Babas
grace is really inexplicable.

The people who had been deputed by Baba to look after me took me to many other wonderful spots
and at last dropped me back to Manmad station where I took the train back to Delhi. I know that
many other people have had such miraculous experiences with Baba but each one feels that her
experience is unique.

For those who want to visit Shirdi, the easiest way is to fly to Bombay and then take a taxi to Shirdi. It
takes about six hours from Bombay. They will be able to make this pilgrimage only if Baba allows it
and for this the only way is to pray to him and beg him to give his permission. Once that is given
every detail of the journey will be taken care of in a miraculous fashion.

Jai Sai Ram

Miracle in Malaysia

April 18, 2006

Dear All,

Yesterday one of Valliamma's friends took me to a small

house outside KL in which many miracles had been

taking place. An old lady lived there with her

daughter.

Her puja room was dominated by a large picture

of Sathya Sai and a smaller one of Shirdi Sai.

The Satya Sai picture couldn't be seen at all since

it was completely covered with one thick streak of

vibhuti, one thick streak of kum-kum and another of

sandal or turmeric.
As soon as I entered what drew my attention was

the picture of Shirdi Baba. He was in a standing pose

wearing orange robes. But my eyes were drawn to

the hem of the robe which was slowly turning purple!!

I couldn't believe it.

I asked Valliamma what color it had been when she came last

and she said it had been completely orange and now she

was also amazed to see this purple. We asked the old

lady about this and she said she had also noticed this

phenomenon which had started just a few days ago. It

was slowly turning purple.

You can imagine how happy I was. From beneath his feet

a type of oil keeps oozing and filling a vessel they have kept beneath.

In fact they have to syphon this out everyday. This oil is

supposed to be very effective for aches and pains. On

another side from the statue of the chinese goddess of

plenty, there was oozing another type of oil, greenish

in color which they said was good for the eyes.

They had recently got a photo of Sathya Sai which was at a

side and suddenly when I turned round there were

patches of vibhuti (ashes) on it. I pointed it out to

the lady and she said it hadn't been there before. She

was very happy to hear that I was coming from Rishikesh

and took me to the inner sanctorum where there was a

lot of all these three things coming from the various

pictures. She said that place was even more powerful.

I felt a strong presence of the Divine Mother there

and told her that the reason she was getting kum kum

and turmeric was because of the presence of the

goddess since normally in most Sai Baba places only

vibhuti comes.

She was a sweet simple soul and was

very happy to hear this. She was also a Subramanya

bhakta and had recently got some prasadam from Palni,

which she insisted on sharing with me. I was really

happy since it was a Tuesday which is very special for

Subramanya. An idol of Ganesha had been kept in the

sanctorum to be blessed and we saw that it had been

covered with sandal powder which she said was a recent

phenomenon.
She lives in a predominantly chinese area

and apparently all of them have great faith in her

miracles and they come to collect the oil and vibhuti

and have even presented her with a big idol of Ganesha

which is kept outside in the garden. She seemed to be

really happy to see me and kept giving me all sorts of

things. Extra vibhuti and kum kum from inside the

sanctorum and fruits and flowers and a coconut etc.

Such a simple soul she was. Spoke only Tamil. It was

quite a remarkable experience and I would have been

happy to have stayed and meditated there for a few

hours but unfortunately the person who had taken us

was in a hurry to get home.

Love and blessings,

Mata Vanamali

Jagannath Puri
The rishis of ancient India knew that a divine force pervaded every particle of the universe and this
was the only force which could protect everything whether it was an individual or a country. They
did not depend on governments or military for their protection but had faith only in the divine.
Hence from hoary times they established temples all over the sub-continent of India in order to
protect the country from evil forces. Out of these four dhams or temples which were built in the four
directions are renowned for being extremely holy. These are Badrinath in the north, set in the great
Himalayan heights in the state of Garwal, Rameswaram in the south on the Gulf of Mannar which
separates Sri Lanka from the mainland of India, Dwaraka in the west on the Arabian Sea in the state
of Gujarat and Jagannath Puri in the east on the Bay of Bengal, in the state of Orissa.

Home of Daru-Brahma Jagannath

Three of these great dhams are dedicated to Lord Vishnu and one to Lord Shiva. The Lord in his form
as Shiva is continuously having ritual baths in the temple of Rameswaram, he then gets dressed and
anointed in Dwaraka and then takes his food in Jagannath Puri and finally goes for tapasya in
Badrinath. Time has been divided into four yugas or eons in Hinduism and each of these dhams are
special to one of the yugas.

He was worshipped as Lord Narayana in the Satya Yuga in Badrinath, as Rama in the Treta Yuga in
Rameswaram, as Krishna in the Dwapara Yuga in Dwaraka and as Daru-Brahma Jagannath in the
present yuga of Kali at the Srikshetra in Puri.

Actually Puri is referred to by many names in the Puranas. This place was originally a hilly forest
known as Nila, hence it was known as Nilachal, Niladri or Nilagiri. Since the site resembles a right
oriented conch shell, it is also called Shanka Kshetra. It is also known as Purushottama Kshetra since
Vishnu resides here as Purushottama, the perfect being.

Once in Dwarka, Lord Krishna's wives requested mother Rohini to narrate the divine

episodes of the Lord with the Gopis when He was in Vraj. Mother Rohini agreed but

considering it unbecoming of Subhadra to hear such episodes (Leela), she sent her

to guard the palace doorway. At that time Krishna and Balarama arrived at the
 doorway. With arms wide apart, Subhadra sood between the two brothers - preventing

them from entering the palace. However, from where they stood, Rohini's katha soon

engrossed them all. Just then, sage Narada arrived. Seeing the three (Krishna,

Subhadra and Balarama) standing together like murtis, he humbly prayed: MAY THE

THREE OF YOU GRANT DARSHAN IN THIS MANNER FOREVER. The Lord granted

the boon. And the three eternally reside in the Jagannath Mandir in Puri.

Different stories are found in various Puranas describing the origin of this temple. The place was
once a thickly wooded, hilly region inhabited by the tribe known as Savara. Their chief secretly
worshipped the Lord in the form Nila Madhava or the blue Vishnu, in the heart of the forest. At that
time in the city of Avanti there was a king called Indradyumna who was a great devotee of Vishnu. He
was told in a dream that his Lord could be seen in his most perfect form in the state of Utkala
(Orissa). The royal priests brother, Vidyapati was deputed to go to Orissa to find the deity and bring
it back if possible. He went to the place described in the dream and found that Nila Madhava was the
family deity of the chief of the Savaras, who were a local tribe. Their chieftain refused to divulge the
secret place of worship to Vidyapati. The latter was not to be put off so easily and he continued to
stay at the place and eventually married Lalita, the chiefs daughter. He begged her to intercede for
him. The chief was unable to refuse his daughters pleas to show her husband the secret place. So he
blindfolded his son-in-law and took him to a cave in the midst of a dense forest. Vidyapati very
cleverly dropped mustard seeds along the way. These sprouted in a few days and he followed the
sprouts and found his way to the secret cave. Inside he found an image of extraordinary luster made
of a huge deep blue sapphire which he knew instantly to be the idol of Nila Madhava which the chief
had been worshipping. He returned immediately and gave all the facts to Indradyumna. The king set
out on a pilgrimage to Niladri but when he went to the cave he found that the idol of Nila Madhava
had disappeared. The king was plunged in sorrow but again he had a dream in which he was told to
perform an Ashwamedha Yaga (Horse Sacrifice) and then he would find a log of wood on the
seashore from which he could carve an image. He did as commanded and found the log of wood
floating on the sea.

The king advertised for sculptors to find out the best person for the job. However none of them were
able to do anything. The moment they put their chisel to the wood, the sharp portion became blunt.
At last Vishwakarma, the architect of the gods appeared as an old man and offered to do the job. But
he made the condition that he should be allowed to work unmolested for twenty one days inside a
room with only the log of wood and that no one should disturb him before the stipulated period. For
the first two weeks the sound of hammering and sawing could be heard but after that all sounds
stopped and at the insistence of the queen, Gundicha, Indradyumna pushed open the door and
found to his dismay that there was no trace of the sculptor. However he found three idols which
were incomplete. They were fashioned only from the waist upwards. The hands of Jagannath and
Balabhadra had not been completed and Subhadra had no hands at all.

Jai Jagannatha!

The four-fold figures are aspects of the one and same principle. It is said that each one corresponds
to one syllable of the word Ja-gan-na-tha. The king broke down and wept bitterly when he saw these
unfinished idols but a divine voice advised him to make a temple for them and worship them as they
were. He built a temple in the very centre of the conch shaped country. He then went to Brahma
Loka to invite Brahma to install the deities. But a moment in Brahmas world is an eon in ours so by
the time he returned hundreds of years had passed and the temple had been buried under the sand.
In the meantime another king had found the temple and claimed it as his own but the turtles in the
tank that had been alive in Indradyumnas time and the raven on the ageless banyan tree, bore
witness that he was indeed the builder of the temple. Brahma believed them and installed the
deities himself.

Of course that temple does not exist today. During the 12th century, Chodaganga Deva, the founder
of the Ganga dynasty of Orissa started the construction of the temple of Jagannath which was later
finished by his grandson. This has been recorded in the copper plates of the later Ganga kings. The
images are of Krishna Jagannatha, his brother Balarama and his sister, Subhadra. There is also the
image of Krishnas weapon, Sudarshana which has been given no form and is just a pillar.

Jagannatha is regarded as Daru Brahman or the godhead as manifested in wood. His worship can be
traced to the worship of trees by the Savaras. They normally used to lop off the unnecessary
branches from a tree and worship only the trunk leaving two branches to represent the arms. On the
top they would paint a human head. The idol of Jagannatha is a figure like this. His face is painted not
carved. Trees have always been considered sacred by the Hindus. Even today the banyan tree and the
peepul tree are worshipped in all parts of India.

Jai Jagannatha!
There is nothing anthropomorphic about these idols. What is most attention catching are the eyes
and the outstretched arms of the great saviour. Many poems have been written about the glory of
these eyes and arms. The two eyes are supposed to represent the sun and moon, the cosmic sources
of light, life and energy. With only two eyes dominating the appearance of all three of them, the holy
triad seems to be a symbol of That Being who sees the whole creation at one sweep and from whom
nothing can be hidden in all the worlds!

There is nothing sectarian about the cult of Jagannatha. He seems to have absorbed all other cults
and sects into his ample fold. From the worship of God in the Totem pole to the worship of the
Supreme Brahman in Vedanta can be found in the figure of Jagannatha. He includes all types of
worship, starting from the primitive cult of tree worship, and the esoteric practices of Tantra, the
meditative approach of Buddhism and the universal tolerance of the Jains and finally the all-
comprehensive approach of Vedanta. In whatever form you think of Him, in that same form will He
come to you. This is what Krishna states in the Gita and Jagannatha is a living emblem of this dictum.
His daily rituals and festivals carry traces of Jaina, Buddhist, Shaivite and Vaishnavite traditions.

Everything in Puri is big. The main road leading to the temple is known as the Bada Danda or the
grand road, the sea next to it is the Mahodadhi or the widest ocean, the prasad or food offered to
the deities is called the Mahaprasad or the great prasad. Needless to say the deity himself is
Jagannatha the Lord of the universe!

The temple also has the largest kitchen in the world and feeds thousands of devotees every day. The
kitchen can prepare food for 100,000 people on a festival day and 25,000 is not unusual on a normal
day. There are 36 traditional communities ('Chatisha Niyaga') who render specific hereditary service
to the Deities. The temple has as many as 6,000 priests.

The temple is 65 metres high and stands on elevated ground so that it appears even larger. It can be
seen from a long distance. The construction of the temple was begun by King Chora Ganda Deva and
completed by his descendant Ananta Varman Chodaganda Deva in the 12th century.

On top of the temple is a chakra or wheel known as Nila chakra or the blue wheel. It is made out of
eight types of metals. It is 11 feet 8 inches high and has a circumference of about 36 feet. A flag, fifty
feet in length is tied every day on a mast attached to the Nila Chakra. On every 'Ekadasi' day a lamp is
lit on top of the temple near the wheel. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple but it is said
that those who cannot enter can have darshan of the 'Chakra' from outside, and they will get all the
benefits of seeing the Deity. Even though it is a very hazardous climb up the walls of the temple to
change the flag, to this day no accident has ever taken place which is one of the miracles attributed
to this temple. Another is the fact that whatever the time of day, the huge 65 metre structure which
encloses the deities never casts a shadow!

The temple complex comprises an area of 10.7 acres and is enclosed by two rectangular walls. The
outer enclosure is called "Meghanada Prachira". The wall round this is 6m (20 feet) high. The inner
enclosure is called "Kurmabedha". The walls were built during the 15th or 16th centuries. The main
temple is surrounded by 30 different smaller temples. The "Narasimha temple" adjacent to the
western side of the 'Mukti-Mandapa' is said to have been constructed even before the present
temple.

The eastern gate is the man gate. In front of this is an 11m pillar, called "Aruna Stambha", so called
because the figure on top of the pillar is Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun God. It used to be in front
of the Sun Temple in Konark and was brought to Puri during the 18th century. When you enter this
gate into the passage you will be struck by the huge face of Lord Jagannatha called "Patita Pavana"
(Savior of the fallen). This Deity is visible from the road and is kept there so that non-Hindus can have
'Darshan' of the Lord.

Eastern Gate

The temple has four gates- the Eastern "Singhadwara" (Lion Gate), which has been mentioned above,
the Southern "Ashwadwara" (Horse Gate), the Western "Vyaghradwara" (Tiger Gate), and the
Northern "Hastidwara" (Elephant Gate). There is a carving of each of these animals at the entrance
of their respective gates. The Lion Gate, which is the main gate is the largest and is located on the
Grand Road. From here one has to climb twenty-two steps to reach the inner courtyard. These steps
have been sanctified by the countless devotees who have climbed up and great respect is given to
them. If you take a right turn after climbing the steps you will come to the Ananda Bazaar, where the
Mahaprasad is sold. If however you take a left turn at the top of the steps you reach the Kalpavata-or
the thousand year old banyan tree. It is towards the south side of the temple and if you take a fruit
from this and offer it at the foot of the tree, your wish will be fulfilled. For each wish you make you
will have to renounce one favourite fruit for the duration of a year! Only then will your wish come
true. Next you come to the Muktimandapa which is a 16-pillared hall known as "Brahmasava" (divine
assembly). The temple of Bimala Devi (Vimala Devi) is found on the south-western corner of this
enclosure. Satis foot is supposed to have dropped here so this is a siddha peeth. The goddess had
occupied this spot long before the advent of Jagannatha. In fact he had to obtain her permission
before he could occupy the place. She allowed him to do so, on condition that every bit of food
offered to him should be re-offered to her. This condition is carried out to this day. Only after offering
to her does it become Mahaprasad. Continuing along this way we come across many different
shrines including one to Mahalakshmi.

If we approach from the western gate we come to the Niladri Vihar- which is an art gallery, showing
the pastimes of Lord Jagannatha as well as the 12 incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Sona Kua or the
Golden Well is near the northern gate. The water of this well is used to bathe Lord Jagannatha
during "Snana-Yatra". Koila Vaikuntha is in the western portion of the temple between the outer and
inner walls. It is approachable from the northern gate. This is the cremation ground of the deities.
During 'Nava-Kalevara ceremony, the old images of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra are
buried here.

In the sanctum sanctorum are enthroned the idols of Balabhadra (white), Subhadra (yellow), and
Jagannatha (black). They are seated on the "Ratna Simhasan" or throne of chlorite which is 16 feet
long, 13feet wide and 4 feet high. Devotees can circumambulate the deities round this throne at
specified times. The idol of Balabhadra is the tallest and is 6 feet high, Jagannatha is five feet and
Subhadra is 4 feet. The emblem of Sudarshan is found next to Jagannatha. Facing this is the
Mukhasala or the audience hall, which can be entered through three separate doors. The 'Kalaghata'
door leads to the sanctum sanctorum. The southern door leads out of the temple and the northern
to the 'Ratna Bhandar' (Treasury house).

In front of this is the Natya Mandira or the dance hall. This is a spacious hall, 21m (65 feet) in length
and 20m (61 feet) wide. This is where the "Garuda Stambha" is located. When he was alive, Lord
'Chaitanya' used to regularly visit the Jagannatha Temple. However he always refrained from going
inside the sanctum sanctorum and used to view the Lord from a distance from behind this column
(Garuda Stambha). Apparently the first time he came for darshan of the Lord, he rushed inside in an
ecstasy of devotion and fell senseless. Not knowing his greatness he was thrown out by the stupid
attendants. Later on of course they realized their mistake and welcomed him with garlands from the
deity. However every time he came near Jagannatha, tears would flow from his eyes and he would
dance and sing in a paroxysm of delight and very often lose his senses. Ever after that he refused to
face the Lord but always saw him from behind the Garuda Stambha. Behind this column is a small
depression which encircles the pillar. It is said that Lord Chaitanyas tears would often fill this
depression. An impression of his hand is also found on the pillar. It is believed that the potency of a
devotee's prayers to the Lord is doubled if he or she stands near this sacred pillar.

After this comes the Bhoga Mandap which is a spacious hall, 18m in length and 17m wide. There are
sculptures and paintings about Lord Krishna's pastimes and other stories in this hall. This is where
food offerings are made to the Lord.
For some centuries people were puzzled by the plain facade of this holiest of holy temples, and
wondered why it was untouched by Orissa's rich sculptural heritage. The answer was found in 1975,
when archaeologists first began removing the white plaster which covered the walls, and found that
the sculpture underneath rivaled that of the other masterpieces of Orissan temple art. It is
anybodys guess as to why this plaster was put. One can only imagine that in the 18th century, the
ruler decided that this would be the best way to protect the temple from the ravages of the salty sea
air. Succeeding rulers continued the practice. As the old plaster was removed, renovation work was
also taken up and broken stones and iron rods were replaced. Finally, a clear, thin coating is being
applied to the entire structure, to preserve it for the centuries to come.

The temple conducts twelve yatras or processions annualy..

Even though the temple conducts twelve yatras or processions, the most important of these is the
Ratha Yatra or the car festival. This is held on the 2nd day of the bright fortnight of Ashadh
(June/July). It is meant to commemorate Lord Krishnas journey from Gokula to Vrindavana. It is also
an analogy of the journey of the jivatma along the grand trunk road of life in which it is helped by the
compassion and mercy of the Lord.

Ratha Yatra

The very first yatra is supposed to have been in the 3rd century when the king moved the images of
the deities from Sundarachala to Nilachala. Now it has become a national and internationally
acclaimed festival. Three huge chariots carry the three figures of the deities down the wide road
leading from the temple. Sudarshan is kept in Subhadras chariot. The idols are taken to the temple
of Gundicha where they stay for nine days after which they return. Jagannaths chariot is 45 feet
high, is covered in yellow cloth, and has sixteen wheels. These denote the sixteen kalas as calculated
in Vedic mathematics. They also denote the sixteen divine tattvas or principles. Balabhadras chariot
is 44 feet high and covered in blue cloth and has fourteen wheels which stand for the fourteen
Manvantaras of each yuga. Subhadras chariot is black and has twelve wheels which stand for the
twelve months. All three cars have four spirited wooden horses and an imposing image of a wooden
charioteer . This festival gives all people, irrespective of caste or creed, a chance to have a vision of
the Lord. As the Lord comes out of the gate, people are even allowed to touch Him. He who normally
cannot even be glimpsed by the non-believers and untouchables now allows himself to be viewed
and handled by all. At this time no distinction is made between Brahmin and outcaste. Everyone is
equal in His eyes. He grants the wishes of all who approach him. The King himself is His slave. This
fact is showed dramatically by the fact that the Raja of Puri sweeps the floor of the cars with a golden
broom and sprinkles sandal powder on the floor after the idols are placed into the chariots. The
descendents of the Savaras are in sole charge of the images. No priest is allowed to intervene
between Him and His people who are allowed to embrace him freely as one does a brother. The idol
of Sudarshan is brought out first and placed in Subhadras chariot. Balabhadras car is taken out first
followed by Subhadras and then Jagannathas. The devotees draw the cars down the Great Grand
Road, towards the Gundicha temple which is 3 kilometres away. The cars are very heavy and once
they start it is virtually impossible to stop or turn them.

Gundicha was supposed to be the wife of King Indradyumna who had constructed the first temple of
Jagannath. The Gundicha temple has four gates and two enclosures. The gates lead to an enclosure
around the main shrine. The shape of this enclosure is supposed to resemble a tortoise. Many small
temples are found in this enclosure. After staying here for nine days, the gods start their return
journey. There are many ceremonies connected with this. The idol of Lord Jagannath is the last to re-
enter the temple and His return marks the end of the festival. Many factors contribute to make this a
unique type of car festival.

