The so called Himalayan Tsunami has
already hit the beautiful state of Uttarakhand…My birth state…And the discussions
and analysis of what should or shouldn’t have happened still occupies prime
time on television. But I want people to remember that amidst all the tragedy,
there is always hope of resurrection. The state and the people will rise up and
soon!
When I was growing up, there was no
state of Uttarakhand. It was all a ‘BIG’ state of UP. So automatically we were
all ‘bhaiyas’. Tell anyone I am from Dehradoon and they would go ‘huh’?.Where
is that? Tell them I am a Garhwali and the jaw would just drop. Things haven’t
changed so much but I now tell them you know where Badrinath and Kedarnath are?
Well! That’s my birthplace…
The state is called Dev Bhoomi and for
a good reason too. It’s a land which consists of peaks and valleys, known since
ancient times to be the abode of gods and goddesses and the source of the
Ganges River.
I have travelled across the globe,
visited so many cities and towns, but never had the chance to explore my own
state. Very few realize that there is so much more to Uttarakhand than
Badrinath, Kedarnath or Haridwar and Mussorie. Six months ago I took a 2 week
vacation and decided it was time to pay my respects to my birth place.
My journeys took me to places breathtakingly beautiful. One
of my aunt’s is a teacher in a village primary school near a place called
Chakrata. It’s a small town about 100 odd kms from Dehradoon. This town is
surrounded by little hill villages. For the first time I actually saw a village
and its simplicity and their struggle for basic needs left me speechless.
The trip from Dehradoon to Chakrata was
along a winding steep road with breathtaking views of the naked mountains. If the phrase ‘The journey is more important than the
destination’ would ever mean anything, then
it did for me on that road. And I wished the
road would never end.
The town is an access-restricted military cantonment area and has restrictions
on visiting foreigners. The Research & Analysis Wing, India’s intelligence service have their base in Chakrata. It is
therefore a strategically important town. The area is known as Jaunsar - Bawar belonging
to the Jaunsari tribe, which apparently trace their origin from the Pandavas.
The village almost did not have a
motorable road. So we got off at one point and then climbed down a hill to
reach the village. I found myself eagerly wanting to see the school. The climb
down was fun. And as I turned around a bunch of 10-15 kids surrounded me and
were looking at me as if I was from some different planet all together. They
eagerly led me to their classroom which was as basic as you can think.
The village houses were so modest.
And it made me think how
we crave for so many things and
enjoy the coziness of our modern
homes with all the high tech
gadgets around us. For these people fending
off the winter, looking after their live stock
and keeping themselves warm is what a daily routine of life is all about.
From Chakrata we left the next day for
a trip to Lakhamandal. I was very inquisitive to visit this place because in
the Mahabharata, it has a very significant role. I can’t even begin to describe
that journey. The road was almost non-existent. The turns and bends so much
sharper. For miles, we didn’t run into another vehicle or saw people around. We
passed several isolated houses…it was a scene straight out of an adventure
movie and I just couldn’t imagine all those hundreds of years ago, people
travelling to this place.
Lakhamandal is an ancient Hindu temple
dedicated to lord Shiva. Lakhamandal gets
its name from the two words: lakha (Lakh)
meaning "many" and mandals meaning "temples" or "lingam". Plenty of artistic works were found in the
excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India and it is now a heritage site.
The main attraction of this shrine
is the graphite Lingam. It shines when wet and reflects its surroundings.
Never have I seen such a wonder!
The local temple “pandit” asked us if
we wanted to offer our prayers and opened the temple doors for us. It was a miniscule
room with some more lingams. That place had some over 100 lingams which were
unearthed during the excavations.
Twin statues of “Danav” and “Manav” are
located beside the main shrine. The statues are its “dwarpals” (doormen). The belief is goes that when someone was dying
or had just died, an appearance in front of these statues returns them briefly
to life (to say goodbye to their family) before finally expiring.
One of the numerous sub plots of the
Mahabharata contains the story which describes how Yudhishthira was a big Shiv
bhakht and constructed this temple overnight with the help of his brother Bhim.
As I stood there soaking in all that I
heard about the legends, it just made me feel so sure that a large of it could
be true. I could feel the stones and the monuments shouting out to me about the
history which was long forgotten. In the world of science and technology, faith
and belief which have always been a corner stone of humanity is almost at a fag
end of their life – most probably already lying next to the “dwarpals” awaiting the final journey.
Wonder why is belief so hard nowadays?
After the temple visit, we headed to a
cave called “Dhundhi Odaari”. In the
local Jaunsari language, “Dhundi” or “Dhund” means
misty or foggy and “odaar” or “odaari” means cave or hidden place.
According to the legend, this temple and the adjoining area are believed to be
where Duryodhana conspired to burn alive the Pandavas in the “Lakshyagriha” house, constructed with shellac.
Anyone who has read or watched the
famous epic called Mahabharat, would remember the plot to burn the Pandavas
alive. Since the Pandavas knew of the plot, a tunnel under their palace was
constructed which opened out in a cave from where they fled. So there I was
standing in front of this cave, thousands of years later bewildered and
excited. As I stepped inside I could feel the images flash in front of me. As I
moved further in, the darkness engulfed me. Ahead was a small entrance to a
tunnel. Apparently the tunnel from this side is now blocked due to a landslide
which occurred years ago. But standing at the entrance of the tunnel, it surely
looked the legend was true. It bore the mark of history…And as I was standing
there, I realized that now I am somehow a part of that history too. That the
history may be forgotten but it will always live through…Somehow or the
other!!!
We completed our journey and returned
to Dehradoon and I had my heart in a flutter. I had some new perspectives in
life….all the things we crave for in our homes, with which we define our success
in life faded in comparison to the success of the Jaunsari people in living in
their simple homes on those treacherous slopes. Their daily lives much more of
a struggle than our journeys in air-conditioned vehicles to our haloed offices,
and the villagers could still smile. And we?? Constantly complaining about how
difficult life is – guess we humans can never be at peace; and if by some
miracle we do find that peace within ourselves, then we know that we have truly
succeeded.
So for all that my birthplace was and
is, I hope it will continue to still be the place where the Gods continue to reside!!!
