We had passed the temple on our way back to the hotel in the evening on the very first day but I wasn't sure about visiting it. My research on the internet had told me that it is modeled after the temple at Katra and so has a couple of places where you have to get down on all fours to be able to move forward. I have plans to visit the original temple some day so I was in two minds about going to the replica. However, I decided to take the plunge the next day.
As I walked in after removing my footwear, the lady manning the gate barked 'Mobile band karo'. My face fell. No photos? 'I hope I can carry the water bottle' I asked with a bit of sarcasm. Apparently it was lost on her as she barked again 'Pani ka bottle chalega'. Praise be to God! Being in a holy place, it was time to wonder about the state of my soul. Instead, I was worried about the state of my soles - because I was walking barefoot in the afternoon heat. :-) But it was fun to walk on pretending that you are in the temple at Katra till I came to the first spot where it was necessary to crawl to move on. A group of 3 ladies (one of them a senior citizen!) and 2 gentlemen was ahead of me. One of the ladies (of sizable proportion) saw the tight space and opted out. The gentlemen shouted something to the senior citizen. Though I couldn't understand their language, I realized that they were asking her to take a short-cut instead. But the wiry old lady was determined to have it her own way and passed through the tight space. Encouraged, I did the same - with ease, if I might add :-)
There was one more tiny space up ahead (hard to negotiate for tall people!) and we were face to face with the Goddess. It felt good to have undergone a bit of a physical discomfort to be able to reach Her. As we left, a vermillion Tilak was applied on our foreheads and a tiny coin given as the Prasad.
Normally I strictly follow the rules wherever I go, but I couldn't resist the temptation of capturing a few of the images of the Goddess that dotted our return path.
It is said that you get to go to the Katra temple only when the Goddess Herself calls you there. Well, I am waiting for my invitation. :-)
As I walked in after removing my footwear, the lady manning the gate barked 'Mobile band karo'. My face fell. No photos? 'I hope I can carry the water bottle' I asked with a bit of sarcasm. Apparently it was lost on her as she barked again 'Pani ka bottle chalega'. Praise be to God! Being in a holy place, it was time to wonder about the state of my soul. Instead, I was worried about the state of my soles - because I was walking barefoot in the afternoon heat. :-) But it was fun to walk on pretending that you are in the temple at Katra till I came to the first spot where it was necessary to crawl to move on. A group of 3 ladies (one of them a senior citizen!) and 2 gentlemen was ahead of me. One of the ladies (of sizable proportion) saw the tight space and opted out. The gentlemen shouted something to the senior citizen. Though I couldn't understand their language, I realized that they were asking her to take a short-cut instead. But the wiry old lady was determined to have it her own way and passed through the tight space. Encouraged, I did the same - with ease, if I might add :-)
There was one more tiny space up ahead (hard to negotiate for tall people!) and we were face to face with the Goddess. It felt good to have undergone a bit of a physical discomfort to be able to reach Her. As we left, a vermillion Tilak was applied on our foreheads and a tiny coin given as the Prasad.
Normally I strictly follow the rules wherever I go, but I couldn't resist the temptation of capturing a few of the images of the Goddess that dotted our return path.
It is said that you get to go to the Katra temple only when the Goddess Herself calls you there. Well, I am waiting for my invitation. :-)
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