All the temples of Tamil Nadu in south India also hold elaborate chariot festivals but the chariot is
normally beautifully carved and kept safely in a special shed and is used year after year. The chariots
of Jagannath however are re-made every year. At the end of the season they are broken up and the
wood is used for making religious articles. Normally all chariots will only have four wheels but these
have a number of wheels which have to aligned very carefully so that the rims dont touch the body
and hinder the progress. They are huge structures and the English word juggernaut has come from
them.

The temple has many unique features and very elaborate rituals. The most famous of these rituals
concerns the re-making of the idols at different specified times decided by astronomical calculations.

The images are made from the margosa or neem wood which is actually a soft wood which cant be
expected to last forever. After an interval of many years there is a ceremony known as the
Navakalevara or a renovation ceremony in which the three figures are changed and new ones
installed. This happens only in those years in which the month of Ashada (June/July) comes twice. In
the intervening years if some portions of the images are found to be decaying before the specified
time, they are repaired. Navakalevaras were perfomed in 1863, 1893, 1912, 1931, 1950, 1977 and
1996.

In the specified year, on an auspicious day of the bright fortnight of the month of Chaitra
(March/April), the Raja of Puri holds a meeting with the Rajaguru and Pundits and requests the Daita
Sevaks to collect Daru (wood) for the new images. The Daitas receive flower garlands of the four
deities and go to the palace of the Raja, who authorizes them and the carpenters to carve the
images. They assemble at the Jagannath Vallabha Math and go to Kakatpur village (60 kms from Puri)
without any fanfare. There they pray to the goddess Mangala to indicate the location of the suitable
Neem trees for the purpose. The goddess instructs them though a dream and the Daitas go in search
of the trees in batches. The log for Sudarshan is cut first, followed by those of Balabhadra, Subhadra
and Jagannatha. There are certain signs by which the tree can be recognized. It should be a Neem
tree with three, five or seven branches. It should not have a birds nest in it and an ant hill in which
snakes reside should be at the foot of the tree. The trees should bear the marks of the conch, discus
and so on. After locating the suitable trees a yaga for the forest is performed for three days. Then the
trees are touched with axes made of gold and silver and then cut down with an iron axe. The trunks
are then deported to Puri in newly made wooden carts. Before loading them, the logs are cut to the
prescribed size and dressed and taken to the temple by the northern gate.

Carving of the new images starts from the day after Snan Purnima. On the 14th day of the dark
fortnight the most important ceremony known as the transfer of Brahma is done very secretly. At
midnight one of the old Daitas is chosen to transfer the Brahma from the old image to the new one.
This Brahma is supposed to be the very soul of the deity and pulsates and throbs like a heart. No one
can ever see or even feel it. It is located at the navel of each figure. The Daita is blindfolded and his
hands are bandaged so that he cannot see or feel anything. He puts his hand into the navel and takes
out the Brahma which has been wrapped in tulsi leaves. The miracle is that this tulsi which has been
buried into the wood for so many years remains as fresh and fragrant as when it was put in. The
Brahma is then wrapped in new tulsi leaves and placed into the navel of the new idol and covered. It
is commonly said that the Daita who has performed this deed dies within the course of a year and
attains liberation.

At the end of the Dwapara Yuga when Lord Krishnas body was turned to ashes his navel was
supposed to have been cast into the waters. This was later collected and this is the Brahma which
was put into the navel portion of the idol of Jagannatha. After this transfer the old idols are buried in
Koili Vaikunt. From the 14th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashad to the 9th day of the
bright fortnight, different kinds of ointments are applied to the bodies of the images. The Daitas
claim to be descendents of Lord Jagannatha and they observe mourning for 13 days in accordance
with the Hindu custom. After that certain other rites are performed for the next fifteen days and the
images are painted with the prescribed colours. Only then are the deities ready to be viewed by the
devotees. Thousands of devotees flock to the temple to have this special darshan. Everything is
completed two days before the Ratha Yatra.

There are many miracles attributed to the temple which can be mentioned here. Every night food is
kept inside the sanctum for the deities before the doors are closed and locked by the priests. Next
morning there is no trace of this food when the doors are unlocked. Another fact which has already
been mentioned is that the huge steeple of the main building never appears to throw a shadow
whatever time of day and season it might be. Of course the fact that someone climbs up this
structure every day and changes the flag is another miracle. No untoward accident has ever taken
place till now. The miracle of the unfading tulsi leaves which wrap the Brahman has already been
mentioned. Another strange thing is that even though a lot of food drops all over the inner courtyard
when the bhog is distributed, not a single crow is ever seen to come down to peck at the particles of
food. Of course another miracle is that countless pilgrims are fed daily at the temple. However many
the numbers are, no one is ever left to go hungry.

After having described the history of this incredible temple, let me also recite my personal
experience there. I had gone there about twenty years ago and then this December we decided to go
as a family to have darshan of the Lord of the Universe. Now that I have described the best parts of
the story of this temple, let me also disclose the unfortunate facts. The priests of this place who are
known as Pandas have a great reputation for greed and avariciousness. The moment a hapless
pilgrim comes out of the bus or car, one of these vultures will swoop on him and literally force him to
go with him. On the pretext of showing him everything he will extract the maximum money from the
poor pilgrim using every type of threat and even giving dire curses if his demands were not met with.
He will insist that the deity can only be propitiated through him!

These Pandas loiter about all over the open space in front of the temple, in the bus and car parks and
also inside the temple. Every small temple of the various deities has their own species of vultures
hovering around ready to pounce on the unwary pilgrim. Unfortunately they are even seated right in
front of the deities inside the sanctum sanctorum and insist that everyone who goes up to the
throne has to put money in front of all the three deities if they want blessings. They also seem to get
immense pleasure from catching hold of the heads of their victims and bashing them down in front
of the deities with the dictum, Banish your ego by banging your head in front of God! Many of the
poor pilgrims who have come from far off places do not seem to mind these indignities but others
who come from so called better stations of life normally find this type of treatment to be really
unbearable and unworthy of the priests who are supposed to be servitors of the Lord. Of course they
are experts at gauging the quality of the pilgrim and know exactly how much they can fleece from
each.

The first time we went into the temple was with the rest of the family and we were of course caught
by a young Panda who was loitering about in the car park. We thought it better to have someone
with us so that we would not be molested by the rest of the pack. He knew very little about the
stories of the temple or perhaps did not think it worth his while to divulge these secrets to those
who appeared to be quite tight fisted! Anyway though he promised to take us right inside we were
only allowed to go to the audience hall in front of the deities from which one can only see Jagannath
and Subhadra clearly. One has to get a ticket to go inside and our Panda dolefully told us that tickets
were not available at that time. However we were quite happy to view Him from outside. Here also
there are Pandas who kept pointing to their plates and asking for dakshina (money). We managed to
get off lightly by paying Rs.10 each but somehow the whole affair left us with a feeling of
unhappiness that these greedy people should be guarding the gateway to the Lords abode. The
fellow accompanying us also gave us a lot of false information about the various deities.

The next morning I made a sudden decision and decided to go for the 6 am darshan, by myself. The
whole front part of the temple right up to about 15 metres is forbidden to vehicles since they dont
want any clutter in front. One can take the car to the park and then get on to mini buses which drop
you close to the east gate. However since I was pressed for time I asked the driver if he could avoid
the policemen who directed cars to the car park and make a detour through the alleys at the back.
Since it was a small car he managed to squeeze between the narrow lanes and I was able to get off
very near to the east gate. I was all prepared to be accosted by one of the Panda clan but to my
amazement no one stopped me from entering the huge door. I was not even checked for cell phones
etc by the police woman standing there. She simply looked through me as if I did not exist. I walked
in as if I was totally invisible. This phenomenon went on throughout my visit. I saw a little queue
standing on the side outside the sanctum and was told that I had to get a ticket if I wanted to get
inside. I ran and bought a ticket and waited expectantly till they started to let us in. Just before
passing the last barrier there was the usual mad rush and I found myself propelled into the huge
room which houses the deities. There were slippery steps leading down and I would surely have
fallen had it not been for the crowd which held me up. It was only when I got into the actual sanctum
that I looked up and was really struck by the size of the deities in front. Since the room was lower
than the audience hall, their full size could not be ascertained from outside. I felt quite weak and
dizzy by this enormous explosion of divine power which emanated from the Lord. The room was jam
packed with people and I would surely have fallen if I had been alone. Tears poured unheeded down
my cheeks as I gazed at Him. I could only see His huge, round eyes which seemed to be boring into
the very depths of my soul. Raising both my hands above my head in a gesture of total surrender I
shouted Govinda, Govinda, in a frenzy of delight and begged Him to support me so that I could
witness whatever ritual was going to take place. I had no idea what was going on but I knew that the
crowd was waiting expectantly for something. I also knew that without divine support I would surely
faint. Somehow I was pushed towards the wall which supported me. The air was so heavy that I
could hardly breathe. I felt as if I was being suffocated and cried out to Him to save me from the
ocean of samsara which was threatening to engulf me. Tears were pouring unchecked down my
cheeks and all I could see in front was a blaze of lights through which His huge eyes were boring into
me like a drill, noting every single thing about me from the time I was born and even before that, to
the many lifetimes I had passed through.

Samsara sagare madhye deenam mam karunanidhe,

Karma graham griheetangam,

Mam uddwara bhavarnavat.

O Thou store house of compassion,

Do Thou liberate me.

From this ocean of transmigratory existence,

In which I am drowning, bound as I am by my own karmas.

At that moment I was quite unaware of myself or what I was doing or saying. It was as if I was being
propelled to act by an unseen force which was squeezing the life or perhaps the ego out of me and at
the same time supporting me and comforting me. Then I became aware that the arati was going on
and everyone was surging forward to take it. I could not move, mesmerized by the eyes which were
goring into me. Suddenly in front of me there appeared a small, wizened up little man who thrust
some tulsi leaves into my hand. He was so small that I had to bend down to thank him and suddenly I
felt him thrust his two fingers into both my eyes and press some camphor into them. It was only later
that I was told the significance of this act. Apparently it was a great blessing to have camphor put
into the eyes. This was especially significant for me since I had just had my eyes operated for
cataract.

I looked round for the little man to give him some dakshina but he had vanished. Then I realized that
the crowd was slowly thinning since people were going out after the arati. I too went forward in a
daze, not really knowing what I was doing. No Panda touched me and no one seemed to notice when
I pressed my head on the throne in front of Jagannatha. I realized then that people were
circumambulating the throne so I too went round, running my hands all over the dais since the
passage was very narrow and in my state I felt I might have fallen down. Again I realized later that
this was the right thing to have done. I did another round before leaving the hall. I left reluctantly,
loathe to leave His presence. I cannot remember the rest of that visit since I felt I was in a kind of
trance and didnt really know how I returned home.

That evening when the rest of the party was shopping in the bazaar outside I opted to go for another
darshan. When I went round the inner courtyard I saw a big crowd standing on the northern side
looking up expectantly. When I asked what the matter was, I was told that this was the time when
the flag was being changed. High above near the chakra, I saw two figures. One was standing below
the chakra and held the pennon which he passed to the other person who was above him. I watched
fascinated as the change was affected. Slowly and easily the two figures started to come down. I
realized that this was the reason that I had been compelled to go to the temple at that time. The
miraculous occurrence which I had just witnessed did not strike me till I got home. To climb a 62 foot
spire with no support or hand rail was surely a remarkable feat. There were no steps. Instead they
used the formations on the spire as footholds. Just looking at it made me feel giddy.
Jai Jagannatha!

Next morning I went again at 6 am. This time I was in a big car and the driver did not think that he
would be able to manipulate the narrow alleys. I was desperate to go as fast as possible so I told him
to proceed along the Grand Road. He told me that it would be better for me to get down at the car
park and take an auto or rickshaw since there was no way by which the police would allow us to
pass. I told him to proceed. When we reached the policeman the driver got out and there was some
talk between them. Not waiting for more I jumped out and talked to the policeman myself and by His
grace he allowed us to proceed. There was another policeman on the same road and I followed the
same procedure and he also waved us on!! On the return journey we sailed along the completely
empty Grand Road with not a single person to stop us. It was incredible. In the meantime my son and
daughter-in-law had also come for darshan after I left the hotel. They had stopped their car in the car
park and were coming in a rickshaw and they said they were dumbfounded to see me sailing by in
state in that big car on that royal road the state road made for His Highness the Lord of the
Universe!

What can I say about the rest of my stay? Never once was I stopped or harassed by the Pandas and
twice I had the experience of someone thrusting camphor dust into my eyes. I was so busy drying my
eyes that I never got a chance to see the person who had done this. On our last day the whole family
went for darshan. We had a very good Panda to help us and though he took us right inside and
showed us many things, I have to admit that this did not in any way measure up to the various
darshans and near miraculous experiences that I had when I went alone.

All Hail to Jagannatha! Lord of the Universe! May His blessings be showered on the whole world and
in particular to all those who happen to read this.

Jai Jagannatha!

Borobudur Temple
Though I love temples I seldom get the chance to go to temples outside India. So I was very happy to
get an invitation from my Japanese daughter to go to Indonesia to visit the ancient temples of
Borobudur and Prambanan. Thus it happened that I landed in Jakarta last week and took the next
flight to Yogjakarta. This city is also known simply as Jogja or Yogya. This word is actually a corruption
of Ayodhya, the famed city of Rama in India. Names from the Ramayana abound in this island.
Sometimes even without their knowing it many of the names used by the Indonesians are Sanskrit in
origin but of course most of them are so distorted that it takes a while to find out the actual source.
The Special Region where Yogyakarta is situated is the smallest province of Indonesia (excluding
Jakarta). It is located on the island of Java. The word Java has such a special flavor that I was really
glad that I had come here instead of one of the big cities. On a clear day one can see the famed
volcano Mt. Merapi, which is still alive and the history of which is closely connected with the history
of Borobudur and Prambanan.

This 300 hundred year old city is the cultural center not only of Java, but of the whole of Indonesia.
This is in part due to the variety of religious influences found here like, Buddhist, Hindu, and other
indigenous beliefs, which resulted in the construction of the impressive temples of Borobudur,
Prambanan and the Dieng temple complex.

Indonesia's oldest palace 'The Kraton,' is situated here. This is still the home of Jogya's royalty. It is
the only province in Indonesia that is still formally governed by a Sultanate, the Sultanate of
Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. Even now the current Sultan of Yogyakarta retains remarkable political
prestige. Yogyakarta offers an abundance of Javanese art, painting, silverwork, batik handcraft,
traditional Javanese dances, as well as contemporary art.

From Yogyakarta airport we took a taxi to Borobudur where we stayed at the Manohara hotel which
is supposed to be the only one with a magnificent view of the temple which can be seen right in
front of it. The hotel is set amidst a typical tropical garden filled with lush greenery and the usual
tropical flowers like ixora, frangipani, bougainvilleas in variegated shades, sweet smelling jasmine and
the famous paritjata flower which is mentioned in our puranas.

There was a unique blend of cultures even in the dcor. We were greeted by two ancient Ganesha
statues at the entrance but there was a pool in front of the hotel in which you found a statue of
Lakshmi which had a striking resemblance to the Chinese goddess of prosperity called Kuan Yin and
scarcely any resemblance to the Hindu goddess.

At night four huge water lilies bloomed, shedding their intoxicating fragrance into the air. I had read
about these night blooming water lilies called kumudini in Sanskrit literature but it was the first
time that I had ever seen them. They were pure white and as big as lotuses. They reached their
maximum size at midnight and closed up again by morning.

Watching the sunrise from the top of the temple was supposed to be a great experience but again
we were told that since it was the rainy season it was very unlikely that we would be able to see it. I
breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldnt have to jump out of bed at 3 in the morning and dash up the
hill. I had been traveling continuously from 4 am the previous day. It was a grueling journey from
Rishikesh to Delhi and from Delhi to KL and then to Jakarta and to Yogyakarta and finally to
Borobudur!!

However we set off at 10 in the morning along with a host of other sight seers. They were certainly
not pilgrims and all of them were armed with hats and caps of various sizes and designs and of
course the umbrella man was having a great trade selling multi colored umbrellas. So armed with
one of these I set off in the blazing hot sun, not waiting for the rest of the party who were frantically
searching for a good guide. Since I was a very slow walker and even a slower climber I fully expected
the young members of my party to catch up with me in no time. But I climbed and climbed for more
than half an hour without seeing any of them. Each time I turned round to have a look, all I could see
was a sea of brightly colored umbrellas bobbing up and down. Eventually I gave up the attempt and
decided to carry on to the top on my own. I did two of the pradikshanas or circumambulations of the
5th and 6th platforms and finally reached the top to get to which one had to climb some steps which
were obviously made for giants. I was totally drenched in perspiration and would have been glad to
get at least a tiny bit of shade but there was none to be had since all the pagodas hardly cast any
shade as it was 12 noon. As I stood in the blazing hot sun, not knowing whether to go back or wait
for the party, a number of college students clustered round me and started to talk to me very
eagerly. They were so sweet that despite the heat I stood and answered all their questions. They had
some sticky Indonesian sweets which they pressed on me. I was forced to take some even though the
thought of eating sticky sweets when my whole body was sticky and hot was not a very happy
thought. Before we parted they presented me with a pearl rosary and of course I gave them our
ashram cards with the photo of baby Krishna by which they were quite charmed. I realized
afterwards that this is typical Indonesian behavior. They are such a charming people, so friendly, so
polite and so interested in people from India. I started my journey back to the ground soon after
since I realized that unless I got to a shade soon I would probably collapse from the heat.

Sri Meru Yantra

Now to describe the temple. If seen from the air and also from the small reproduction of it in the
museum I realized that it was made in the form of a Hindu Meru which is a vertical representation of
the Sri Yantra. Apparently this was the shape of a Buddhist mandala. The height of the whole edifice
before renovation was 42 meters. Now it is only 34.5 meters since the lowest level has been used as
a supporting base.

It has ten terraces. The first six terraces are square and the two upper terraces are circular. Right on
top is the terrace on which the statue of the Buddha had been seated facing westward. The statue
has been removed and is now to be found in the museum. Each terrace symbolizes one of the stages
of human life. The aspirant who wants to reach the stage of the Buddha has to go through each of
these stages. The base is known as Kamadhatu. There is a very similar square in the Sree Yantra
which is supposed to be that state of life in which the human being is still bound by desires Kama
and passions. From here we climb up to the second, third and fourth terraces and these are known
as Rupadhatu. This is the stage when the human being is still bound to rupa or form that is to the
world of shapes and forms the world of the senses as we experience it. On these four terraces the
effigies of the Buddha are placed in open space. The next three terraces are known as Arupadhatu
and here the effigies of the Buddha are confined inside domes with holes in them. Only those who
have freed themselves from lust and passion for forms, can reach this stage. The final part is known
as Arupa and is the state of nirvana, or liberation which is the state of the Buddha
Borobudur is said to have been built by King Samaratungga, one of the kings of the old Mataram
Kingdom, the descendants of the Sailendra dynasty. Based on Kayumwungan inscription, an
Indonesian named Hudaya Kandahjaya had a revelation in which he was told that Borobudur had
once been a place for prayer that was supposed to be completed on 26 May 824, almost one
hundred years after the construction had started. The name of Borobudur, as some people say,
means a mountain having terraces (budhara), while other says that Borobudur means monastery on
a high place.

It is a Buddhist temple and has 1460 relief panels and 504 effigies of Buddha in its complex. These
panels are all on the walls of the terraces. In order to see them one has to climb the stairs of each of
the terraces and then do a pradikshina or circumambulation in a clockwise direction round it. This is
the correct way to discover the beauties of the temple and also derive maximum spiritual benefit.
Each terrace has its own panels showing how skillful the sculptors were. Some of these panels tell
the legendary story of the Ramayana. Besides these, there are panels depicting the condition of the
society at that time. Some show farmers working in the fields and some show sailors in boats, thus
giving us a glimpse of the advanced state of the navigation techniques of that age.

Many of the panels reflect the Buddha's teachings. If you walk through each narrow passage in
Borobudur with a competent guide you will come to know much of the philosophy of Buddhism.
Atisha, a Buddhist monk from India in the tenth century once visited this temple that was built 3
centuries before Angkor Wat in Cambodia and 4 centuries before the Grand Cathedrals in Europe.
After gathering a lot of information from these reliefs he returned to India and started another sect
known as Vikramashila Buddhism. Later he became the leader of the Vikramashila monastery and
became a teacher in Tibet. Six scripts from Serlingpa were then summarized as the core of the
teaching called "The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" known as Bodhipathapradipa.

The sculpture of the panels leaves you spellbound. Great attention is paid to the most intricate
details. Some portions show what happens to those who do evil deeds and what happens to those
who do good deeds. Buddhas dictum was that karma or action alone decides our life both now and
in there hereafter. As we sow, so we shall reap. Some of the panels depict the Jataka Tales in which
moral questions are answered through beautiful tales of birds and animals.

The mystery of why the temple was constructed in the first place and how it was buried for centuries
is still not clear. Some say that initially it was surrounded by swamps and was buried because of the
volcanic eruption of Mt. Merapi. Sir Stamford Rafles was said to be the one who first discovered the
existence of this site and encouraged a German to excavate the huge mound and unearth the
wonders of this temple. Since then the Indonesian government as well as the UNESCO has done a lot
of restoration on the temple which is still being carried on.

