Vriddh Jageshwar

On our way from Chaukori to Jageshwar we took a turn from Barechina to reach Vriddha Jageshwar. This temple is approximately ten kilometers from the turn of Barechina. Our driver Prem  suggested that before Jageshwar we must visit Vriddh Jageshwar. It is believed that before going down in the valley for His Tapasya Lord Shiva took rest on the hill where this temple is built. The temple is said to be older than temple of Bal Jageshwar.
It was a day before the festival of Holi. Most of the roadside shops were closed as people must have gone down to their villages to celebrate the festival. It was a quiet afternoon. We crossed some villages on the way but for most of the stretch the road was flanked by trees on both the sides.and then suddenly we were face to face with the magnificent snow clad peaks of Himalaya. What a fantabulous view....and I thought I had left behind the peaks at Chaukori. View of those snow clad peaks with a simmering silken radiance was simply intoxicating.
 When I write about mountains, hills, peaks and snow, I feel, I repeat and reuse  adjectives and phrases but while watching those peaks.....just a change of place and they unravel themselves in an entirely new way. It never fails to amaze me.

                                  Panoramic view of Himalayan peaks. [ click on the pic to enjoy the full view]

And this was the dining table laid by Mr Bisht, proprietor of Himdarshan, a lodge on the side of the road.

When we reached Vriddh Jageshwar temple, Pujari ji was satting there alone. We were the only ones besides him. He told us that just yesterday people from nearby four, five villages visited the temple along with their Gram Devtas. It's a local tradition that one or two days prior to Holi festival nearby Gram Devtas are brought to the temple to pay homage to Vriddh Jageshwar. Villagers assemble there in large number, sing and dance, wish each other and then return with their Gram Devtas to their respective villages. I wish, I was there a day before. Cultural variety and versatility of our land fascinates me.

It was a cool, bright day. Cerulean sky above smiled brightly while tall, green trees encircling the temple stood rapt in meditative tranquility.

On one side of temple in the valley lay nestled a village. Small houses, the terrace fields, a ribbon like stream sparkling with golden touch of sun looked picturesque. Complete silence reigned.

Sanctum sanctoriam at Vriddh Jageshwar. Nandi here was inside the temple building though outside the Garbh Grah.

some other temples in the vicinity and the Vriddh Jageshwar from the back side.

These were few smaller shrines. Above each of these a bell and a fan or say chandelier of cloth with frills was hanging.

Behind the temple was a small covered verandah where this Havan kund was placed. The fragrant smoke of the previous day was still there. Sunder and Pujari ji were in front of the temple. I sat there alone for some time feeling the reverberation of the mantras and shlokas chanted by Pujari ji perhaps early in the morning. Felt as if I had always belonged there.

The motorable road culminates at the temple. Adjacent to temple a pedestrian walk way runs down to the forest in the valley. This three kilometer trek leads to the temple complex of Jageshwar where one of the twelve Jyotirlingas is situated.

Some day I will love to trek on that path. 


(pics by sunder iyer and namita sunder)

Jageshwar group of temples

 

The bell at the gate of temple group

 As we approached the gate of the enclosure inside which stands the cluster of Jageshwar group of temple, we could hear the Sholakas, mantras echoing in the premises. A family was conducting pooja in Mahamrityunjay temple. Mahamrityunjay temple is  the oldest and the biggest one in the group. Stately Devdars on the other side of the river gliding behind the temples stood silent and meditative. Dotted with many Nagara styles of temples of different sizes, the place enticed me to travel into the era long back. Why so many shrines were erected in such a small area? The temples are said to be erected between 8th to 18th century i. e. from Katyuri king's time to Chand dynasty period. Did different kings built different temples to pay homage to God? Did they get it built for fulfillment of their wishes or to commemorate their victory in any battle? Did any of them got erected any of the temples as penance? These Devdars, the river, the mountains...are they witness of the those times? So many questions rushed through my mind but none of them lasted more than a second. They evaporated sooner than they were generated. Such was the magical impact of the tranquility spread all around that all thoughts and curiosity vanished and calmness spread within.
There are about 123 temples in the cluster and every shrine has a shivlinga inside it. Though the stone plaques in front of some temples displayed the names of Surya temple, Navgrah temple but these too looked like other temples. Some of the statues found here are now kept in the museum at Jageshwar. The museum has two galleries and some rare sculptures are displayed here. The temple of Navdurga and Pushtidevi were locked at the time we visited so could not see them from inside.

.

Bal jageshwara/ Tarun Jageshwar temple in the premises is considered to be one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.

सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् ।
उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोकांरममलेश्वरम् ।
परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशंकरम् ।
सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारूकावने ।
वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्रयंम्बकं गौतमीतटे ।
हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये ।
ऐतानि ज्योतिर्लिंगानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः ।
सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति.

In the above shloka mentioning all the jyotirlingas, the eigth one--- Nagesham Darukavane is said to be referring to Nageshwar/ bal jageshwar at present day Jageshwar in Almora district of Uttarakhand. Darukavane means forest of devdar and the dense forest  of devdars around the temples justifies the explanation.

This temple faces west. Outside the entrance on either side are two well sculpted images of dwarpals Nandi and Skandi with all their arms and armaments. 

The Shivling in the sanctum sanctorum is swayambhoo and appears to be divided in two parts.  The larger part depicts Lord Shiva while the smaller one devi Parvati.  There are two Ashtdhatu statues of Chand kings Deepchand And Tripal Chand in standing posture behind the Shivlinga. There is a burning light[jyoti] in cupped hands of the statue of King Deepchand, reputed to be burning  incessantly from times immemorial.