However when you go there in the early morning, you can have a glimpse of what it might have been
in ancient times. The edifice looms through the pearly mist of a monsoon day and one can imagine
the wonder and the mysery of that amazing place and imagne the ancient Buddhist pilgrims plodding
their way up with their rosaries swinging from their hands muttering the great mantra of the Buddha
Aum Mani Padme Hum.

Prambanan Temple

Prambanan Temple

We left Borobodur reluctantly and returned to Yogjyakarta. Our next port of call was Prambanan
which is a ten-century Hindu temple. This temple is dedicated to Shiva, and is locally known as Candi
Loro Jonggrang, which means 'temple of the slender virgin.' The beautifully sculptured spire, of the
main temple which soars up to a height of fifty meters does indeed resemble a 'slender virgin.' Like
the Buddhist stupa in Borobudur , Prambanan was probably abandoned when the Buddhist and
Hindu inhabitants of Java moved to East Java. The temple is situated seventeen kilometers east of
Yogyakarta, and is believed to have been built by King Balitung Maha Sambu in the middle of the
ninth century. Another story goes that it was built around 850 CE either by Rakai Pakatan of the
second Mataram dynasty, or Balitun Maha Shambu, during the Sanjaya Dynasty. Not long after its
construction, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate. This was no doubt due to some
fault in the location of the site according to Vaastu the Indian science of
architecture.Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918. The main building was completed
around 1953. Much of the original stonework had been stolen and used at other sites. A temple will
only be rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available, and therefore only the foundation
walls of most of the smaller shrines are now visible and there are no plans for their reconstruction.

The temple was again severely damaged during the earthquake in Java in 2006. Early photos suggest
that although the complex appears to be structurally intact, damage is significant. Large pieces of
debris, including carvings, were scattered all over the ground. The temple was closed to the public
for quite a while. However, some weeks later in the same year the site re-opened for visitors.

The temple complex is set like a jewel amongst luxuriant green fields and some villages. It has eight
shrines, of which the three main ones are dedicated to the trimurtis, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The
main temple of Shiva rises to a height of 130 feet and houses the magnificent statue of Shiva's
consort, Durga.

Lord Shiva

The whole complex consists of three zones. The outer zone is a large space marked by a rectangular
wall which has been destroyed. It is possible that it was once a sacred park, or an ashram for the
priests. In fact the very word Prambanan is actually a corrupt version of the Sanskrit word
Brahmana or priest belonging to the Brahmin caste. No doubt these were the ones who came from
India and made this temple to their favouite deities.

The middle zone consists of four rows of 224 individual small shrines. These concentric rows of
temples have identical designs. Each row is slightly elevated towards the center. These shrines are
called "Candi Perwara" or complementary temples. The Perwara are arranged in four rows around
the central temples. Perhaps the Brahmin priests made these differentiations according to the four
castes and each caste had a special enclosure. The enclosure next to the central compound was
accessible to the Brahmin priests only, the next was reserved for the nobles or the Kshatriyas, and
the third and fourth for the Vaisyas and Shudras. The very name of the temple suggests that it was a
Brahmin controlled hierachy.
Sri Vishnu

The central compound was no doubt the holiest of the three zones. It has a square elevated platform
surrounded by square stone walls with stone gates on each of the four cardinal points. This is
surrounded by eight main shrines called candi. The three main shrines as has been mentioned are
dedicated to the Trimurtis or Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer.
The three shrines in front of these main temples are dedicated to vehicles of the three gods. The
shrine in front of the Brahma temple is to Hamsa or the swan which is Brahmas vehicle, the one in
front of Shiva is to Nandi or the bull and before Vishnu we have the Garuda or the eagle vehicle of
Vishnu.

Sri Ganesha

The Shiva shrine at the center contains five chambers. The four small chambers face the four
cardinal directions and the main sanctum is reserved for the deity. It used to have a three meter high
statue of Shiva as Mahadeva. The statue of Shiva stands on the yoni or pedestal that bears the
carving of serpents on the north side. The other three smaller chambers contain statues of Shivas
consort Durga, the sage Agastya, and Ganesha, the son of Shiva.. Agastya occupies the south
chamber, and Ganesha the west, while the north chamber contains the statue of Durga as
Mahisasuramardini depicting her slaying the buffalo demon. The shrine of Durga is also called the
temple of Lara Jonggrang (Javanese: slender virgin), after a Javanese legend of princess Lara
Jonggrang.

Lara Jonggrang

This is a very popular legend which connects the site with the Ratu Boko Palace. The legend goes of
how Prince Bandung Bondowoso fell in love with Princess Lara Jonggrang, the daughter of King Boko.
But the princess rejected his proposal because Bandung Bondowoso had killed King Boko and taken
over her kingdom. Bandung Bondowoso forced her to agree ro marry him, but she set him one
condition. The Prince would have to build her a thousand temples in one night.

The Prince went into meditation and conjured up a multitude of spirits from the earth. Helped by
these supernatural beings, he succeeded in building 999 temples. When the prince was about to
complete the thousandth, the princess woke up her palace maids and ordered the women of the
village to begin pounding rice and to make a fire to the east of the temple, in order to make the
prince and the spirits believe that the sun was about to rise. As the cocks began to crow, the
supernatural helpers fled back into the ground. The prince was furious about this trick and cursed
Lara Jonggrang to turn into stone. And thus alas the poor unfortunate princess became the last and
the most beautiful of the thousand temples. According to tradition, the Shiva temple is the
unfinished thousandth temple created by the demons and the Princess became the image of Durga
in the north cell of the temple and thus it came to be known as Lara Jonggrang or Slender Virgin.

Ramayana Bas-Relief

The bas-reliefs along the balustrades of the gallery around the Shiva and Brahma temples depict the
Ramayana legend. They show how Sita who is known as Sinta in Javanese was abducted by Ravana,
the demon king. The monkey king Hanuman brings his army to help Rama and rescue Sita. This story
is also shown by the Ramayana Ballet which is regularly performed at full moon at the Trimurti open
air theatre in west side of the illuminated Prambanan complex. On the balsutrades in Vishnu temple
there is series of bas-reliefs depicting the story of baby Krishna which they call the Krishnayana.,
which is a word which is never found in India.

Ramayana Ballet

That night we went for the Ramayana ballet which was performed on an open air stage with a
beautiful background . The costumes of the women reminded me of the costumes of dancers or
Odissi. The villains make up was reminiscent of the Kerala Kathakali. All the names had strange twists
in them and even the story had some things which are not to be found in the original Ramayana.
Hanuman looked very fierce but Rama and Shinta were very sweet. It was a beautiful experience and
a wonderful finale to my trip to Indonesia.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Daksha Prajpati Mandir

Kankhal

Haridwar is one of the most ancient cities in the world. Its original name was Mayapuri and it is
mentioned in all our ancient Vedas and Puranas. The small town of Kankhal is very close to Haridwar
and it has a beautiful temple to Shiva which is known as the Daksha Prajapati Mandir. The temple
itself is not that old but the yajnashala or place where yajnas (fire sacrifices) are conducted is very
old and it has been confirmed as the place in which the original Sati gave up her life for the sake of
her husband who had been insulted by her father. Kankhal is the place where Satis father who was
one of the patriarchs of the ancient world had his capital and performed a famous yajna or sacrifice
many hundreds of years ago. This yajna was obviously a very important one since it is mentioned in
all our Puranas.

Sati Yajnashala at Daksha Prajpati Mandir

The legend of the goddess Sati, first wife of Shiva is one which has enthralled and inspired Indian
women through the ages. She was the youngest daughter of the famous Prajapati or patriarch known
as Daksha. His kingdom was in Kankhal, near modern Haridwar. From the time she was born her
mind was completely dedicated to Lord Shiva. However her father was totally against such a
bridegroom for his beloved daughter. Shiva, clad in tiger skin with snakes round his neck and
smeared with ashes from the cremation ground was hardly a fitting son-in-law for him and Daksha
swore that he would never let his beautiful daughter wed such a man. However, Sati was adamant
and refused all other offers of marriage and devoted her time in doing tapas to Shiva. At last her
austerities bore fruit and Shiva, who was a born recluse decided to accept her in marriage. At the
end of her year-long penance, Shiva approached her and blessed her. He knew what was in her mind
and held out his hand and asked her to accompany him. Shivas ways were always unconventional!
She begged him to first ask her fathers permission. Shiva knew that Daksha who was the impeccable
priest of orthodoxy would never agree to a union between them; however since she was insistent he
caught hold of her hand and took her to her fathers court.

Daksha looked at Shiva in disgust and shouted, You scoundrel! What have you done? Are you trying
to snatch my beloved daughter from me? Turning to Sati he roared, I will never let you marry this
wretch!

Sati spoke vehemently, Father I have made my choice. This is the man I want to marry. I will wed
none other.
The Custom of Sati

Urdu Print (www.exoticindia.com)

Daksha exploded, In that case you can marry him without my consent and without my blessings.
You will be shunned forever, condemned to wander like an outcaste with this madman! Sati said not
a word but clung harder to Shivas arm. He lifted her in his arms and placed her on his vehicle the
bull, Nandi who had been patiently waiting for his masters command. The couple set off without any
of the pomp or show which befitted the daughter of a patriarch. There was no priest or rituals which
were so dear to Dakshas heart and no music or trumpets!

Sati did not care. She was prepared to sacrifice all her comforts for the sake of her beloved Lord.
Shiva took her to the bleak and barren mountain where there were only beasts and reptiles to
welcome her. Sati was content to roam wildly in the wake of her unpredictable husband across the
desolate Himalayan ranges and peaks, inhabited by wild animals. Thus they lived for many years and
Shiva taught her many of the esoteric secrets of life known only to him. These teachings form the
basis of all the abstruse cults found in the Hindu religion.

Once when she was wandering on the hillside she noticed many aerial vehicles passing above. Some
of them contained her sisters and their husbands. She called to them to find out where they were
going. They said, Dont you know that our father is celebrating the grand Brihaspati Yajna to which
everyone who is anyone has been invited. It is going to be the greatest show in the world. We are
sure you will get an invitation soon and we will all meet at our fathers house. Sati ran to Shiva and
asked if they had received an invitation.

Shiva replied, Dont you know that your father hates me? He is conducting this Yajna with the
express purpose of humiliating me and will certainly not invite us.

Sati was crestfallen when she heard this. She thought for a while and said, Of course you cannot go
to a place where you have not been invited but Im his daughter and can go to her fathers house
without an invitation. I would love to meet my mother and sisters so please let me go. Shiva said, I
cannot stop you from doing what you want Sati, but let me warn you that no good will come of it.
You will dishonoured and forced to listen to your fathers insults."

Daksha Prajpati Mandir

But Sati was adamant. She had made up her mind and nothing he said could stop her. Sadly Shiva
watched her depart. He sent Nandi to carry her and all his goblins accompanied her to protect her if
necessary. She set out with great enthusiasm. She wore pomegranate flowers in her hair and her pet
parrot sat beside her on the bull. The white umbrella of royalty was held above her and banners and
pennants waved merrily beside her. Trumpets and conchs blared as she set out with right royal
regalia. Shiva watched her go with great sorrow for he knew that he would never see her in this form
again.

Sati came from the realms of established religion, the order of dharma and the maintenance of the
world order. She had married into the order of asceticism and strived to combine these two opposing
worlds, both of which are basic to Hindu tradition. In the end she was forced to make the final
sacrifice of her own life.

Sati could hardly recognize her home when she reached. Everything was decorated in a spectacular
manner. She descended from the bull and went inside alone. The ganas waited outside in
trepidation. As Sati entered the sacrificial hall, none dared to look at her for fear of Daksha. Only her
mother and sisters flocked to welcome her but she waved them aside. Daksha alone was totally
unaware of her entrance since he was immersed in his rituals. Her trained eye noted that offerings
and places had been kept for all the gods except Shiva. His place was deliberately kept empty and
bare. With measured steps she walked towards the centre of the Yajnashala (sacrificial hall) where
her father was seated before the blazing fire, offering ghee and various other herbs into the pit,
muttering incantations all the while. Everyone watched with bated breath while she approached.

Her complexion which was normally dark became even darker. Her long black tresses which had
been knotted up were shaken loose and swung like a black cloak around her. Her lotus eyes were red
with anger and blazed like hot coals, and as she glared at her father, sparks like embers flew out.
Daksha turned and saw her and visibly paled beneath her scorching gaze. It was the first time that
Daksha had broken off his mutterings in the middle of a ritual.
Ancient Banyan at Sati Yajnashala at Daksha Prajpati Mandir

Sati looked at him with scorn and said, O father! Your end is near. You are trying to perform a
sacrifice without inviting the One who is the very soul of all sacrifices. Shiva is the essence of fullness
and you have excluded him from your yajna. You think the world revolves round your rituals but even
the flowers you use are but the rain which falls from the feet of Shiva. You have deliberately insulted
him, the great Lord Mahadeva, without whose blessings no yajna can be complete. My Lord
warned me of what I would find here but I disregarded him. How can I return to him? I can no longer
bear to have my beloved call me Dakshayini, (daughter of Daksha). This body which was born from
your seed is hateful to me. I can no longer inhabit it. Your daughter shall be the supreme human
sacrifice for your great yajna. Here and now I shall abandon this body which has sprung from your
loins!

So saying, Sati turned towards the north and fixed her mind on her Lord. She covered herself with
her upper garment and went into a trance. She raised her Kundalini Shakti from the Muladhara
Chakra from the bottom of her spine to the Sahasrara Chakra on the crown of her head. Her spirit
disappeared through the orifice at the crown of her head, leaving the empty calcified shell of her
body standing like a translucent statue. Everyone gazed in awe at what remained of her body.

At that time an ethereal voice declared that Dakshas sacrifice was doomed. Since Sati, the mother
of the universe and Shiva, the father of the universe, were not propitiated by you, misfortune shall
befall you!

(As mentioned above the yajnashala of the present temple of Daksha Prajapati was the one where
Sati gave up her life).

A raised arm on a tombstone indicates a Sati

The waiting ganas flew back to Shiva and reported the whole disastrous turn of events which had led
to their mistress death. Shiva jumped up from the rock on which he had been sitting and plucked off
one of his braids and dashed it on the rock. Out of this sprang the gigantic figure known as
Virabhadra. He had the same features, embellishments and attire as Rudra, the destroyer. He had
hundreds of arms all brandishing a multitude of weapons. He was decked with snakes, and flower
garlands. Shiva commanded him to proceed to Dakshas palace and destroy the entire sacrifice. He
set out followed by Kaali and a host of goblins and spirits.
Far away in the yajnashala there was total silence and gloom. Daksha cowered in fear beside the fire.
Into that silence crept a noise which grew and grew like the approach of an awesome tornado. It was
inexorably approaching from the north. First of all a dust storm appeared out of nowhere and filled
every nook and crevice of the hall. Then out of the gloom there appeared Virabhadras mountainous
figure with flailing arms and weapons, indiscriminately destroying every single thing in his way. Those
who could flee ran for their lives, others had their limbs torn from them and still others were brutally
trampled upon. The once beautiful yajnashala had become a battlefield soaked with blood and
scattered with limbs. The ganas proceeded to desecrate the whole place that had been sanctified by
the priests. They urinated in the hollows in which fires glowed and splattered blood on the offerings.
Virabhadra looked around for the master of the sacrifice and at last spied him huddled in terror near
the altar. His reached his hand and gripped him by the neck and hauled him off to the sacrificial pit
where the animal sacrifice was normally carried out. He cut off Dakshas head and threw it
contemptuously into the fire, the final offering the head of the master of the sacrifice!!

Having done his worst, Virabhadhra returned to his Lord along with the ganas. In the meantime
Brahma and Vishnu went to Kailasa and begged Shiva to withdraw his form as Rudra and allow
Daksha to complete the sacrifice which was meant for the well being of the world. Shiva agreed but
since Dakshas body had no head, he told them to fix the head of a goat on his trunk and allow him
to complete the sacrifice.

Though he had forgiven Daksha, Shiva was filled with agony at the death of his beloved, Sati. He went
to the yajnashala and picking up her lifeless corpse, he wandered over the whole world, holding her
aloft. His ganas followed him silently, tears rolling down their cheeks, not knowing how to console
their grief-stricken Lord. He wandered on and on repeating the steps of the tandava, the dance that
always preceded creation and destruction. The whole of creation was filled with grief and the gods
begged Vishnu to do something before the whole world drowned in Shivas sorrow. Vishnu followed
Shiva and taking his discus he cut off pieces of Satis body, limb by limb. At last when the whole body
was gone, Shiva realized that there was nothing more in his arms. He retired to his mountain
fastness and went into deep samadhi and refused to meet anyone.

Those places where Satis limbs had fallen came to be known as Shakti Peethas, where the power of
the divine mother was most keenly felt. These peethas are fifty-one in number though sometimes
they are said to be a hundred-and-eight.

Sadhiora Sati Mata

In the years to come, the word sati came to be used for any woman who immolated herself on her
husbands pyre. After some time the custom of commemorating the death of a sati with a
memorial stone came into fashion. The earliest of these are found in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, though
the largest collections date from several centuries later, and are found in Rajasthan. These stones,
called devli, or sati-stones, became shrines to the dead women, who were treated as objects of
reverence and worship. In fact these women were worshipped as goddesses. They brought glory not
only to their husbands but also to their families. They are most common in western India. They are
also known as Maha-sati stones (hero-stones) and they were erected in memory of all those women
who committed sati and are periodically worshipped. Many hero-stones claim that the wife has
committed sati out of tremendous love for her husband, so that they could be together after death,
but these are not historically substantiated. One finds a large number of women committing sati
immediately after a war, when the women must have died to protect their honour from the invading
enemies after their men had perished in the battlefield. During the time of the Rajputs in particular
many women jumped into the fire along with their husbands body and came to be deified as satis.
This was most common during the time of the Moghuls when the women did not want to remain
after their husbands death and lose their chastity.

Sati Marks (Maharaji Man Singh Widows)

I was never aware of the existence of these stones in Kankhal but a friend took me to see them.
Apparently since the original Sati took place here, many of the relations of the satis brought their
ashes and put them in a graveyard in Kankhal and placed the sati stone over them. There are many
such places in Kankhal where you can see these stones but the one which impressed me most was a
fairly large one filled with these stones. Even from afar the place had a gloomy and eerie look. It was
surrounded by a broken wall and a huge banyan tree with amazingly knotted branches and roots
spread its branches over the stones as if sheltering them with its arms. Silently I climbed up the steps
and stepped into the hallowed ground encrusted with hundreds of years of fallen leaves since
apparently no one ever came here any more. Not a sound was there in that place not even the
chirping of a bird. I looked around curiously. Who were the women who lay here, I wondered and
what had driven them to make this final sacrifice for their husbands? Was it love or compulsion or
the horror of living the life of a widow? Perhaps they thought it better to be glorified as a goddess
than ostracized by the society and living the life of a social outcaste. It was really a depressing place
yet it was filled with some strange poetry. Were these women trying to reach me, since perhaps I
was one of the few who dared or cared to go there after so many years of abandonment? How could
I dare to desecrate this holy ground with my footwear? I thought of taking them out but prudence
prevailed since the ground was damp and it was winter. I breathed a prayer for them those who
had deliberately courted an agonizing death to be with their husbands in heaven. Evening shadows
were falling and I took a last look at these forlorn stones some of them tilted and about to fall, some
standing straight and proud, a monument to the women who had died for their husbands as Sati had
died for the sake of her beloved Shiva!

Shiva's Grief

I returned to the temple of Daksha Prajapati and stood for a moment in front of the huge statue of
Shiva carrying his beloved Sati in his arms, ranging the world in despair. His face depicted all the
agony he must have felt when he saw the calcified body of his dearly loved wife. Close by was a big
banyan tree with aerial roots. These roots had thousands of red strings wound round them. I was
told that anyone who wanted their desires to be fulfilled would get a red string and breathe a prayer
into them and thus wind the strings of their hearts beating with their desires on to these aerial roots
which stretched down to the earth as if to ensure that these desires would find their fulfillment in
the earth which had propagated them.

Graveyard of Sati's

Then I walked to the yajnashala where the famous Brihaspati Yajna of Daksha Prajapati had taken
place so many years ago. The flickering lights cast strange shadows around the kund where a fire was
still burning. These shadows could easily have been Shivas ganas determined to wreak their
vengeance on the man who had insulted their master and caused their mistress to give up her life.
There were many statues and paintings of Sati, beloved wife of Shiva. They seemed to be gazing at
me as if imploring me to understand what had made her do such a dreadful act. If I closed my eyes I
could see her standing with floating black hair and wild eyes glaring at her father. The next picture
was one in which she had drawn up her vital breath and had become calm and composed. Her eyes
were turned upwards and had a celestial look about them. Her arms were folded with cupped palms
placed on her breast in the traditional act of homage. She was glowing with a strange luster and the
fire of her tapas seemed to be going upwards from her lowest chakra to the highest. It was as if she
was lit up by a flame from inside which burnt like liquid gold. The fire in the kund seemed a poor
imitation. I prostrated before her and asked her to bless all those poor souls whose tomb stones I
had just visited. I also pleaded with her to turn her compassionate gaze on all those women who had
unhappy marriages and felt unloved and unwanted by their husbands. Sadly I wended my way inside
the temple and poured Ganga water over the lingam. As I watched the water flow in a continuous
line on to the lingam and flow off through the base which was a stone which represented Satis yoni I
felt more composed. Satis sacrifice had paid off. She had wanted to bring her husband, the eternal
ascetic into the world of human beings so that they could also worship him. It is said that he took on
the form of the lingam and stayed in the yoni which is the form of the Divine Mother so that they
were inseparably united and ever available to bless suffering humanity.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Mandi

Himachal Pradesh is like something out of the fairy tale books of the brothers Grimm. It has a mystic,
magical charm about it which makes you feel that any minute you might suddenly meet a giant
striding across the hills or a leprechaun nestling amongst the leaves, or princesses floating in
decorated boats down the rivers. It has castles perched on impossible crags and temples to all sorts
of goddesses, some beneficent and some malefic. Actually it as beautiful as Kashmir but
unfortunately or fortunately it has not been given a lot of publicity so it still retains its pristine charm
especially in some of the little known towns.

Lord Narasimha

The whole countryside is riddled with hundreds of shrines to all types of devis (goddessess) and
devatas (gods and sages). I was fortunate to go on a tour of many of these temples accompanied by
our web master Arvind and his wife Chela. In fact we had been invited to Mandi for the famous
Shivaratri (Night of Shiva) festival in February.

Trimukha Siva

We started our journey in Chandigar and drove up the hilly slopes to the ancient town of Mandi
where our hosts had arranged the Himachal tourist guest house for us. The next day our kind host
took a day off and took us to many little shrines in and around Mandi. It has a picturesque group of
ancient stone temples with tall vimanas, (spires), splendidly located below the town on the banks
of the foaming river. My mind is a chaotic jumble of many shrines so I shall mention only a few which
stand out vividly in my mind.
Triloknath Temple

The Bhootanath temple is the most famous in Mandi and is situated in the very heart of the city.
Before going into the temple we were struck by a small sort of a shack perched on a ledge in which
lived a wizened up old man. Nobody knew how long he had been sitting there. Apparently he never
leaves the shack and eats only what is brought for him by the villagers. In India such people are not
considered as freaks but as enlightened souls. In most western countries such people would have
been taken off to the lunatic asylum but here they are worshipped. Indians have always known of the
existence of other realms of reality and they always respect people who actually live in such realms.
Arvind went up to him and he actually took his shriveled hand with tortuous nails, dirty and curled
up. He never refused any money but he never kept anything for himself and would give it to the
villagers who took care of him. Actually the villagers only took care of his bodily needs but he was
indeed a child of nature and no doubt he was entirely looked after by divine agents.

Mandi Nandi

The temple itself is as old as the city which dates back to the 16th century. You can see the soaring
spire as you approach. On the left is a well which has now been fenced off. Apparently in olden times
this used to be the place where the ashes of those women who committed sati (immolation in the
fire when the husband dies), was thrown. As you enter the main building you see the back of a
magnificent bull Nandi, Shivas vehicle which sits facing the double arch which leads to the
sanctuary. Bhootanath is the Lord of all goblins and spirits. Shiva is the essence of compassion and
he always welcomes those creatures which are shunned and despised by others. Those tortured
souls who haunt the cremation grounds and those who have not attained final liberation and hover
around this earthly sphere are always welcomed by him. Such is the greatness of this Maheswara-
the great Lord.

Shivaratri of course is celebrated in style in this temple

Triloknath Temple

The next most important temple is the Tarna Devi temple on top of the hill called Tarna which is a
landmark in the town and which can be reached by a flight of steps from the market itself. She is also
known as Shyama Kali or the black Kali. Of course no one has ever heard of a white Kali so Im not
sure why this name was given. Raja Shyama Sen is supposed to have built this temple in the 17th
century in gratitude for the favours she showered on him when he was in desperate straits.

Tarna Devi

The temple normally closed at 8 pm and by the time we finished visiting all the other temples in the
town it was really dark. I was frantic to get there before it closed but as luck would have it just as we
got out of the car we saw the pujari (priest) coming out of the temple after having locked the door.
Someone pointed him out to us and proclaimed that once the temple was closed he would never
open it till the next morning. It was a real blow to me since we were leaving the next day and there
would have been no opportunity to visit Her the next day and I had a great thirst to see her. I ran up
to the priest and looked piteously at him and said that we had come all the way from Rishikesh just
to see her. He looked piercingly into my eyes and then without speaking a word he turned round and
went back to the temple and opened the huge silver doors and beckoned us to go in!! My face
streaming with tears, I ran in and prostrated before her. What can one say of such grace? He allowed
us to stay a while and then I asked him to place the mask of the goddess which I had with me at the
feet of the goddess and consecrate it. He stood outside the rope which separated us from the altar
and threw it in. I was not sure why he did this. We sat inside for a while and when we were ready to
leave I looked expectantly at him, waiting for him to return the copper mask to me to me but he was
all set to leave. Maybe he hadnt understood what I wanted. I asked our host to explain it to him. The
priest looked a bit put out and said that he could not enter the sanctorum without putting on his
special dhoti. But he kindly told me that I could come the next morning and he would give it to me. I
looked blankly at him and my host once again explained my predicament - that we were leaving early
the next morning. Again without a word he went out of the temple to his quarters and returned
wearing the ceremonial dhoti and retrieved the mask for me. Again I was bereft of words and could
only bow to him and to Her. Our host told us later that when he asked the priest why he did such an
unusual thing as opening the temple after it was closed for the night as it was against the norm, all
he said was, She told me to open it!

We stayed outside the temple watching the wonderful view of the city but I had eyes for nothing. All
I could do was to sit in the shade of a banyan tree with overflowing heart and eyes and thank Her
again and again for Her grace.
Mandi Mela

As mentioned before we had come for the Mandi Mela or Fair. This was a very special type of Fair.
Himachal is filled with shrines to various gods and goddesses. In ancient times when there was no
police force to protect a town or village, they resorted to divine powers to help them. This every
village had its own deva or devata, who were guardian deities and were often kept at the entrance to
the village. Many stories are told of how these deities did indeed protect their worshippers from all
harm including epidemics of small pox and plague. During the festival of Shivaratri all these minor
deities congregated together at Mandi to meet each other and bless the devotees of the other
village deities.

Congregations came one by one from each of the surrounding villages carrying their deities on their
heads, followed by drummers and other musicians and men carrying gaily coloured banners. Traffic
was totally suspended on that day and the processions wound their way to the large grounds in the
center of the town.

Devata's Talking

As they came in they could be seen talking to their sisters from other villages. This was done in a
unique fashion. The men carrying the deities would dance towards the other batch and bow to him
or her and whisper something or other. After this they would keep dancing back and forth as if they
were indeed talking to each other. This was quite a remarkable sight. By then end of the day the
whole ground was lined with small batches from over two hundred villages. It was a fantastic sight.
Many of these deities were known to be famous fortune tellers and villagers would squat before
them and ask questions and get favourable or unfavourable answers as the case may be. Since most
of them came from very poor villages it was considered a blessing to give them some donation!

Shivaratri night was celebrated at our hosts abode and was a great joy. The next day the all the
deities would go in procession towards the palace of the Mandi King and assemble there. Of course
spirituality was only one side of the coin of life and attached to the field of the devatas was a carnival
with the usual shops selling cheap Chinese goods and a make shift fairy wheel and swings and sweet
shops for children. We left the next morning for our next destination, our ears filled with sound of
the drums and our hearts with gratitude for having been blessed to attend such an amazing
collection of divine beings!

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Procession of Village Devata on Shivaratri

Deva is the Hindu term for deity; devatas are a kind of smaller more focused devas, the equivalent of
guardian spirits or guardian angels. They are generally thought of as female. There are many kinds of
devatas: vanadevatas (forest spirits, perhaps descendants of early nature-spirit cults), gramadevata
(village gods), devata of river crossings, caves, mountains, and so on. Each caste has its guardian
deva, and every human activity has its devata, its spiritual counterpart or aspect.

Temples of Himachal

View from Naggar Castle

Naggar was the ancient capital of the kings of Kullu for about 1,400 years.We were booked to stay at
the Himachal Tourist Bugalow which was situated in the castle and was simply known as The
Castle. It is situated on the left bank of the Beas river. We climbed up a windy road and at last
reached the castle which was perched on top of a crag overlooking the village. The best view of the
castle was actually from the road as we climbed but even the views from the other side were
spectacular. Since it was a protected monument only those who had booked could go in. Others had
to pay a small fee and could enter only at certain times. We walked down the cobbled courtyard and
were shown to our rooms. Arvind and Chela had a huge room which could have happily
accommodated at least 15 people with a tapestry bed and carpets etc. Unfortunately it was facing
north and was as cold as a morgue. My room luckily faced east and was as cozy as a room with 15
foot high walls could be. I had hardly settled in when my companions followed me and took the
identical room next door which was much warmer. Just outside was a wooden balcony with railings
which overlooked the magnificent snow mountains. They were so close that I felt that if I leaned over
the railings and stretched out my hands I could touch the peaks. Tearing my gaze away from the
peaks I noticed that we could also see the river meandering its way across the valley and the villages
which dotted the opposite banks. Altogether it was an incredible view. The rays of the setting sun
were tingeing the peaks with red and then gold and then pink. We sat on the benches and watched
while the last rays of the setting sun faded reluctantly from the peaks and the beautiful twilight set
in. This place was the coldest that we had been in so far and the open air restaurant got
uncomfortably cold while we had our typical Himachal dinner. The restaurant had a fantastic tree in
the middle of the cobbled courtyard which shaded us from the morning sun when we went for
breakfast the next morning.

Naggar Castle

There was a very interesting temple right in the castle itself which was open only in the mornings. So
this was our first port of call. It was known as Jagatti Patt. When the pujari opened the door we were
surprised to find a huge block of stone in the place of an idol. The stone was about a foot high and
filled almost the whole of the room. The stone was known as Dram Dhog and it had a very
interesting legend connected with it. In ancient days one of the kings had married a princess from a
far off land. She was very homesick and longed to have something from her own land. She prayed to
the gods who took pity on her and took the form of a swarm of bees and carried this huge rock all
the way from her land and placed it here. They settled on this rock and to this day, the rock is
worshipped as being divine. No doubt the princess was also very happy.

Jagatti Patt Temple

A 5'x 8'x 6" block of Brigu Tung hill known as "Dram Dhog"

is worshiped at Jagatti Patt Temple in the Naggar Castle.

The village devis & devtas in the form of a swarm of bees

miraculously carried Dram Dhog 16 miles from Bahang Village to the castle,
to comfort the young, home-sick Rani of Naggar.

Krishna Temple, Naggar

Our actual destination was the Krishna temple which we had heard about. High above the village set
amidst the Devataru (Deodar) trees was a Krishna temple which we reached after quite a strenuous
climb. There was actually a short route which we missed and climbed up the way which was being
made for cars. There was a big wall round the temple and a door which led into the cobbled
courtyard. The temple was right in front of us set like a jewel with the woods surrounding it and
snow peaks in the distance. It was an ancient 12th century temple made of stone and wood and had
no particular sculptures to make it outstanding but somehow it had an aura of tranquility brought
about I felt by the lack of pilgrims. As I went through the door I felt that I had stepped into the past.
The priest was sitting outside in the sun reading the scriptures and did not even look up as we
arrived. I was most impressed by this and felt that he was really a noble soul who did his work for
love and not for money unlike most temple priests.

I went inside and sat in the cold room adjoining the sanctum. Inside was a delightful idol of
Muralidhara (Krishna with a flute). I sat and meditated for a long while my friends chatted with the
priests son who spoke English. At last the priest finished his morning reading and came inside. By
this time a flock of young college girls had arrived all giggling and chattering so he did an arati
(waving of lights) and gave them some prasad. Then he went outside and sat down in the sun to do
the yajna (fire ceremony). We were all set to leave but he beckoned us to sit and participate in the
ritual. A hole had been made in the granite floor and this is where he did the fire ceremony by
lighting some twigs and cow dung cakes. The fire burnt merrily and into this he poured ghee and
other offerings. At last he finished and gave us all the nuts and dry fruits which we had brought as
gifts. He courteously asked us to stay for lunch but we knew that it would be difficult to feed an extra
three mouths so we refused. However we had an interesting chat with the son who had been abroad
but preferred to return to his own home tucked away in this secluded forest instead of staying on in a
modern town. He kept in touch with some of his friends by e mail and was successfully running a co-
operative to help the farmers with their cultivation. Himachal was famous for its quality apples and
many types of nuts. We would really have loved to stay on a little longer but we had to go on to our
next destination which was the Roerich art gallery. This time we took the short cut back to the road.

Nicholas Roerich Home and Gallery

The Roerich Art gallery is only a few kilometers from the Castle. It was the originally the residence of
Nicholas K. Roerich and his beautiful wife Devika Rani who had been a famous movie actress. He was
a Russian nobleman who had settled in Himachal Pradesh after the 1927 revolution. He was a great
artist and his dream was to unite the world through art. One of the things on show was the 1930
Dodge car of the artist who must have loved this place since he lived here for many years. The
museum and art gallery was a whitewashed building placed in the middle of a beautiful garden in
which there were many lovely sculptures. In fact we were struck by the beautiful statues which were
just outside the gate, under a tree. The museum contained many of his paintings as well as those of
his son and other Russian artists.

Just about 100 metres climb from the museum was the Uruswati Himalayan Folk Arti Museum which
has a collection of local folk art as well as Russian folk art. Roerich and his wife set it up in 1928. The
word Uruswati is a Sanskrit word meaning Light of the Morning Star, and it was made with the
intention to provide a place for study and research on the traditional and Tibetan medicines and the
ethos of this Himalayan region. The museum has many Russian musical instruments, painted dolls
and dishes and oil paintings by Russian artists. There are stone carvings from Ladakh, Kullu, idols of
gods and goddesses and a photograph of Buddha.

As went through the gardens I was wafted to another age and could almost see the dignified, gray
bearded man walking arm in arm through that beautiful garden with his attractive wife who had
been a legend in her time.

Kali Temple, Naggar

Shankar Temple Naggar

Tripura Sundari Temple, Naggar

MANALI

The next day we set out for Manali. En route we went to the ancient temple of Gayatri Devi in a tiny
village called Jagat Sukh. Surrounding this exquisite temple was a number of ancient 12th century
temples dedicated to Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha. The Gayatri temple was well kept and had a priest
attached to it but the other temples seemed to be taken for granted the villagers as part of their
landscape and scant attention was paid to them. There was a school down below and children ran
about screaming, totally disregarding these poems in stone. I was sad and felt that only in India
would such ancient monuments be considered as commonplace. Perhaps this was one of the charms
of India the past crept into the present and walked hand in hand with it.

Gayatri Temple, Jagat Sukh

Gauri-Shankar Temple, Jagat Sukh

The next temple to be visited was the Hidimbi Devi temple set amongst picturesque cedar woods. It
was a striking temple and our first sight was of a 24 metres tall Shikkhar or spire above the sanctum.
This consisted of three square roofs covered with timber tiles. It was capped with a golden cone. The
base was made of whitewashed, mud-covered stonework. The temple had intricately carved wooden
doors with beautiful carvings of Durga.

The temple is actually made out of a huge jutting rock. Inside there is another huge rock with a tiny
figure 3 high of the goddess. A rope hangs over the rock and according to legend, sinners would be
tied by their hands on this rope and swung against the rock. Now of course the rope made it easier
for us to descend to the hollow in which the figure was kept and climb up again.
Hidimbi was actually a rakshasi or demoness who had lived in these forests along with her brother
Hidimba who had terrorized the sages who had built ashramas in this forest. The Pandavas who are
the heroes of the Mahabharata had also lived in exile in this forest after their cousins had tried to
burn them in a palace which had been specially designed with inflammable material. Bhima was the
second one of the Pandavas and he was the strong man amongst them. Once the rishis had begged
him to save them from the atrocities of Hidimba who was terrorizing them and even eating them
alive whenever he managed to catch them. Bhima killed the rakshasa but fell for the charms of his
sister Hidimbi and married her. Why she was deified is a mystery. Her only claim to glory was her son
Gatotkacha who was a mighty figure with incredible strength and he had helped the Pandavas to win
the war. In fact he gave his own life to save his uncle Arjuna.

The moment we came out of the temple we were beset with ladies carrying Angora rabbits and men
with yaks. One of them offered her rabbit to me and I gratefully took it and draped it over my
shoulder. Immediately there was a flash and someone took a photograph and the woman started to
pester me for money! I had taken it only because I thought it was an offering of love never realizing
that there was a mercenary reason! Arvind and Chela were badgered into having their photos taken,
sitting on one of the poor sad-looking yaks. We returned back to Naggar by evening all set for our
next days adventure to Dharmshala.

BAIJNATH

Baijnath temple was en route to Dharmashala so that was our next stop. Actually this word is a
corruption of the word Vaidyanatha which means Lord of Physicians which is another name for Lord
Shiva. Legend has it that this is the place where Ravana the demon king of Lanka worshipped Lord
Shiva and sacrificed all his ten heads in the fire. Because of this Dussera is not celebrated here. That
was the day on which Lord Rama killed Ravana and it is believed that Shiva would get angry if that
festival was celebrated. In fact when it was celebrated a couple of times the men who were
responsible for conducting it died violent deaths and this was accrued to being the wrath of Shiva.
The architecture of the temple is known as the Shikhara style which is more common in Orissa. It is
enclosed by a huge wall surrounded by beautiful gardens. According to the stone slabs found in the
temple, the foundation was laid by two merchants in the 9th century. The Shaka year 1126 which
corresponds to 1204 AD is considered to be more authentic. Renovation of the temple was carried
out in the 19th century.

We entered the inner courtyard after having walked round the wall. The sanctum is crowned by a
conical spire. The lingam of Vaidyanatha is found inside this sanctum and is entered through a
passage leading from the hall. It is a most impressive lingam and we sat for a while and meditated in
this place. Many people come here to gain relief from their ailments since the lord here is the lord of
Physicians. The water here is supposed to have curative properties and for many years the kings of
Kangra got their drinking water from here.

There is a beautiful Nandi outside in front of the sanctum. One of the strange features of the
Himachal Nandis is the fact that they all have a human being wrapped in their tails. This one was no
exception. We really felt as if we had got a bonus of health after going to this place.

Chamunda Devi
Another ancient shrine en route to Dharmshala was the famous Shakti Peeth of Chamunda Devi.
Chamunda is the fearful form of Durga and the idol is said to be so powerful that no one can gaze at
it with the naked eye. Hence it is always covered with a red cloth. Shiva is also said to be present
here in his form as Mahakala or the Lord of Death. Lord Shiva is said to have enshrined Parvati at this
place in her fearful form after he killed the demon Jalandara and hence this site is also known as
Rudra Chamunda. In ancient times, animal and perhaps human sacrifices used to be offered at this
spot.

The temple is supposed to be about 700 years old and has a big complex attached to it with a tank
which is known as the Ban Ganga. Many people take a dip in the holy waters of this lake. There is
also a cave at the back with a Shiva lingam.

Chamunda Devi

The legend of how the goddess got this particular name is given in the Devi Mahatmya. The goddess
Parvati had taken on the form of Ambika in order to help the gods to defeat the terrible demons
known as Shumbha and Nishumbha. Once when she was sitting on a mountain peak, these two
demons who had heard of her beauty sent their minions known as Chanda and Munda to go and
solicit her hand in marriage. She sweetly refused the offer and told them to tell their masters that
she had taken a vow that she would marry only the one who could defeat her in battle. Shumba and
Nishumbha sent their armies to defeat her but they were in turn defeated. During the battle Chanda
and Munda were causing havoc to Ambikas armies so she frowned and out of her frown came the
wrathful form of Kaali. She told her to go and kill the two demons. Kaali did as ordered and returned
carrying the heads of the two demons Chanda and Munda. Ambika laughingly told her that from
that day onwards she would be known as Chamunda (Chanda and Munda).

As we entered the huge portals of the temple I felt very strong vibrations. We went and sat in front
of the goddess for some time. Unfortunately we could not stay long since we still had a long way to
go to our destination. It was indeed Her grace that we had been allowed at least this much of time
with Her since this temple had not been included in our original itinerary. As we were traveling along
the road to Dharmshala, we had been powerfully led to this place by the signpost showing the way
to Chamunda Devi.
Dharmshala

Shades of night were falling as eventually we made our way to Dharmshala. It is perched high on the
slopes of the Himalayas against the backdrop of the Dhauladhar mountains. It is divided into two
distinct sections upper and lower with a difference of almost thousand meters in height. The upper
section is known as Macleod Ganj and was originally reserved for the British as a refuge from the
blistering heat of a Delhi summer. Now it is almost totally occupied by the Tibetans who had been
displaced from their country and had to flee to India. The Indian government gave this to them and
many of them have settled here and live a happy and peaceful life. It is also the place where the Dalai
Lama resides.