.

Mahamrityunjay temple is perhaps the only temple of Shiva called by this particular name. As is evident from the name devotees come here to perform the life saving pooja. This is east facing temple and the unique Linga here has an eye shaped opening. God here is worshiped as savior from death. Chanting of mantras and their reverberation leave a very powerful impact.

Almost all the temples have carved stone gate with images of dwarpals on both sides. On the shikharas of temples various images of Gods, mainly Shiva with ganas are etched.

 

The temple has an interesting legend attached to it. It is believed that Lord Shiva had come to this site for meditation. So when the women folk of the village came to know that  a young yogi with haloing aura  has come to meditate, they all gathered to catch a glimpse of him, making the men folk infuriated and to control the situation Shiva converted himself into a child and since then he is worshipped  here in his child avatar.  

Many years ago Jageshwar used to be a pilgrim halt enroute to  famous Kailash Mansarovar yatra. It is also said that Adi Shankaracharya stayed here and worked towards restoration of the temples before moving towards Kedarnath.

.

Though normally in the month of march it is not very cold in the valley but this year weather showed different patterns of  mood. We were told that till a week ago the road to the temple was covered with snow.  Thunderous rain and hailstorm two days ago too contributed in  bringing the temperature considerably down. It was very early in the morning. The sand stone floor of temple premises was bitingly cold. The carpets spread to make pradikshna easier for devotees were drenched with the moisture, water literally oozing out.

.

 

Logs burnt in open courtyard. One  pujari sat near it. Yellow, orange flames leapt and danced in air. Harmonious echo of chanting of prayers, blowing of conch, peeling of bells, murmuring of river Jat ganga transported me in a trance like state. Rising column of smoke as if invited to accompany it to the mystique horizons.The Devdars around the temples stood close giving ample shade to let the silky , tender blades of green grass flourish while few sunrays haltingly stepped in to kiss the glistening dew drops and droplets on leaves and grass.
If at all the moments could be frozen......................

All the pictures by sunder Iyer.
 

Peace within

I met him at Kumbh mela.While some of us were clicking a footpath vendor couple engrossed in reading newspaper, he happened to be passing from there. He stopped and looked smilingly at us. Clad in white lungi-kurta and  a thin cotton towel/gamchha over his shoulders, he looked like one among us. There was nothing distinguishing about him. With his sparse, salt and pepper beard flowing with the wind, well oiled and neatly combed hair he could have been easily  taken for any common elderly pilgrim in the fair. But his softly smiling eyes set him apart. I can not exactly explain the expression and impact of his eyes but thats what prompted me to talk to him.

He came to Kumbh on Makarsankranti  alongwith others of his ashram at Chitrakoot and was to stay there till Magh Poornima. His ashram had its own camp at the fair. At the tender age of 10 years he was handed over to the Guru of the ashram by his parents as a mark of their dedication and bhakti to Guru. Cutting all their filial bonds parents surrendered the child to follow the divine path. This act of renunciation and relinquishment must have definitely provided the parents a kind of satisfaction of being able to feel closer to the higher self  but what about the little child? Did he not miss his home, mother, siblings and the freedom ?

He looked at me, his still smiling eyes fixed on me. “ I don’t remember how I felt at that time. I was too young to care and then it’s ages since then.”

“ Have you never gone to your home after that?” “No” ,he said ,” but my sister and brother’s wife come to meet me” he added after a brief pause.

“ Did you never felt that you have been robbed off something in life ? Did it never occurred to you that you wanted to live life differently or at least you should have been given a chance to decide it yourself ?”

The smiling eyes stood silent for a fraction of second and I could as if sense the pool of unsaid emotions trying to surface but within a miniscule the usual smile glided in gracefully—“ No, the way I have been brought up, the conditioning that has been done has no place for questioning . It is always the total faith, total surrender to God, to Guru. This is what God planned for me. This is my destiny that is why among all the children in the family I was chosen to be sent with Guru. The events in life follow a pre destined course.”

“ How easy do you make it sound ?”

“ No, may be not easy but the routine you follow, the kind of environment you live in  influence your thought process. The elaborate daily rituals of prayers, havan, religious and spiritual discourses, the pilgrimage to sacred places keep our senses employed in the perception and apprehension of the higher power and it becomes easier to keep our mind and heart on track.”

“ So, your family members keep in touch but what about your mother?” this time perhaps it was the mother in me not ready to let it go.” Is she still there? Did she use to come to meet you in ashram when you were young?” for a very brief moment a far away look, a spark of pain flashed in those eyes. I felt as if that kid is still crouching somewhere in the deep abyss. But now he was a seasoned man who has not only learnt to quash his longings and deal with his fears long back but has reached the level where accepting becomes the norm while expecting never occurs.

He smiled indulgently , “ probing ! haan.”

“ No, not exactly, but yes trying to understand.. I have read and heard about the people whose inner calling instigate them to abandon all their material possessions, compel them to cut all emotional and social ties and they set on a journey of searching something beyond the mundane. There are others too who by the turn of circumstances are compelled to adopt an ascetic and austere way of living and surrender themselves to divine as that is the only recourse  left to them. But cases like you are so different. It is like you are made to travel a path even though you are unaware of a goal or destination.”

“ Does a goal or destination really matters so much. Even at this age I can’t say with conviction that I am very clear about any final destination. I am not a haloed saint, seer or even seeker but now I am sure of one thing that my way of life has kept me away from many vices and deceits. My needs are limited and I feel a peace within. I am happy in the journey , the outcome is not my concern.

With that he turned away and walked into the milieu leaving me in a state of deep reverence.

 Kumbh-2013

pic by Sunder Iyer