Macleod Ganj is surrounded by dense pine trees and deodar forests. In the distance there is a
magnificent view of the Himalayan snow peaks. Altogether nature has lavished her bounties of
beauty on this town in which the Dalai Lama lives.

Chonor House

We had been booked into an exclusive Tibetan type guest house called Chonor House which
apparently was built and run by the Dalai Lamas brother. We reached there after a long and weary
search but once we got there we felt it was worth the effort. Each room was furnished according to a
typical Tibetan theme either of flowers, birds or animals. I had a charming room with birds adjoined
by a balcony which overlooked the Dalai Lamas palace from which I could hear the far off booming
of gongs. Arvind and Chela had the animal room and were surrounded by leopards and tigers that
hopefully did not growl and keep them awake.

PadmaSambhava Rimpoche

Next morning we set out for the palace of the Dalai Lama. There were two main rooms which were
open to the public and we sat and meditated for a while there. The second room had the electrifying
statue of the Rimpoche whose eyes as usual penetrated into me even though I sat with closed eyes.
There was another room filled with ghee lamps which emitted the sweet smell of burning ghee.
The whole complex was huge and Chela and I went to the Tibet Museum in which was depicted the
long trek of those Tibetans including the Dalai Lama who had been forced to flee from their
homeland, leaving behind everything they held dear. The photographs gave poignant details of their
hard trek over the harsh terrain of the high passes of the Himalayas into India which had given them
a sanctuary at this very place. The brutalities committed by the Chinese as they forced the Tibetans
to flee in order to keep the shreds of their ancient way of life, was actually very reminiscent of the
horrors of the holocaust which I had seen in the museum in Israel. It seemed incredible to me that in
this age people could commit such crimes against their fellow men. Genocide is not a happy word.
The Tibetans had a culture which was as fragile and delicate as a spiders web. Far from the
madding crowd their sober wishes had never learnt to stray. And now they had been forced into the
spotlight of another culture which though prepared to give shelter and all help, yet to them was
alien, unexposed as they had been to the external world. The previous Dalai Lama had prophesied
that the present one would be the last of their creed. We stumbled out of the museum, our eyes
blinded by tears, helpless to do anything for these lost people.

Outside many young men were lying on the ground, on a fast since the little boy who had been
chosen by the Dalai Lama to be his successor had been forcibly taken away from his parents and
teachers and incarcerated in a room in which he was being indoctrinated with Chinese propaganda
instead of Tibetan scriptures! The world was well aware of what was going on since on that day
Tibetans all over the world were undertaking a fast and begging the United States to step in and save
the little boy. But so far no one seemed to be doing anything to save him and soon it would be too
late.

Next we went to the market. Here of course we were really happy to see that the second generation
of Tibetans led happy, healthy and quite affluent lives. They had little curio shops and restaurants
and way-side stalls which did very good business since a stroll through this market place was a must
for all those who came to Dharmshala. In fact you could almost believe that you were in some town
in Tibet except that probably the Tibetan towns were not as prosperous looking. We found a purely
Tibetan vegetarian restaurant run by monks which gave excellent food. Since vegetarian food is a
rarity in Tibetan restaurants we were very happy to have found this one.
Dalai Lama Kullu Airport

We were all sad that the Dalai Lama was not in residence. He had gone to Bangalore and was trying
to get people to help him to rescue the little boy. Even if he had been there apparently we would
have to undergo a three day examination before we would be allowed to see him. Next day as we
were returning from the palace I suddenly spied a small golden salamander basking in the sun on a
niche in the rock wall. It is considered very lucky to see a golden salamander so I called my friends to
observe him. I shall narrate how lucky he was going to prove for my friends. Next day I left for
Rishikesh by car and Arvind and Chela went to the small airport at Kullu to catch the flight to Delhi.
As they went in they noticed that the place had been cordoned off since the Dalai Lama had just
landed. As he came out, Chela in all innocence cut through the barrier and ran and fell at his feet. He
looked at her with his compassionate gaze and blessed her. You can imagine what a blessing this was
to her and how this particular incident was the crowning point of their Himachal yatra.

Jwalamukhi

My road on the other hand took me to the famous temple of Jwalamukhi which I had visited many
years ago. It is fifty-six km. from Dharmshala. Jwalamukhi is one of the Shakti peethas and this is the
place where Satis mouth fell (refer to the article on Sati for this story.) Thus she is known as the
goddess of the flaming mouth since fire comes out of it. One of the ancient kings of Kangra, who was
a great devotee of Durga, had a dream in which the goddess appeared to him and gave him
directions to find this spot. He found the place and constructed a temple there. However the present
temple was completed only in the 19th century by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his son Kharak Singh
who also gave gold and silver to construct the dome and door. This temple was built on a very simple
wooden platform and the architecture is said to be Indo-Sikh. The dome and spire were plated with
gold given by the king and the main door was made of silver. The huge bronze bell in front of the
temple was presented by the King of Nepal.

Jwalamukhi Temple

Hearing about the miraculous powers of this place, the great Moghul Emperor, Akbar came to see it
for himself and tried his best to put out the flames but was totally unsuccessful in his attempt. He
became very contrite and later came with a gold umbrella for the goddess but strangely enough, the
gold changed into some unknown metal and it was taken as a sign that the goddess did not accept
his offering.

The actual spot where the flames appear is no more than a small circle of about three feet in
circumference. A short flight of steps leads to the grotto in which you see two small pools of crystal
clear water, fed by natural springs. Three orange jets of flame flare steadily from the sides of the
pool, just a few inches above the surface of the water which looks as if it is bubbling. However if you
put your hands into it, it is refreshingly cool. The temple has no idol since the goddess manifests
herself in her nine forms as nine eternal flames. These are Mahakaali, Annapurna, Chandi, Hinglai,
Vindhya Vasini, Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Ambika and Anjini Devi. The offerings to the goddess are
made into this pit in which the flames are perpetually burning. The temple is guarded by the fierce
looking followers of the great Tantric, Goraknath, who had many miraculous powers. Sometimes the
priest throws some water into the pit and immediately a huge flame comes out which invariably
makes the devotees gasp. To date no one has been able to unravel the mystery behind these flames
which might be due to a natural jet of combustible gas. Indians are famous for their ability to see
God in anything especially in that which is strange and miraculous and thus to this day we see the
power of the goddess manifesting itself through these incredible flames. Many tantrics and seekers
have been drawn to this place through the ages and many are said to have attained siddhis or
supernormal powers by the grace of the goddess as did the great sage, Goraknath.

This was the last of our temples and I returned late at night to Rishikesh to the sanctuary of the
Vanamali Ashram, saturated with the miracles of our Holy Land of Bharat.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Thirupathi

The land lying between Thirupathi in the north and Kannyakumari in the south is indeed a blessed
land. The number of temples dotted all over this ground is incredible. All of them are ancient and
filled with the ecstatic fervour of those who built them as well as the great kings of Pandya and Chola
who conceived them and were prepared to pay anything in order to get the perfection which they
dreamt about. Their only desire was to glorify God in His many manifestations and thus they made
these enormous, elaborate and exquisite works of art and sculpture. Hard granite stones seem to
move and talk to us as if they have come alive. If stones could talk they would be able to tell us such
tales of devotion that we would be struck with wonder and fall down and worship the Lord whose
tales they were trying to describe. This is the land of the great Lord- Maheswara and His consort,
Parvati and His children Ganesha and Karthikeya. It is also the land of the nine planets since Shiva
himself is the controller of the planets and if we propitiate Him, they will also befriend us. This is a
land of mystery and magic where our ancient culture is still throbbing with life for we see that even
today these temples are centres of great spiritual activity and inspire great devotion. Thousands of
people still throng to these temples which are living forces of energy even after five thousand years.
They are not like many of the north Indian temples which have grand architecture but which have
been neglected and are relics without any life for no rites or pujas are conducted.

Nayanmars at Thirukkazhukundram

The reason for this easy to find. What makes a temple great is the number of saints who have visited
it and cast their glow of spirituality on them. Tamilnadu is a place which has had the greatest number
of Shaivite saints known as Nayanmars and Vaishnavite saints known as Alwars. The country has
been made holy due to the dust of their feet. Their lives are impossible to describe. They lived only
for the sake of their Lord be it Shiva or Vishnu. He it was, that guided and controlled their every
thought and action so that everything they did was for Him alone. Some called them crazy but their
lunacy was of a special kind. They were crazy about God. They had but one desire and that was to
attain union with Him. The story of their lives is one of extreme sacrifice and incredible acts of
devotion. Again and again the Lord of their hearts would test them, sometimes with tests which
might seem beyond human endurance to us but they passed with ease for they did it for the sake of
their Beloved. To these great saints who loved Him with all their hearts and soul, the Lord in turn
gave His greatest blessings. He was their friend, guide, guru, master and beloved. He took many roles
in order to test and bless them. Amongst the Nayanmars or Shiva bhaktas four stand out as being the
greatest. They are known as the Great Four and their names will go down in history as being the
greatest lovers of God. They are Sundaramurti Nayanar who lived in the 8th century, who was called
the Friend of Shiva, SaintAppar who was known as the Servant of Shiva, and who was the forerunner
to Tiru Jnana Sambandar who was known as the Son of Shiva. He wrote the famous collection of
songs known as Thevaram which is still sung in all Shiva temples, and lastly, Manikkavachagar who
was called the Knower of Shiva. All four have written many songs to the Great God which would melt
the stony heart of even a hardened atheist. In these songs they have extolled the greatness of their
Lord-Shiva. These ballads are filled with stories of Lord Shivas grace and proclaim the greatness of
the lingams and idols of Shiva and of the temple tanks and holy trees and so on. The poetess Avvai
has sung that Love is Shivam! Thus Shiva is the epitome of compassion and love. He despised none.
The lame and the crooked, the ghouls, ghosts and spirits formed His retinue.

The Chola and Pandyan kings filled this land with countless shrines. Their palaces and fortresses have
disappeared in the course of time but these great edifices to the glory of God have endured for
eternity. These temples contain some of the outstanding examples of art in the world. The wealth of
the Chola kings was spent in portraying the glory of the Great God, Mahadeva. They took the Atti
flower, the favourite of Lord Shiva as their own emblem.

It was only through the grace of the Great Lord Himself, that I got the opportunity to visit this Deva
Bhumi for five glorious days in the month of Magha or Thai just after Makara Sankranti. During this
short period of time I was taken to many of the exalted temples of this land. So many experiences
were encapsuled into these five days that I feel as if I have been dipped in the ocean of bhakti which
is found in this holy land of Tamilnadu.

Mathurantakam

Rama temple

The first temple we visited after leaving Chennai was the Sri Rama temple at Mathurantakam.
Unfortunately it was 12oclock when we reached there and the priest was just about to come out
after closing the temple. I was terribly disappointed and felt that this was a bad omen for the rest of
our tour. I begged the priest to open it once again and give us a glimpse of the deity. In response to
this he gave us a lecture on how terrible it was to ask him to open a temple which had just been
closed and how important it was to him to return home and cook his lunch etc. There were quite a
few others waiting behind us and they also added their pleas to ours. The priest went on scolding
and talking but the Lord was not going to let him get off like this. At the end of the tirade he suddenly
threw open the doors and I gasped at the huge figure of Sri Rama and Sita. This idol was especially
sweet since it is the only one in India where Ramas right hand is seen holding Sitas left in a tight
grasp. We were of course very happy. I realized it was another of Vanamalis tricks to see how we
took misfortunes.
Rama here is also known as Erikatra Rama or the one who protected the lake. The story goes that
during one monsoon, the village lake was threatening to overflow and flood the whole village. The
villagers went to the English Resident and told him to do something about it and he promised to look
into the matter the next day. But it kept raining the whole night so he decided to go and survey the
lake in the night. When he went there he was amazed to see two young and handsome boys carrying
bows and arrows patrolling the lake side. He realised that they must be Rama and Lakshmana and
that he was indeed fortunate in having had their darshan.

This temple is famous for being the place where the great saint Periya Nambi initiated Sri
Ramanujacharya the exponent of Visishtadvaita. He was also given the insignia of Vishnu the
Conch and Chakra under the Vakula tree under which we happened to be standing. One of the young
priests made us sit down and gave a talk on the entire proceedings by which Ramanucharya had
been initiated by his guru but unfortunately I cannot remember everything.

Panchamukha Hanuman

Since it was a Tuesday I had a small desire to be go to some Hanuman temple. Interestingly when I
asked the driver he unhesitatingly replied that we could make a small deviation and go to the
Panchamukha Hanuman in a place called Panchavati. I would have been satisfied with even the
smallest of idols in a way side shrine, but there it was a colossal thirty-six foot figure towering above
me. Here one can also worship Sri Ramas padukas (footwear).

Melmarivathur

Adi Para Shakti Melmarivathur

Next the driver urged us not to miss this opportunity to visit the siddha- peeth for Shakti known as
Melmarivathur which he said was on the way to Chidambaram and was open all through the day.
When we reached the place we could not find a single parking place even on the main highroad. The
whole road was packed with buses carrying hundreds of pilgrims who had come there on that
auspicious day of Pongol. The pilgrims were mainly women all dressed in yellow or red. Apparently a
movement has been started in Shakti worship similar to the worship of Ayyappa in Kerala. All these
pilgrims go from temple to temple before they eventually land up at Melmarivathur. Adi Parashakti is
supposed to have manifested herself in the form of a pinda or rounded lingam at this place. Many
siddhas or perfected souls had worshipped her here in that form. The present pujari was also a
siddha and was known as Bengaru Addikal. He is supposed to be endowed with many miraculous
powers and does a lot of social service to the community.

We were doubtful if we would be able to go anywhere near the deity. The queue was snaking its way
from the road onwards. We did not stand in the queue but again due to Her grace we just went in
and found ourselves just in front of Her. Of course we were standing behind the barriers at a little
distance but we had a wonderful vision of Her and felt blessed to be graced with Her benign looks.

Chidambaram

Chidambaram

Our night stop was at Chidambaram and we reached there at about 4 pm in time for the opening.
Chidambaram is famous for the exquisite idol of Nataraja which adorns so many homes not just in
India but all over the world for none who have seen this figure can help but be attracted to it and
wish to possess it! Shiva has manifested Himself as the Pancha Maha Bhutas or the five great
elements in five places. The five mahabhutas are akasa or space, Vayu or air, agni or fire, apas or
water and prithvi or earth. Of these Chidambaram denotes akasa or space. Akasa is all pervasive and
is the background on which the drama of life is enacted. The Shivathandava or the dance of Shiva
which is depicted in the figure of the Nataraja, is a pictorial allegory for that all pervasive space or
stage on which He dances the ballet of cosmic life. Chid plus ambaram Chid means consciousness
and ambaram is vast, immeasurable space. Thillai is another name for the Nataraja. He dances to the
cosmic sound of Aum. The five-syllabled mantra of Shiva, Na-ma-shi-va-ya, stands for His five
functions-creation, preservation, destruction, illusion and salvation. Thus His dance includes the
functions of Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheswara and Sadashiva. He activates these five functions
through His Tandava (dance). Shiva has been dancing through eternity the Ananda Tandava or dance
of bliss for the sake of His devotees. The sound of the drum is what creates the universe, the hand
bestows grace and gives benediction, the fire denotes destruction, and the foot trampling the dwarf
destroys ignorance and grants liberation. Shiva is the Lord of dissolution but what He destroys is not
the worlds but the illusion that conceals the truth that this world really exists. He burns our bodies
made of ignorance and stupidity in the burning ghats which He inhabits.

We reached this holy spot in the evening and took a bath and went immediately to the temple. We
entered through the eastern gate and were met by one of the Dikshitars or pujaris who took us
straight towards the Ponnambalam. We climbed up the steps of this hall and came to the
Chitrambalam. This is Chid-ambalam or Chid-ambaram, the hall of the space of consciousness. This is
the holy of holies where the Lord dances through eternity in order to keep the five functions of the
universe going. All these will come to a stop if Nataraja stops dancing. The five silver steps leading to
the Chitrambalam stand for the five syllables of the Panchakshari mantra (Na-ma-shi-va-ya).

I had actually expected a much bigger figure but was delighted to see this entrancing form of the
divine dancer in a much smaller form than I had imagined. Thanks to our guide we were able to
stand right in front and adore Him with our eyes and our hearts as long as we wanted to. He is clad in
tiger skin and wields the drum, fire, mriga or deer and shula or trident and is decked with a garland
of serpents. His left leg is raised while the right tramples the dwarf of ignorance known as Muyalaka.
I was fascinated by the anklets He was wearing on the raised leg. This is one of the few Shiva temples
which has an anthropomorphic figure instead of the usual lingam.

We had been asking our mentor to show us the Chidamabara Rahasyam or the mystic secret of the
temple. The secret is that God exists in the form of formless space. How can one worship the
formless? Here a method has been devised. Just next to the Nataraja there is a small latticed
window. We were told to position ourselves at this window and watch the opposite wall carefully.
The wall was covered with a curtain and we were told to watch this curtain. We watched with
anxious anticipation wondering what was going to happen. At the appropriate time the curtain was
removed for a few seconds and arati (waving of lights) was shown to the wall on which were hung
fifty one golden vilva leaves. The curtain is dark on its exterior side (indicating ignorance) and bright
red on the interior side (indicating wisdom and bliss). The Chidambara Rahasya is represented by
these strands of gold Vilva leaves which hang behind the curtain. To the right is the idol of His
Consort- Goddess Sivakamasundari. The Lord is said to continuously dance in a state of eternal bliss
"Aananda thaandava", with his consort Sakthi or energy called Shivakami. During this ritual, the Chief
priest, of the day who has to be in a state of Shivohambhava (Shiva - the Lord, in His Sandhi form -
Shivo-, aham me / us, bhava - state of mind), parts the curtain, indicating the withdrawal of
ignorance and reveals the space, and the Lords presence.
The Chidambara Rahasya, is hence representative of the time when we totally surrender ourselves
and allow God to intervene and remove our ignorance, even as we get to 'see and experience' His
presence and hence - bliss.

All this took less than five minutes and the curtain was drawn and everything was as it was before.
Not everybody has a chance to see this so we were thrilled.

The story of the Nataraja nrittyam (dance) was told to us later. The great sages Patanjali, Vyagrapada
and Upamanyu were very anxious to watch this great dance of creation of Sadashiva. One Thursday
in the month of Tamil month Thai when the star pushya coincided with purnima (full moon), the
sages finished their ablutions and rituals and came at the Jnana Sabha (the hall of wisdom). They saw
the gods headed by Indra who had already assembled there. A great fanfare of the celestial
musicians preceded the arrival of the divine pair, Brahma and Vishnu. The three thousand sages
known as Trisaras followed. Nandiswara, the deputy of Lord Shiva now appeared in a dazzling light
and seated everybody. As the time came to fifteen naligas, the curtain of ignorance opened to give
the divine sight of Nataraja, the cosmic dancer who entered with His consort, Parashakti, the power
of energy in the cosmos.

For a brief moment He paused as if to allow them to take in His amazing form. He wore the tiger skin
with a serpent as His sacred thread, golden kundalams (earrings) dangled from His ears, the blue
sapphire hung on His throat like the poison He had drunk to save the world. The Ganga and the
crescent moon adorned His head, His eyes were overflowing with compassion for the world and the
third eye which had burnt Manmatha, the Lord of desire was closed. His right hand was playing on
the damaru or small drum, the other was holding the flame of destruction, the other right hand was
bestowing grace and the other left pointing to His raised foot. The right foot was trampling the dwarf
of ignorance. Thus bedecked the supreme Lord of the universe, Mahadeva, Maheswara appeared
before the bemused eyes of the spectators. Then the music began to the accompaniment of His
dance. The Vedas tinkled to the tune of His anklets as He danced the dance of universal creation and
destruction. His locks were flying in all directions as the Lord danced the Ananda Tandava- or the
Dance which gives universal joy!

All those who were watching were transfixed with joy and some also danced in ecstasy. At the end of
this remarkable performance the Lord addressed Patanjali and Vyagrapada and asked them to
choose a boon.

They bowed and with the usual compassion to all as shown by the great sages, they asked Him to
continue to perform the Ananda Tandava at that place eternally in order to enable all humanity to
attain liberation. Nataraja acceded to their request and hence it is that He has been dancing here for
all eternity bestowing His grace on all those who go there.
The pujas here are done only by the Thillai Brahmin Dikshitars. They were not expected to take any
remuneration for their services. In olden days, during their tenure of office, the dikshitar used to
place a copper sheet at the feet of Shiva in His form as Kala Bairava every day while closing the shrine
and when they opened the doors in the morning, the copper sheet would have changed to gold.
With the proceeds of this gold they would manage their family so they had no desire for any extra
income. It is not known when the alchemy of changing copper to gold ceased. But it is a fact that
these dikshitars do not have the greed for money which is displayed in many of the other great
temples. The rituals for the temple are from the Vedas and set by Patanjali, who is said to have
inducted the Dikshitars into the worship of Shiva as Nataraja. Every married male member of the
Dikshitar family gets a turn to perform the rituals at the temple and can serve as the chief priest for
the day. Married Dikshitars are also entitled a share of the temple's revenue.

The temple owns no land. The dikshitars perform the six daily pujas, special rituals and festivals from
the income of private owners who consider themselves blessed to have the honour of meeting the
temple expenses from their own income.

At last I tore my gaze away from Him and went with the dikshitar for a guided tour of the temple. The
temple has five sabhas or assembly halls, known as Chitrambalam, Ponnambalam, Perambalam,
Nritya Sabha and Raja Sabha. As mentioned before the Chitrambalam is the sanctum sanctorum
which we had just worshipped. It is placed in the Ponnambalam where the Lord takes His ablutions.
The Chitsabha houses a small sphatika(crystal) linga (Chandramoulisvara), believed to be a piece that
fell from the crescent moon adorning Shiva's head and installed by Adi Shankara. The lingam is
associated with the intangible fifth element, akasha (ether or space the eternal infinite expanse
where the dance of Shiva takes place). Daily six pujas and abhishekams are done to this crystal
lingam. The puja is also done to a small gem-carved figure of Ratnasabhapati. We were deeply
fortunate to witness these abhishekams.

When you come out of this sabha and go round it you are able to admire the beauty of the
Ponnambalam which is covered with pure gold. The Ponnambalam has nine golden pots or Kalashas
on top. These represent the eight siddhis and the mind. The hall is built on sixty four wooden rafters
representing the sixty four arts or kalas. The hall is designed in the form of a human being. Just as
the human heart is not in the centre of the body but a little to the left so also the sanctum is a little
to the left and not in the middle because human blood circulates only through the sides and not
straight up. The entrance paths to the shrine are only at the sides and not straight in front. In the
Kanaka sabha or Ponnambalam in front of the idol, the eighteen pillars indicate the eighteen
Puranas, the five silver steps represent the Panchakshari mantra (namashivaya), and the ninety six
silver interstices denote the ninety six cults. The five pillars of the Chid Sabha indicate the five senses.
Of the ten pillars in the Brahma Pida, the lower six stand for the six sastras and the upper four for the
four Vedas.

The temple premises have fifty one acres. Four huge towers guard the entrances from all four
quarters. They rise up to forty metres and have seven stories and thirteen copper domes. A colossal
granite wall encloses all the gopurams (towers). The four great nayanmars are supposed to have
entered the temple, one from each tower Sundarar through the north, Sambanda through the
south, Appar by the west and Manickavachaka by the east. In fact he is supposed to have vanished
into the sanctum after having composed his poem.

When you go out through the south entrance from the Poonambalam you get to the flagstaff and
there is the hall known as the Nritya Shabha where Shiva performed the Urdwa Tandava in which He
raises His left leg in a straight line up to His head close to His ears. This hall is shaped like a chariot
with wheels and horses.

There are also four shrines to the four great Nayanmars, Sundarmurti, Appar, Gnanasambandar, and
Manickavachagar.

The Raja Sabha is the thousand pillared hall in which the Chola kings were crowned.

The temple is also famed for its sacred pools which are many and are called Shivaganga,
Paramananda Kupam, Vyagrapada tirtha, Anantha tirtha, Shivapriya, Pulimedu, Kuyya Thirta and
Thirupakadal. Unfortunately we were able to see only two of these tanks. Near the Shivaganga tank
there is a solid iron pillar. If we clutch the pillar and look we get a clear view of three of the gopurams
of the temple. Even if you move a foot away to any side the view is blocked.

The name of the Shakti here is Shivakami Sundari. One has to come right out to the outer courtyard
in order to get to her shrine. She has a beautiful pose and her eyes radiate love. It was apparently
built by one of the later Cholas who also constructed the tank in front.

Next to this temple is a beautiful shrine to Karthikeya. The temple was built by a Pandya king and is in
the shape of a chariot with wheels and elephants. As usual it has a wealth of intricate sculptures. I
found the idol of Kartikeya to be most striking.
One of the largest idols in Chidambaram is the gigantic form of Ganesha known as Mukkuruni
Vinayaga. It is eight feet high and capable of blessing devotees with all their hearts desire.

This completed our tour of the temple and its premises. But it is a fact that we would not have been
able to take in everything even if we stayed there for a full month.

The next morning we returned very early to watch the first puja. The day begins with the chief priest
of the day, who has to perform a number of rituals to purify himself and then assumes the Shivoham
bhava (I am Shiva), after which he enters the temple to do the daily rituals. The first ritual is to waken
the Lord. The last ritual of each day is to take the padukas (footwear ) of the Lord in a palanquin to
the palliyara (bedroom). So the first ritual in the morning is to take Shiva's footwear (padukas) at
7:00am from the palliyara (bedroom) to the sanctum sanctorum in a palanquin accompanied by
devotees with cymbals, bells and drums. This was a really moving spectacle and it was our great luck
to have witnessed it even though we were unable to witness the ritual the previous night when the
footwear was taken to the palliyara.

We stayed on till the first puja was over and then sadly we had to depart since we had a very busy
program. Again and again my eyes drank in the beauty of the Divine Dancer as I slowly and
reluctantly went towards the east gate by which we had come.

Swamimalai

Swamimalai

The next temple which comes vividly to my mind during our tour of the Tamil Nadu temples is
Swamimalai which is dedicated to Lord Muruga or Kartikeya. By His grace I had been taken to five of
his Arupadai Veedu or six temples dedicated to him. The only one I had not been was Swamimalai
which is said to be one of the most important since there he plays the role of teacher to his own
father. When I was planning the itinerary, somehow I didnt realise how close Swamimalai was to
Kumbakonam and Tanjavoor. While searching the web for a good hotel in Tanjavoor, I kept returning
to the Indico hotels and when I looked for the location I found that it was actually in Swamimalai! I
couldnt believe it. Twice before Subramania had done the same thing when I was in Madurai where
a devotee had taken me to two of his arupadai veedu without my knowing it. In fact I had known it
only after reaching there. Now he was repeating this trick. Even though I knew the name Swamimalai
and was anxious to go there I never dreamt that it could happen on this trip. But there it was. The
indications were very clear. This was the hotel we were meant to stay since it was situated very close
to the temple of Muruga. My joy knew no bounds and I booked the hotel straight away even though
it was a heritage hotel and quite expensive.

We reached there by about 3 pm and were pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful surroundings
and the old fashioned aspect of the hotel which had been built on an old Tamil village of the previous
century. We were greeted with a lighted lamp and the ringing of bells and given a foot massage all
very enjoyable. Then the manager looked at me and said Madam I have prepared a room for you
but now after seeing you and hearing that you are from an ashram I was wondering if you would like
to occupy the room in which Mahaperiyaval of Kanchipuram had stayed about forty years ago. I
couldnt believe my ears. Here was another miracle. My guru is the present Periyaval of Kanchi
Kamakoti Peetham and we had just had his darshan two days ago! And now here was an opportunity
being given to stay in Mahaperiyavals room. He was one of the most enlightened men of his age and
was a contemporary of Ramana Maharishi and Aurobindo. In fact they were known as the three
gems of that age and all lived within a few miles radius of each other all in Tamil Nadu. Aurobindo
in Pondicherry which we had just passed, Ramana Maharishi in Thiruvannamali which was very close
and Mahaperiyaval in Kanchipuram which was again very close.

I realised that I was being twice blessed by Muruga one to get his darshan and one to live in that
holy room which had been blessed by my gurus, guru.

Mahaperiyaval of Kanchipuram

Needless to say we were overjoyed to go to that room which had been sanctified by Mahaperiyavals
holy feet. The next day was Thursday Gurus day and it was an enthralling experience to meditate in
that room. There was a picture of him outside the door and one of Adi Shankara. Of course the room
had been modernised and a bathroom put in but even then it was still as small as it would have been
in his time and retained an aura of his personality. In front of the room there was a small stream
which was an off shoot of the Kaveri River. Apparently the village was in dire straits with no rains for
the past two monsoons and the villagers begged Mahaperiyaval to do something for them. There
was a rock in the middle of the stream which was dry at that time and on this he would sit for his
evening meditation. After the villagers made this request, he is said to have thrown a coconut on the
dry bed below while sitting on the rock. Immediately water gushed out and soon turned into the
stream which we were looking at now. This stream encircled the village and went on to bless other
villages near by!
That morning after a wonderful meditation and puja we went to the temple of Swaminathan as he is
called here. The temple has been constructed on an artificial hill and has sixty steps leading to it.
Each step denotes a Tamil year which is written along the sides. We were told that if we sit on the
step of the present year we would be able to come back. Many people were sitting on various steps
so we also joined them.

Swaminathan

I was so anxious to see Muruga that I didnt even wait to get a ticket. Lots of people were sitting in
the middle section waiting for the abhisheka ceremony which is a very important ceremony in which
he is given a ritual bath. We were brought there just in time for this.

Even though we had no tickets we found ourselves right in front of the sanctum. In fact when we
suggested getting tickets, the priest advised us not to do so since we would be able to see better
from where we were standing. The Muruga idol here is huge - six feet in height. He was covered in
gold ornaments, wore a golden crown and carried a diamond vel or lance in his right hand. As usual
when so much grace is showered on me, my eyes automatically seem to fill with tears and a feeling
of total unworthiness overwhelms me. I had made a list of requests to be placed before him but
could think of nothing but Muruga,Muruga, Muruga. Somebody mentioned that the ceremony
would take a long time but I was very anxious to stay and just as well for it started soon after. We saw
all the different abhishekams with water, oil, honey, milk etc and then the curtain was drawn for
some minutes and when it was opened, once again he was dressed in all his finery. They did the
elaborate arati with different types of lamps. I was entranced all the while. At last when everything
was over we were given the Prasad, milk and panchamritam. Next morning again we went for the
morning darshan and left in a glow of glorious grace and joy.

Now for some mundane facts about the temple. It is situated five kms from the temple town of
Kumbakonam. Of the multitude of temples dedicated to Skanda, the 6 most important ones are the
Aaru Padai Veedu shrines, where it is believed that Skanda the commander of the Gods, sojourned
during his battle with the demon Soorapadman. These shrines have been revered in 2000 year old
Tamil poetry of the Sangam Period. These six houses of Lord Kartikeyan are Palani, where he is
supposed to have gone from Kailas after a small tiff with his parents.
Tirupparamkunram near Madurai which commemorates his marriage with Devasena, the daughter of
Indra. There is also a famous shrine to Shiva here that has been eulogised by the Tevaram hymns of
the Nayanmars.

Tiruchendur enshrines Subramanya and Senthilandavar in a vast temple with a lofty gopuram visible
for miles, on the shores of the ocean in Southern Tamilnadu.

Palamudicholai near Madurai is a gem of a temple set in the hills surrounded by forests. There is a
small waterfall known as Akash Ganga the waters of which are said to have miraculous powers.

Tiruttani near Tirupati and Chennai enshrines Subramanya in a hill temple. One has to climb a flight
of 365 steps to reach the shrine. It represents the site of Skanda's marriage with Valli though there is
another theory that his marriage with Valli took place in a famous place of pilgrimage in Sri Lanka
known as Katargama. Here the tribes living near the temple are known as the Veddas which was the
name of Vallis tribe. By His grace I had gone to this temple also during the peak of the Tamil riots.

Finally we come to Swamimalai. The legend goes that he taught the meaning of the pranava mantra
(aum) to his father Shiva here and hence he is known as Swaminathan. The history of the temple as
given in the "Sthala Puranam" is as follows: Once, Lord Brahma, the creator had slighted Muruga
when he visited Mount Kailash where Lord Shiva resides. Hence Muruga became angry and asked
Brahma to explain to him the method of creation. Brahma said that he created with the help of the
Vedas. Muruga then asked Brahma to recite some hymns from the Vedas. Brahma started to recite
the hymns starting with the pranava mantra - Aum. Muruga stopped Brahma and asked him to
elaborate on the meaning of the holy word Aum. Lord Brahma couldn't give him a satisfactory
answer and Muruga had him imprisoned. With Brahma in prison, all creation came to a standstill and
the devas prayed to Lord Shiva to get Brahma released.

The Lord came to his son and asked him to release Brahma. Muruga refused to release him since he
felt that Brahma was not the right person to do the work of creation as he did not even know the
meaning of the pranava mantra. In order to test him, Shiva asked Muruga to tell him the meaning.
Muruga told Shiva that he was ready to instruct him but placed the condition that, even though he
was his father he should give him the respect owed to a guru. Shiva agreed and Muruga gave him a
elaborate discourse on the meaning of the pranava mantra. Shiva listened to this with due respect as
if he was only a student.

This important and interesting incident happened in Swamimalai and hence Lord Muruga is known as
"Swaminatha Swami" meaning "The Teacher of Lord Shiva".

Vaitheeswaran temple
Vaitheeswaran temple

This part of Tamil Nadu is famous for the temples to all the nine planets. Each of these is found in
huge Shiva temples which became famous due to the power of the graha or planet it houses.

After leaving Chidambaram the second temple we went to was the Vaitheeswaran temple which is
only 27 kms from Chidambaram. It is known for housing the powerful planet Angaaraka or Mars.
Those who are passing through the bad phase of being under this planet in their horoscope always
find their way to this temple and offer worship both to Shiva and Angaaraka. The word
Vaitheeswaran means the God of Healing. All types of diseases either caused by Mars or otherwise
are cured here. A dip in the tank known as Siddhamritham which is supposed to contain nectar, is
supposed to cure all diseases. The goddess is known as Thaiyalnayaki and she holds a pot of
medicinal oil in her hand. Her name means the goddess of stitches. She is the goddess for those who
have undergone surgery and those who are going in for surgery.

Three things are offered at this temple salt, pepper and jaggery. The jaggery is to be put into the
tank and the other two are offered to Shiva.

Of the many idols which are found in this temple the most important is the one to Angaaraka or Mars
to which many pujas and offerings are made. The bronze idol is taken out every Tuesday on a goat.
Angaaraka is described as having a fiery complexion and is the overlord of the signs of Scorpio and
Aries.

The village is also known for the incredible palm leaf astrology (naadi shastram) in which the lives of
all the people who go there have been written on palm leaves by one of the great sages, like Agastya
Muni, Shiva Muni or Bharadwaja. These were written thousands of years ago so its really miraculous
how these sages knew all about the lives of those people who would go to these astrologers in the
future. It just shows that Time as Hinduism asserts is an un-ending river, the banks of which can be
seen both forwards and backwards by the great seers. They could see into the future as easily as they
could see into the past. We also went and had our leaves read and the revelations were quite
astonishing. I was very pleased when he told me that this would be my last birth!

The legend about this temple goes back to the Ramayana. Rama, Lakshmana and the Saptarishis are
supposed to have worshipped the deity in this place. Rama and his brother Lakshmana cremated the
vulture king Jatayu who was killed by Ravana when he tried to prevent the abduction of Sita at this
very place. There is a pond at this temple called Jatayukundam (Jatayus pond).

One of the nine planets, Angaaraka (Mars), suffered from leprosy and was cured by Vaitheeswaran
and from then on, Angaaraka took up his residence in this temple.

Parvati, the consort of Shiva, asked her son, Subramanya to appear before her with one face instead
of six. When he did so, she was pleased and presented him with the vel (spear) to slay the demons.
Subramanya overcame the asura Surapadman but in the war, many of his soldiers were severely
injured. All of them were healed by the Lord as Vaitheeswaran.

THIRUNALLUR. Temple to Saturn.

The Nadi Shastram had asked me to go the temple of Shani or Saturn which is housed at the Shiva
temple at Thirunallur and do an archana to get rid of my evil karmas. Strangely enough this temple
was quite close to where we were staying so we went there in the evening. Just as we reached the
premises, the abhishekam or ceremonial bath with milk was given to Him so we were able to watch
that. After that He was clothed in black silk and finally the arati was done. We had indeed gone at a
most auspicious time so I was really grateful and hoped that my sanchita karmas had been wiped
out.

Uppaliappan

Uppaliappan

The next on our list was the famous temple to Uppaliappan who is supposed to be the elder brother
of Thirupati Balaji. The idol is huge -30 feet tall. Markandeya Rishi sits on the ground on the Lords
left and his daughter Bhuma Devi sits on the right with her left leg tucked beneath her thighs like a
child. Uppaliappan means without salt. It can also mean beyond comparison. The story goes that
the Lord once went to the Rishi Markandeya and asked for his daughters hand. The rishi replied that
his daughter was very small and didnt even know how to put salt in curries. The Lord said that this
was of no consequence and he would eat without salt and thus he married her. Hence the
naivedyam (offerings) here is always made without salt. We can get tamarind rice and curd rice but
all without salt! This temple is one of the 108 divya desams of theVaishnavites. It also happened to
be my friends kula daivam or family deity so she knew everything about the place.

ALANKUDI

This is the famous Shiva temple which houses Guru or Brihaspati. This is one of the Navagraha
temples. Since my friend had been asked to go to worship Brihaspati, we went to this temple. Here
Shiva is worshipped in the form of Dakshinamurti the guru of the world.

PANCHA BHUTA STHALAS

This tour really saw the conclusion of two of my dreams one to see all the Arupadai Veedus and the
other to complete my visit to the Pancha Bhuta temples of Shiva. I had already visited four of them.
The Pancha Maha Bhutas are the original five elements out of which creation is made.

Akasha or space is the first of the elements or pancha bhutas. I have already described the secret of
the temple of Chidambaram- which houses the chid-akasa or chit- ambaram the space of pure
consciousness. Next in order of manifestation comes, vayu or air.

Sri Kalahasti near Tirupathi is known as the Vayu Sthalam or the element of air. It is a huge temple
and one has to go through long dark corridors to reach the sanctum. It is quite dark inside and there
is no opportunity for any passage of air but the flame of the lamp beside the lingam is constantly
flickering as if from an unseen current of air. Hence it is known as the Vayu Lingam. I had gone there
a long time ago after visiting Thirupathi.

Arunachala

Arunachala Karthigai Deepa Jyoti

In the order of creation the next element to manifest is agni or fire. The huge temple of Arunachala
at Thiruvannamalai is the agni sthala. The hill of Arunachala behind the temple is supposed to be the
place where Lord Shiva manifested himself as a pillar of fire, the beginning and end of which neither
Brahma nor Vishnu could discover. Every year a huge bonfire is lit on the hill which is visible for miles
around to commemorate this event. I had been fortunate enough to visit this some years ago.

Jambukeshwar

Jambukeshwar

Next in order of evolution comes apas or water. I had not been able to visit the apas-sthala so far and
was not expecting to go. But as usual in this trip miracles seemed to happen and my friend said that
in the evening after leaving Swamimalai we would go to Jambukeshwar. This is the apas-sthala and is
in the town of Thiruvanaikkaval near Trichy. Until I reached there I did not realize that the temple to
Jambukeshwar was in this city and we were actually going to it. We went at arati time. The small
lingam is inside a small cave and normally one can have darshan through the latticed window facing
it. But somehow we were allowed to go inside and the pujari invited us to wait for the arati. I am
normally very claustrophobic and this was a small enclosed space with about ten people but I felt a
sense of deep peace stealing over me. Then the priest took a light and showed us the spurt of water
which was coming from the floor in front of the lingam. This is constantly coming out and the lingam
itself is partially submerged in water which is ever flowing beneath.

This temple has a unique architectural design. It has five enclosures which rise to a height of thirty-
five feet as well as many mantapams containing some rare sculptures. The lingam had originally been
installed under an ancient Jambu tree, hence its name. Once it is said that Parvathi was banished to
the earth by Lord Shiva for making fun of his yoga sadhana. She made a lingam out of water and
installed it in this place. Shiva forgave her and allowed her to return to Kailasa. But she remains here
under the name Akilandeswari.

Another legend about this temple says that two devotees of Shiva were once born as an elephant
and spider due to some curse. The elephant worshipped the lingam by bringing water in his trunk
and pouring it over the lingam. He also brought flowers and did puja. The spider worshipped the Lord
by spinning a web on top to protect it from falling leaves. Very often the elephants worship would
destroy the web and the spider was very angry and tried to go into the elephants trunk and stop him
from bringing water and flowers. This of course drove the elephant mad and eventually both of them
perished due to their unnecessary animosity.

EKAMRESWARA

The prithvisthala or the element of earth is found in the huge temple of Ekamreswara in
Kanchipuram. This is another huge temple and I had been to it many times whenever I visited my
guru in Kanchipuram. The lingam itself is supposed to be made of earth and not stone and it rests on
a bed of earth which can actually be scraped off.

So the visit to Jambukeshwar completed my tour of the pancha

bhutasthalas of Lord Shiva.

Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur

Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur was previously known as Rajarajeswaram. A long inscription on

the walls of the Vimanam records the contributions of Raja Raja Chola and his sister Kundavai to the
Thanjavur temple. The Cholas were one of the greatest and most gifted of the dynasties which ruled
in S. India. The age of the Cholas (848-1279 AD) was the most creative period in the history of
S.India. For the first time the whole of S.India was brought under a single government and the
problems of public administration were looked into in a most systematic manner. Tamilnadu reached
heights of excellence in the realm of art, religion and literature, during this period which was never
again repeated. Rajaraja Chola was the greatest of the Chola kings. He created a century of glory for
the Cholas. During the time of his son Rajendra 1 the empire spread and carried its culture beyond
the seas. The wonderful temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia carried the unmistakable stamp of
Chola architecture. In fact one of the Khemer kings of Cambodia was supposed to have come to his
court and invited him to send his architects and artisans to his country. Rajendra has been eulogised
as having all the marks of a great and noble person. He is the one who built the Brihadeeswara or
Rajarajeswara temple which is the best specimen of the most splendid period of S. Indian history. It
was purely a royal temple entirely under the custody of the king, designed and built by him. No one
who has seen the temple can help but be struck by the devotion, administrative ability and the
generosity of this genius. He made all the parts of his land come under the protection of the temple.
All sections of the country, his family, the army, officers, villagers and merchants all came together in
maintaining the temple so they all felt a sense of belonging to the deity.

The temple stands within a fort, whose walls were later additions built in the 16th century. It is the
worlds first fully granite temple. The towering Vimanam (temple dome) is about 200 feet in height
and is referred to as Dakshina Meru. The octagonal Shikharam (pinnacle on top of the dome) rests
on a single block of granite weighing 81 tons. It is believed that this block was carried up a specially
built ramp from a site 6 kilometers away. Huge Nandis dot the corners of the Shikharam, and the
Kalasam (golden pot on top of the roof) is about 3.8 meters in height. Hundreds of stucco figures
bejewel the Vimanam, although it is possible that some of these may have been added during the
Maratha period. The Shivalingam is a huge one, set in a two storied sanctum, and the walls
surrounding the sanctum are a storehouse of murals and sculpture.The long prakaram surrounds the
great temple (500 feet/250 feet), and the walls surrounding the prakaram again go back to Raja Raja
Chola's period. The walls have long pillared corridors, which abound in murals, Shiva Lingams and
Nandis. The Periya Nayaki temple within the temple is a later addition from the Pandya period, and
so is the Subramanyar Temple sung later by the Saint poet Arunagirinathar.Incidents from the lives of
the Nayanmars, several of the 108 Bharata Natyam Dance postures, manifestations of Shiva
(Aadalvallaan - Nataraja, Tripurantaka, Dakshinamurthi etc.) are depicted in sculptured panels or in
exquisite Chola murals. Both the interior, and the exterior walls of the temple, are replete with
images of the kind described above.

As usual we came to the town just before 1 pm and the temple was supposed to be open only till
12.30. I just ran inside without waiting for anyone and found that there was a queue going along the
huge corridors leading to the sanctum. I was sure that by the time the queue wound its way to the
front the doors would be closed so I did something which I seldom do. I crawled under the bars
which separated incoming and outgoing people and ran to the front of the queue. I couldnt help but
gasp at the magnificent sight. The lingam was huge. I just gaped at it and cricked my neck in the
process. But for me it didnt have that aura of sanctity of the other temples we had visited. The size
itself was intimidating. And of course compared to the other temples we had visited so far it was very
young only a thousand years old! The various approaches to it were also imposing. When you
looked up and saw how tall even the corridors were, you couldnt help but admire the architectural
skill of the Cholas. For some vague reason which the priest was trying to explain to someone, the
temple which should have closed at 12.30 was kept open till 1.10 pm. It was all part of the divine
plan and no doubt we were meant to have darshan. We stayed there right in front for more than
fifteen minutes before we were hustled off into the hot sunshine outside which seemed so garish
after the quiet, secluded majesty of the temple corridors . I have a partiality for Nandi for without his
permission one cannot go into any Shiva temple so I was looking around for the Nandi at the
entrance. Of course in my mad rush to get into the temple I had quite missed him. It was only on the
way back that I could admire him. He was a huge monolith weighing 25 tons and is 12 feet high and
20 feet long and was housed in his own mandapam. I thanked him for allowing me to have darshan
despite the rules! Unfortunately we did not have time to admire all the wonderful sculptures and
paintings that the temple was famous for. In a way this was not quite my idea of temple trotting. I
always prefer to stay at one temple for at least three days and soak in the ambience of the place but
somehow it seemed as if this was not to be in this trip. But since He arranges everything I had to bow
to the divine will.

Srirangam-Renganathar

The pilgrimage to Sri Ranganatha at Srirangam near Trichy completed our five day pilgrimage of the
temples of Tamil Nadu. I had been to this temple a very long time ago with my parents, when I was a
child. The only memory of it was that of an awe-inspiring temple which left a sense of wonder in my
mind and I was very anxious to visit it once again. It is one of the eight temples to Vishnu which
appeared on its own accord and is known for being the greatest of the 108 divya desams or temples
to Vishnu revered by Vaishnavites. Out of these 105 are in India, 1 in Nepal the other two are in the
heavenly realms. The word kovil which is the Tamil word for temple, when uttered by a Vaishnavite
refers only to this temple just as when the word kovil is said by a Shaivite, he means Chidambaram.
The temple has been revered by all the three great Acharyas of the Vedantic schools, Shankaracharya
of Advaita, Ramanucharya of the Visishtadvaita, and Madhva of the Dwaita. Ramanucharya stayed
here for the best part of his life and there is a shrine devoted to him to which puja is done. All the
Alwars have sung about this temple. The Alwars are the Vaishnavite saints corresponding to the
Nayanmars of Shaivism. In fact this was the headquarters of the Vaishnavite revival movement.

The history of the temple goes back to aniquity. The origin of the glittering Sriranga Vimana (dome
which houses the deity) is said to have been narrated by Rudra to Narada. According to the Sriranga
Mahathmya the glittering Sriranga Vimana appeared in the depths of the Milky ocean as a result of
Brahmas intense tapas. It was transported from the Milky Ocean to Brahmas abode by the celestial
bird Garuda. Adisesha, the serpent bed of Vishnu, spread his hood over it. Vishvaksena, the chief of
the guards walked in front clearing the way. The Sun and Moon walked on either side, fanning the
Deity. The celestial musicians Narada and Thumburu followed singing His Glory. Rudra and other
gods preceded with hymns. The celestial maids danced and the gods rained flowers in the path of the
procession.

Brahma was awakened from his deep tapas, by the sounds of music. When he opened his eyes he
saw this glorious spectacle, and prostrated before the Vimana. He recited the four Vedas and gazed
in wonder at the magnificent sight. Sunanda, the celestial guard informed him that the Lord was
pleased with his penance and had come in answer to his prayers. When Brahma looked into the
Vimana, he found Vishnu resting with his consorts. The Lord informed Brahma that he had taken on
this form of a reclining idol at his own volition. He said that such self born idols would appear in eight
different places -- Srirangam, Srimushnam, Venkatadri, Saligrama (Nepal), Naimisaranya, Totadri,
Pushkara and Badrinath. Ranga Vimana was the first and the earliest of all these. The Lord directed
Brahma to worship him strictly according to the procedure for worship laid down in the Agamas. So
saying He reverted to his characteristic posture, in Yoganidra called Ananta shayana.

Sriranga Vimana

Brahma carried the Vimana to Satyaloka and installed it on the banks of the celestial river, Viraja. He
appointed the Sun god to do the daily pooja. After him, Vaivasvata Manu, performed the worship.
When his son Ikshvaku, became the King of Ayodhya, he was very anxious to have it installed at
Ayodhya. Therefore he did severe tapas for hundreds of years. At last Brahma permitted him to take
it to Ayodhya.

Thus, the Vimana came to Ayodhya. After Ikshvaku, his descendants continued the service. Rama,
himself an avatara of Lord Vishnu, worshipped him and thereafter the Lord came to be known as
"Periya Perumal". During the coronation which took place soon after his triumphant return from Sri
Lanka, Rama gifted many things to many people. He gave the Vimana as a gift to Vibheeshana for the
invaluable help he had rendered to him.

One of the kings of the Chola dynasty called Dharma Varma, had seen the Ranga Vimana at the
Yagnashala of Dasarathas Putrakameshti Yaga in Ayodhya. He was so fascinated by it that he wanted
to have it installed in his city. He undertook a terrific tapas on the banks of Chandrapushkarani. At
last the sages told him that the Ranga Vimana would arrive soon at that very place and requested
him to give up the penance.

It was at this time that Vibheeshana set out for Sri Lanka, with his precious burden. He got down on
the Kaveri banks to perform his mid-day prayers. He placed the Ranga Vimana at the place known as
"Sesha Peetam" near the Chandrapuskarani. He returned after taking his bath and performed the
Pooja. But when he tried to lift the Vimana, it would not budge. It was rooted right there where he
had left it. Vibheeshana was overcome with grief. The Lord appeared before him and consoled him
by saying that He had decided to make this place His abode. He told Vibhishana that he could come
and worship him daily. It is said that Vibheeshana comes from Sri Lanka every night and worships the
Lord at midnight.
Dharma Varma was overjoyed that the Lord had decided stay in his city. He built a huge shrine for the
Vimana. The enclosure surrounding the Vimana is still known as "Dharma Varma Veedhi". He
arranged for all the prescribed methods of daily worship.

The Peria koil or big temple in which Sri Ranganatha stays in a reclining position on his serpent bed,
lies on an islet, formed by the twin rivers Kaveri and Kollidam which is supposed to be the celestial
Viraja. Rivers have always been a very important part of any temple and are held to be as sacred as
the temple.

In course of time, Nature devoured the site. The Sri Ranga Vimana and all the structures disappeared
and became a habitat for wild animals. After many years a ruling prince of the Chola dynasty came to
that spot while hunting and overheard a parrot repeating a hymn pointing out the importance of this
place.

On understanding the import of this sloka, the prince caused the earth towards the west of the tree
(known as Tirumudikkurai) to be dug deep to lay a secure foundation for the Sriranga Vimana. But
the Lord appeared before him in a dream and pointed out to him the exact spot wherein he lay. The
king was overjoyed at finding the glittering Ranga Vimana. He cleared the forest, constructed all the
essential parts of the temple, laid down flower gardens, instituted temple services and forms of
worship. The shrine became widely knows as "Tiruvaranga Tirupathi".

The present temple is a huge structure sprawling over a huge area of 156 acres. It has seven prakaras
or enclosures. There are 21 towers in all the prakaras. This is the only temple in India with seven
prakaras. Seven is a symbolic number which stands for the seven chakras in the human body as well
as the seven elements which make the human body inside which dwells the Paramatma. The
Rajagopuram which is the main tower is the tallest temple tower in the world. It was built in 1983
and is 236 ft. tall.

The Orlov diamond 189.62 carats (37.924 g)

There are many stories concerning this temple. The Orlov diamond 189.62 carats (37.924 g), is a
large diamond that is now part of the collection of the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin. This
huge diamond which is as big as half an egg once formed one of the eyes of Sri Ranganatha. Legend
has it that a French soldier who had deserted during the Carnatic wars in Srirangam disguised himself
as a Hindu convert and stole it in the year 1747.
Of course I learnt about the history of the temple later but thought it best to educate the readers
about the temple before going into my personal account. I hardly thought we would make it here
since we had such a tight schedule but a number of unprecedented events forced us to cancel
Kanchipuram and thus allowed us to stay one night at Trichy. We reached at about 4 pm and went
immediately to the temple. One has to pay a small fee to enter by the special entrance. Following the
queue, we came up to the sanctum. It took some time for the eyes to adjust to the dim light of the
sanctorum. But once I got used to it I gasped in wonder at the fascinating form of Vishnu in His
famous Ananta Shayana pose, reclining on the divine serpent, Ananta with eyes closed in yoganidra.
This was Andals Lord. She was one of the most famous of the Alwars. It is said that when she
completed her immortal song called the Thiruppavai she merged into the idol. Apparently she used
to come by boat along the river from her own abode at Sri Perumbadur. There is a shrine dedicated
to her in this temple. I could see her in my minds eye sitting before the Lord and reciting her
immortal poem and the Lord receiving her into His arms. Unfortunately we were told to push on and
not stand for a long time before the Lord. However while doing the outer prakara, we could get a
wonderful view of the actual Vimana which is an elongated dome-like structure made of gold. It
shone with a divine light. This was not created by human beings but self made as Lord Vishnu had
told Brahma.

Im always anxious to come for the morning puja at any temple and we found out that the opening
ceremony when the Lord is woken up was at 6.15 am. Of course we could foresee a huge crowd so
decided to come by 5 am. We were told that only fifty tickets would be issued which would allow us
to enter the mandapam facing the deity and only these fifty fortunate ones could witness this unique
puja. We reached by 5 am and somehow found ourselves in the queue for the morning tickets. This
itself was a miracle since there was utter confusion with people running here and there not knowing
which queue to stand in. We got inside and sat facing the door of the sanctum. Very soon a most
auspicious looking cow and a white horse were brought inside and placed in front of us. Apparently
sometimes an elephant is also brought. The conchs blew and the Vedas were chanted to rouse the
Lord. The doors opened to these auspicious sounds and the lowing of the cow and neighing of the
horse. This was a unique sight and we felt blessed to have witnessed this. After about fifteen
minutes, the animals were led outside and we were allowed to go inside. The darshan of the Lord
was the same as on the previous day. You never felt satisfied since the guards were always
compelling us to keep walking and my heart was yearning to stay for a few minutes in front of His
enchanting form. However we felt blessed to have been able to have had such a wonderful darshan.
When we came out we were able to stand at the spot from where we could get a splendid view of
the golden Vimana. It was glittering in the early morning light with an unearthly radiance. I closed my
eyes and meditated on His divine form inside. At the entrance of the temple, in the first prakara,
there was a colossal figure of Garuda, the eagle vehicle of the Lord. Of course there were many more
magnificent things to be seen in the temple but since we were pressed for time we contented
ourselves by going to the Sri Ramanuja temple and Sri Andals temple. Ranganayaki is Lord
Ranganathas consort. This is another name for Lakshmi Devi. Her temple is in the outer prakara.
At last we tore ourselves away from the divine presence and set off on our journey to Chennai which
we had to reach before it got dark.

Mariamman temple at Samayapuram

However we had one more treat in store for us.

Since we had not been able to visit the Kanchi Kamakshi temple, it seemed as if the goddess decided
to give us a special treat on our way back. Twenty kms from Trichy, the driver asked us if we would
like to visit a famous Mariamman temple at Samayapuram. Of course we agreed with alacrity.
Mariamman is a form of Shakti worshipped in Tamilnadu. She has a lot of healing powers and was
always invoked during epidemics of small pox in olden times and chicken pox in modern times. We
entered through a wide covered corridor and went straight up to the idol. Her face was totally
covered in vermilion and she wore a charming green skirt and blouse. I fell in love with her at first
sight. Her sparkling eyes seemed to be sending some sort of message to me.

I was told that she was a very powerful deity and certain to listen and fulfil all the requests of her
devotees. I could well believe this after having seen her beauteous smile. Many pujas are done and
lights are placed in different places to appease her when she is in a terrific mood. But at the moment
I could only see her most benign and compassionate expression. I was drawn to buy a photo of hers
which now resides on my altar. This was strange since I did not have the habit of buying photos from
all temples and crowding my altar. But now she sits there and smiles at me during puja and arati. This
was definitely the last of our temple visits and we had to put a special effort to reach Chennai before
sundown.

Meenakshi the fish eyed-one. I had seen Her a long time ago when I was very young and I was
anxious to see Her again. Who was she this beauteous goddess around whose temple the huge
bustling city of Madurai had grown?

The origin of the temple dates back to Krita Yuga. Indra, the king of the gods was guilty of having
killed his guru and was cursed to wander in the world as a beggar. He went to Kasi, Kanchi and
Thirukadavoor and at last reached the forest of kadamba trees where he constructed a tower and
installed a lingam and worshipped it for many years after which he was released from his curse.
Much later Dhananjayan, a merchant living in the capital city of King Kulashekara Pandyan happened
to see this lingam in the middle of the forest and informed the king whose capital was at Manavur at
that time. The king went to the spot pointed out by the merchant and was entranced by the lingam.
The Lord appeared to him king in a dream and told him to convert the forest into a city. The king did
so and proceeded to build a proper temple round the lingam. During the final ceremony, the Lord
allowed manna to drip from the crescent moon on his head and mix with the water which was being
used for abhishekam (ceremonial bath). The water became very sweet and thus the town got the
name Madurai (sweet) even though in ancient times the poets called it Alavai.

Before he died Kulashekara Pandiyan crowned his son Malayathuvasan Pandiyan as king.

Legend has it that the king Malayathuvasan had no progeny and conducted a yaga (fire ceremony),
for being blessed with a child. The kings wife Kanchanamala was an ardent devotee of Parvathi, the
consort of Shiva. In her previous birth she had begged the goddess who had appeared to her in a
dream as an enchanting three year old, to be born as her daughter. Thus it was that at the end of the
ceremony, Parvathi rose from the fire in the same form as a three year old girl and went and sat on
the lap of the queen. The queen was blissfully happy. But the king was sad. He had hoped for a son
and even though he felt that this child was divine, yet there was no doubt that it was a peculiar child.
It was very beautiful with lovely fish-shaped eyes but it had a strange fishy smell and appeared to be
having three breasts though of course they were not fully developed since she was only a child.

Suddenly he heard a divine voice telling him to call the child Thadathagai and bring her up as if she
were a boy. The voice also pronounced that her third breast would drop off and her fish smell
disappear as soon as she met her husband.

The king did as ordered and Thadathagai was brought up as his son and learnt all the martial skills
which a young prince should learn. The king crowned her as his successor. The virgin queen now
launched a series of attacks on all the neighbouring kings who thought they could easily defeat her
since she was a woman. However the opposite was the case and she went right up to the Himalayas
conquering all the countries in between and defeated all those who came to fight with her. At last
she reached Kailas and routed all the Shiva ganas who were sent to fight with her. Hearing of the
defeat of his army, Shiva himself entered the fray. The Lord stood before her draped in tiger-skin and
adorned with ashes and snakes twined round his neck. The moment she saw him her third breast
dropped off and she knew that he was the one meant to be her husband! The princess, who had
been standing before him looking like a graceful tigress ready to pounce, threw down her weapons
and stood shyly before him. He also recognized her as his divine consort, Parvathi and held out his
hands to her.
Shiva announced that he would come to Madurai on the eighth day following which was a Monday
and marry her. The marriage was performed in great state in the presence of gods, saints and rishis.

The Ashta siddhi Mandapam which was built much later has beautiful paintings of Meenakshis birth
and crowning.

The Lord ruled the state for some years under the name of Sundara Pandyan (the handsome
Pandyan). During this time he is said to have performed many lilas or miracles which are known as
thruvilayadals in Tamil.

In order to please his wifes desire for a child he caused his son Subramanyan to be born to him as his
mortal son and called him Ugrapandian (the valorous Pandyan). After the coronation of the prince,
the Lord and his consort Thadadhagai changed into their divine forms and entered the temples
which had already been built for them and came to be known as Sundareswara and Meenakshi.

The original temple was razed to the ground by the invading Muslim army but strangely enough the
two shrines to Meenakshi and Sundaresan were spared. It was the Nayaks who were the successors
to the Vijayanagar kings that brought about the amazing structure which we see today.

Viswanatha Nayak of the Nayak dynasty successor to the Vijayanagar Empire, commenced the task
of reconstruction in 1510 CE, sticking meticulously to the original plan of the temple. It is believed to
have taken over a hundred years to complete it. The temple itself is a celebration of art; it is believed
to have over 30 million pieces of sculpture and stucco images and sprawls over a 14 acre temple
complex. The present structure is one of the most impressive of all the south Indian temples. It has
four striking towers facing the four directions which allow us to enter the temple complex.

The temple tower on the North through which I entered is apparently the smallest but it is 160 feet
and 6 inches. The South tower is the tallest at 170 feet and 6 inches. It has a thousand five hundred
and eleven figures carved on it. Each figure is a marvel of sculpture. The Sundareswar temple is more
ancient than the one for Meenakshi but it is a fact that now his consort Meenakshi holds the
prominent place which is not very surprising since most of the states of India are being ruled by
women!
Any good book on the temple would easily list the number of statues so I will only mention the ones
that captured my attention. As you enter from the eastern side which is the side facing the goddess,
you find two beautiful statues of Ganesha and Subramania on either side of the huge portals. After
advancing through another rectangle you come to the striking golden lotus tank. It is one hundred
and sixty five feet long and one hundred and twenty feel broad. Unfortunately the tank was totally
dry when I saw it. But the golden lotus was still there in the middle. I closed my eyes and imagined
what a magnificent lake it would have been in its hey day. Across the tank I could see the majestic
southern tower of the temple. On the right there were some lovely wall paintings.

Madurai was the nucleus of the ancient Tamil Sangam (association of poets) and twenty four figures
of the poets are to be seen even though there are said to have been eighty nine poets. Another
striking figure was the scene of the Meenakshi Sundereswar wedding just in front of her entrance.
The doorway to the inner parakrama (courtyard) is guarded by two handsome Dwarapalakas
(guardians of the gate). As you go forward I was enthralled by the exquisite form of the fish-eyed
goddess standing in all her beauty right in front of my eyes. I was carrying a lotus garland for her and
someone asked me to go and give it to the priest standing at the side. I did so and he promptly went
inside and came out with a big ball of sandal paste. I was quite shocked since I know that temples are
not in the habit of doling out sandal paste so lavishly. I knew it was her way of way of welcoming me
to her abode. The man who had taken me was also quite surprised.

Since there were not too many people I was able to stand for a long time before her magnetic
presence. When I could tear my gaze away from her enchanting form I saw that on my right was her
marble bedroom. That night I had the privilege of attending the ceremony when her Lord,
Sundaresan was brought with all pomp from his temple and both idols were placed on the swing
inside the bedroom. There were hundreds of oil lamps and mantras chanted. I had a first hand seat
much to my surprise since I wasnt sure how I got there. In fact I had the good fortune of attending
this particular puja on two out of my three days stay. One of the days was the eclipse of the moon
and on that day the temple closed by 5 pm.

Early morning at 5 am the same thing is repeated in the opposite way and the divine couple is woken
up with songs and offered worship before being escorted to their own abodes. His servitors come
with a palanquin to escort Lord Sundaresan back to his temple.

Another figure which impressed me very much was the Mukkuruni Ganesha which is a huge figure
which is right in front of us when we enter the Lords temple from the Meenakshi temple. On
Vinayaka Chaturti day which is an important festival for Ganesha, this idol is offered a gigantic ball of
rice made out of three kurunies equal to 18 measures. It has to be carried by eight people, in a huge
pot slung on two poles. Hence he is called Mukkuruni Ganesha. This idol was found by the king
Tirumulai Nayakar when he was digging a tank three kilometers away from the place.

Some fantastic pieces of sculpture are to be seen in the outer parakrama (courtyard) in the
Sundareswara temple. Just in front is the Nandi Mandapam. Every temple of Shiva will have a Nandi
in front since he is the guardian of Shivas abode and none can enter without his permission. The
eight blackstone pillars behind Nandi are really masterpieces. The postures which attracted me most
were the two commanding figures of Agni Veerabadra and Agora Veerabadra. The force and terror
emanating from these two ferocious avataras of Shiva was really thrilling.

Another two remarkable pillars on the northern side depicted the famous dance of Shiva known as
Oortha Tandavar, and another of Badrakali. Oortha Tandavar depicts Shiva in an incredible pose with
his right foot raised straight up to reach his ear! It is said that once Shiva and Parvathi competed with
each other to see who the better dancer was. Both of them were remarkably well matched. At last
Shiva beat her by doing this most difficult pose called the Oortha Tadava, which she could not
repeat!

The Bhadrakali figure was also remarkable. The sense of rhythm and motion depicted in this figure
was amazing. All her limbs were decorated with elaborate ornaments and had striking attitudes. Her
face was enough to strike terror into the bravest heart.

There is a beautiful idol of Lakshmi in the same parakrama.

When you enter the inner parakrama the first thing you notice is the hall called the Velli Ambalam
(silver temple). Here there is a beautiful figure of Nataraja similar to the one in Chidambaram. The
one in Chidambaram is covered with gold leaf and this one in silver leaf. Another feature of this
Nataraja is that he is lifting up his right leg and hand unlike in the normal Nataraja pose in which he
lifts up his left hand and leg.
The form of Sundaramurti in the sanctum sanctorum is that of a lingam which is his formless form. As
mentioned before the Lord is said to have performed many miracles which have been compiled
under the name of the Thiruvilayadals or divine plays of the Lord.

I normally like to go for the opening puja in any temple. I was told that the temple would open at
4.30 am. The first morning I ran through the deserted streets at 4.30 am and found the massive front
door still closed. The police guard looked suspiciously at me and said I would have to wait till it was
opened. At last it was opened and I ran in. I was rather surprised to see that people were already
waiting before the inner courtyard. I suspected that there must be other entrances. One man
extracted hundred rupees from and allowed me to get into the closed enclosure. I dont think it did
much good since I would have been able to get in anyway as the doors opened. As mentioned above
it was quite thrilling to see the opening of the conjugal chamber with many chants and waving of
lights and the couple going back to their own temples. Many things appeared to be going on at the
same time and I was at a loss to know how to proceed. I ran thither and thither and felt that I must
have missed out on some good points. I noticed many ladies who had come the previous night for
the final puja and felt instinctively that they were locals who must be coming daily.

The next morning I didnt go out till quarter to five and suddenly heard pattering footsteps behind
me. There was not a soul in sight and when I glanced back I saw that one of the ladies I had noticed
the previous day was rapidly advancing on me. She smiled at me as she passed and I smiled and
scurried after her. She was young and a fast walker but I panted after her to the best of my ability
feeling very much like Alice running after the white rabbit. Since she was suffering from Lukederma
she did indeed resemble a white rabbit. She knew exactly where to go and what to do. I felt that she
had been sent by Meenakshi to guide me. She took me to all the different rituals which were being
held in the morning between 5 and 6 am. She had no time to speak since she was so busy running
and lighting lamps in many places. She carried a little basket with lamps and ghee and wicks so she
didnt have to buy the ones which were being sold at an exorbitant price inside the temple. However
she was kind enough to look back now and again to make sure that I was following her. I was truly
grateful to her and thanked the goddess who had sent her to me. After six oclock she said good bye
and I was left to my own devices.

The rest of the day I spent in going to the two great Muruga temples which were part of the
aaruveedu which has been described in the article on Thiruchandur.
I was really sad to leave the presence of this enchanting personality of Meenakshi. I felt her presence
with me all the time. Just as I was leaving I realized that I had not even got a photo of hers. I dont
really like to keep large photos of all deities but I always get at least a small photo. As I was waiting
for the car to take me to the station, there came my saviour of the previous day carrying an
enormous photo of the divine mother of Madurai! My eyes filled with tears when I saw it and I knew
that it had come straight from Madura Meenakshi (sweet Meenakshi) with love!

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Sri Nathji

I had been to the beautiful shrine of Sri Nathji 22 years ago and had never been able to go again
despite my keen desire to do so. Memories of that delightful deity had lingered on in my mind all
these years and I was most excited when the opportunity came to visit him once again. We went by
taxi all the way from Delhi. Our first halt was at Balaji mandir at Mehendipur. From there we pushed
on to Nathdwara which is the name of the little town in which Sri Nathji dwells. The name of the
town actually means the The gateway to Lord Sri Nath. It is only 49 kilometers from the famous
town of Udaipur and the king of Udaipur in the 17th century was a great devotee of the Lord. His
form here is that of the seven year old child Krishna who had lifted up the huge mountain of
Govardhan with the little finger of his left hand and kept it aloft for seven days. One might think that
this was indeed an exaggeration, made up by the fertile Hindu minds of yore. But I knew that this
was no overstatement. I knew that the whole Vanamali ashram was being held aloft by his little
finger. I had bought a small mud figure of his the previous time I had gone there and kept it on our
temple door and stuck two peacock feathers with a small bit of sticky tape above and below the
figure. The power of that little darling was such that neither of the peacock feathers had ever come
out for twenty two years. If that isnt proof of his ability to hold things up, I dont know what to say.

Sri Vallabhacharya

He is the presiding deity of the Vaishnava sect of Sri Vallabhacharya , which follows what is known as
the Pushti Marg or the way of grace. His son Vittal Nanthji is the one who institutionalized the
worship of the little Lord in Nathdwara. Vallabhacharya had called him Gopalji and the place was
named Gopalpur but later Vittal Nathji changed his name to Srinathji. The most ancient reference to
Sri Nathji comes in the scripture known as Garga Samhita where he is referred to as Devadaman
Srinath. Devadaman means the one who won a victory over Indra, king of gods.
The cowherds of Vrindavan were in the habit of making offerings to Indra, since he is the one who
gave rain which allowed the grass to grow on the hillsides of Govardhan and enabled their cows to
graze and yield milk which was such an essential commodity for the cow herd settlement. Once
when preparations were being made for this special ritual, Krishna stopped his father and told him
that it was useless to make offerings to Indra who never accepted their offerings. Krishna told his
father that it would be better to offer the same to the hill Govardhan which was the one which
stopped the rain clouds and forced them to shed their waters on the hillside. Krishnas father, Nanda
reluctantly agreed to this and on the fixed day, all the gopalas went up the hill and presented their
offerings to the hill. It is said that Krishna appeared in a huge form as the symbol of Govardhan and
consumed the vast quantities of food placed on the hillside!! Of course he had previously seen to it
that the gopalas had made only the types of food which he himself loved!

Govardhan Puja

Of course Indra was not one to accept defeat so easily so he unleashed his stock of rain over the
settlement which was soon in danger of being washed out completely. The cowherds ran for help to
Krishna who comforted them and told them that the hill Govardhan to which they had offered all
their goods would be their savior. It is said that this little seven year old then lifted the hill in his left
hand and invited the whole settlement to take shelter under this shelter. So the gopalas, gopis and
cattle all took shelter under this mighty umbrella for seven days and seven nights. Indra had
relentlessly kept raining on that spot for so many days for he was sure that the little boy would soon
tire of this game. However in seven days Krishna was still totally fresh but Indras stock of water was
exhausted so he had to admit defeat. When the sun came out Krishna led his flock out and carefully
placed the hill back in its original place and life went on as before.

Surabhi (Batu Caves)

It is said that Indra brought the celestial cow, Surabhi and prostrated to Krishna and begged his
pardon for having been so stupid as to test the Almighty Himself. Surabhi bathed him in her milk and
both of them extolled him much to the surprise of the cowherds who were watching this amazing
scene. Srinathji is the hero of this particular episode in the life of Krishna.
In the 16th century, an uplifted left hand appeared on Govardhan hill and later the face also
appeared. This was worshiped by the people of Vrindavan. Later the Lord appeared to Sri
Vallabhacharya, the great 16th century Vaishnava saint of South India and asked him to go to
Vrindavan and establish the method of worship for the idol. He did so and this tradition was carried
on by his son Vittal Nathji and is still followed to this day.

In the year 1672, when Aurangzeb unleashed his hatred of the Hindus and started a fierce
destruction of Hindu temples, the Lord himself told his devotees to remove him to a safer place. Thus
under secrecy of the night the little idol was carried in a palanquin to Agra where he remained for six
months. Later when the emperors forces were looking out for him, the Lord told his devotees that
he wanted to go to the state of Mewar. He was removed under great secrecy and travelled through
difficult terrain for many months. At last when they reached the village of Sinhad in Mewar, the
wheels of the chariot in which he was being carried sank into the mud and nothing could make it
move. His devotees realised that the Lord had chosen his own abode and proceeded to build a
temple there in which he was installed under the patronage of the Maharana Raj Singh of Mewar.

The temple is referred to as the Haveli since it is not built like a normal temple but is situated in a
fortified mansion, which was once the royal palace of the Rajput rulers of Mewar. The temple has
many rooms designated for different purposes.

There is a garage in which the original chariot in which Srinathji was brought is kept. There is a store
room for milk (Doodhghar), a store room for betel leaves (Paanghar), a store room for sugar and
sweets (Mishrighar and Pedaghar), a store room for flowers (Phoolghar), a functional kitchen
(Rasoighar), a room for jewels (Gahnaghar), a treasury (Kharcha bhandaar), a stable for horses
(Ashvashala), a drawing room (Baithak) and a gold and silver grinding wheel (Chakki). There are some
tailoring rooms also in which tailors work all day to make the fantastic outfits in which Srinathiji is
clad.All the elaborate preparations for the Lords pujas, is carried on in these various rooms.

Sri Nathji

The idol itself is carved out of a monolithic black marble stone and has images of two cows, a lion,
snake, two peacocks and one parrot engraved on it with three sages standing near it. He is adorned
with intricately woven clothes in silk, embroidered with gold thread and wears exquisitely worked
jewels, some dating back to the pre-Mughal period. Srinathji is referred to as Thakurji by the locals
since it is considered disrespectful to refer to him by his actual name. His Vrindnavan devotees still
hope that he will return to Govardhan some day.

The priests and servants of the temple are not paid any salary. However they are allowed to take all
the vast amounts of prasad or left overs of the offerings made during the pujas which they usually
sell to the devotees who visit the temple.

The main attractions in the temple is the special way in which he is dressed and decorated as if he is
a living child. He is adorned with appropriate dresses for every season. He has summer and winter
clothes and also special attire for mornings and evenings. The formal pujas are not open to the public
but are all done behind closed doors. Many things are offered to him like lights, flowers, fruit and
perfumes. He is also entertained by the local instruments and devotional songs which are played
according to the demand of the time and occasion. The view of the idol after the parda (curtain) is
removed is called jhakhi and this is what the devotees rush to have a glimpse of. The arati which is
conducted when the curtain opens is seen only by a very few people since there is always a rush.

The elaborate set of rituals which are performed in the temple has its basis in the account given of
the way in which his mother Yashoda used to look after the child Krishna. The gopis wanted to see
him all the time and were always hanging around her house and thus he never got time to go and
play with his friends so his mother kept specific times when he could be seen by the gopis. This was
mainly after his meals and snacks and rest. Following this pattern, Sri Vallabhacharya decreed that
the temple would be open eight times when the public could have darshan of their little darling like
the gopis used to do. In between it is believed that he goes off on his nefarious errands with his
friends!

We reached Nathdwara in the evening at 6 so we had a quick wash and set off to the temple which
luckily was only a stones throw away. My sister has some problem with her knees but she was able
to manage the walk. Unfortunately some person tempted us with a special darshana and took us in
only to be squeezed unbearably by the rush. My joy at seeing him was dimmed by this unpleasant
episode.

The next day I was anxious to go for every puja so I arrived at the temple bright and early at 5 am.
This viewing is known as Mangala and is really one of the sweetest. Just outside the temple there
were a number of vendors selling lovely flowers for the morning puja. I bought a whole basket full of
lovely roses and someone offered to take me up to the flower room (phoolghar) where I was
personally allowed to place the flowers in the plate reserved for it. When I came down someone
caught me and asked me to offer some milk for the Lord. I readily agreed and bought five kilos of
milk and again the man took me up to the kitchen where I could pour the milk into the vessel
reserved for it. The next to catch me was the pan-wallah who was a young boy who had arranged the
betel leaves on a tray in a most artistic manner and who escorted me to the panghar. Apparently
he is offered a hundred and eight pans every day. This is one thing I noticed in Nathdwara. All his
attendants in the temple are all very artistic. They arranged the flowers and the pan and everything
very beautifully. It was not tossed altogether into a basket. After coming down, the boy asked me if I
would like to offer vegetables. I was very eager to do so and he took me to another part of the palace
where vegetable sellers were lined up with all sorts of vegetables. Luckily the boy was with me so I
wasnt cheated. Actually the flowers and vegetables were all so cheap when compared to the cities
that I would surely have been cheated had he not been there. This again had to be delivered to
another place.

By this time I found that the gate at which the ladies were waiting was already open and every one
had rushed in. I too ran in to have a look at the little one whom I had only had a glimpse of the
previous day. I gasped with delight when I saw him. This Mangala is supposed to be the most
auspicious of all the darshanas. He has just woken up and had a small snack and is all ready to meet
his devotees. He had not had his bath and was muffled up in a lovely deep blue satin embellished
with gold and silver right up to his chin. Above that his glowing, mischievous face looked at me with a
charming smile. I couldnt tear my eyes away from that fascinating face and miraculously despite the
thronging crowds I found that I was left totally unmolested and was able to stand right in front of him
and stay there till the curtain was drawn for the end of the session. The priests have a small game
they play at this time. They draw the curtain and allow the crowds to go and then open it again and
everyone rushes back. I caught on to this game and for the rest of the pujas I just stayed on till the
whole game of opening and closing was over. Often he seemed to tell me when to go and when not
to. The viewings are only for about half an hour each and even then a lot of favoritism is shown to
the men who are allowed to go in first. Only after they have had their darshana is the gate opened
for the women. I was a bit sad about this and wanted to tell the people in charge that Krishna always
allowed the gopis to come to him and that he would certainly not have liked this discrimination!

The next is the Sringar darshana when he is bathed and dressed and given his breakfast. At this time
he is in a hurry to go and play with his friends so we are given a quick darshana at seven a.m. Of
course in this he was fully ornamented and clad in a lovely deep blue outfit with a cocky headgear
stuck with a peacock feather.
The next puja is at nine Oclock and is called gval. He is worshiped by reciting his thousand and one
names in which one tulsi leaf is offered with each name. This is the time when he has just had his
mid-morning snack and is ready to go off to the forest with his cows and calves. Of course I was
already in the temple but held back a little. I had discovered that by trying to rush in with the first
crowd you only get jostled. If you wait for the last few minutes, you can have a lovely darshana
without being pushed around. Again I could stay for a long time right in front and repeat the whole
of the Vishnu Sahasranama standing in front of him. Of course the tulsi leaf had to be offered
mentally!

I was charmed to hear that there is a mandir to Vanamali just next to the temple. So of course before
the next puja I trotted off to see Vanamali who actually looks exactly like Srinathji. Then I went to a
temple to Mirabai the beautiful princess of Mewar who gave up everything in the palace and
wandered out like a mendicant because of her love for her darling Giridari.

The next puja is the Rajbhog and is at 11 am. Here he is in his most regal attire and is supposedly
resting after his mid-day meal. Garlands and lotuses are offered to him and he plays chopat an
ancient board game which is a version of our modern chess. My sister wanted to have another
darshana so we all went together for this.

Chopat Board

Next is called Uttanpan and is at four pm. He has just woken up from his afternoon siesta. Actually
we are only allowed a glimpse of him at this time and we are all herded out but allowed to go back in
twenty minutes at five Oclock and this is known as Bhog when he has had his afternoon snack and
is all set to go out and play with his friends.

Next is known as sandhya when the sun dips over the western horizon and the Lord returns to
Gokulam with the herds and his friends. The gopis rush to greet him and so did I with the rest of the
crowd which was anxiously waiting. This is at five pm. Just as his mother used to ward off the effects
of any evil eyes so also an arati is done to him with waving of lights and ringing of bells and then he
goes off for his evening bath.

The last darshana is known as shayana and is at seven pm. He has just finished his evening meal
and is on the verge of going to bed. At this time he allows his devotees to have a glimpse of him
before he jumps into bed. Once again he is bundled up in another colourful blanket. I gaze and gaze
and come back again and again for another and another darshana since Im not sure if I would be
able to make it for the next morning. He plays many tricks with me and keeps opening and closing
the curtain and once he even closed the doors but I hung around and what do you know they
opened the doors and I could have one last darshana of the beloved.

I was in a cloud of elation when I left the temple that evening. I could hardly bring myself down to
the mundane task of having dinner. When my sister asked me why I wanted to go to every single puja
what could I tell her? The joy I experienced during these strange viewings when it appeared as if he
was playing a game with me, tantalizing me with his beguiling looks and tempting me to go again and
again, is something quite indescribable. It shall remain a secret between him and me.

Next morning I ran like the gopis for one last look at the Mangala at five am. This time he was
muffled up in a bright pink satin which would have looked awful on anyone else but which looked so
charming on him that I nearly jumped over the barrier to try and hug him. I could understand now
why the gopis would leave all their household chores unfinished and run to Yashodas house and
hang around in the hope of having a glimpse of their beloved. At last I tore myself away since we
were scheduled to leave at 7.30 am.

Sringara Darshan

A special treat after the Mangala was the utkala chai a special tea made by a boy just outside the
temple gates only at this time when all those who have had t he morning darshana get the privilege
of having. Its a strange concoction made with all types of masalas and mint leaves all thrown
together with water and milk and boiled and boiled. This is served in a small mud cup which can be
thrown away later. I washed and kept mine since it seemed such sacrilege to throw it away. The tea
has a delicious and unique taste which I have never had anywhere else. So I took it to be part of the
Lords prasad.

I left with many backward glances after he promised to come to me every day on those occasions
when the curtains closed and he is supposed to be playing with his friends or resting. So Im
anxiously waiting for the time when he will come for I feel sure he will arrive one day.

In fact tradition has it that he loves Vraj so much that during the summer months he rushes back to
Vrindavan in order to play with his friends after the sandhya. So during those months the shayana
arati is done in Vrindavan and only in winter is it done in Nathdwara. How happy I was that we had
gone in winter. I left knowing that my darling Vanamali and Giridari were one and the same.

Hari Aum Tat Sat