We were done through Sahastradhara, Maldevata, Robber’s Cave, Tibetan Bazaar and Palatan Bazaar. Now the last two destinations on the itinerary were – Tapkeshwar Temple and the Mindrolling Monastery.
I was scared that the Tapkeshwar Temple would be as crowded as the Mansa Devi one but when we reached there I realized that I need not have worried. There were only a few devotees in sight when the car entered the parking lot. We walked to the Shiva temple near the parking lot and took our time doing the Darshan. After the disappointment at Mansa Devi, this was a huge relief. I would have very much liked to linger in the temple but we were running on the tourist timetable and couldn’t afford to do so as we were yet to cover the main temples in the premises.
So we walked on. It must have rained recently because the ground was wet and muddy despite the tiled surface. Reluctantly, we removed our footwear and left it at the small stall at the entrance.
There are 3-4 temples in the main premises. To visit one of them, a Shiva temple, you have to descend a staircase and enter a cave-like room. The other one would remind you of the Vaishno Devi temple – at Katra or in Ahmedabad – because you have to crawl to reach the Sanctum Sanctorium.
There is a tall statue of Bajarangbali and an idol of Lord Ganeshji. In another corner you can see an idol of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan with the King of Gods, Indra, kneeling before him. There is a small shrine devoted to the Navgrahas or Nine Planets. And you can also see Sheshashayi Vishnu with Goddess Lakshmi (though I must confess that I wasn’t too happy to see that she was sitting at his feet!).
Our final Darshan was of the Shivalingam which is called Tapkeshwar because of the water that drips onto it from above.
As I exited the Tapkeshwar Sanctorium a stone idol kept in a wall recess caught my attention. There was neither any nameplate identifying it (Hindu religion boasts of no less than 33 Crore Gods and Goddesses. It is impossible to know all of them!) nor did its form resemble that of any well-known deity. It probably would have been a stretch to call it an idol. In all probability, it must have been discovered by someone somewhere and brought into the temple because it bore some resemblance to the Shivlingam. As I stood there watching it, I wondered who must have brought it and when.
On our way back, when I inquired about how much we needed to pay at the stall where we had left our footwear, I was told to give whatever I felt like giving. Perplexed, I handed a Rs. 10 note. Don’t know if I should have given Rs. 20 instead.
As the car left the parking lot, I looked back at the temple. I had immensely liked it – except the wet, muddy floor, of course. There was an ancient, timeless look about it. It felt like a temple, not like a place where religion and faith was for sale, because the devotees weren’t pushing each other to get into the temple. No one was shouting at the devotees to keep moving. And no one was pressurizing you to buy anything as an offering to the Gods.
I couldn’t help but wonder about the people who must have visited this place in the past, their prayers, joys and sorrows. I felt sad about the idols and photo-frames of Gods that lay grouped together, abandoned, under a tree or in a corner of the temple. I remembered the old sadhus sitting in various temples. There was a time when I was naive enough to assume they must have denounced everything to devote themselves to God. But these days the first thought that crosses my mind when I see these men in saffron robes is whether they are doing it because it saves them from toiling hard and dealing with the complexities of life. I thought about the stone that was kept in a corner – forgotten and unattended and wondered about what makes a stone a revered idol.
I was scared that the Tapkeshwar Temple would be as crowded as the Mansa Devi one but when we reached there I realized that I need not have worried. There were only a few devotees in sight when the car entered the parking lot. We walked to the Shiva temple near the parking lot and took our time doing the Darshan. After the disappointment at Mansa Devi, this was a huge relief. I would have very much liked to linger in the temple but we were running on the tourist timetable and couldn’t afford to do so as we were yet to cover the main temples in the premises.
So we walked on. It must have rained recently because the ground was wet and muddy despite the tiled surface. Reluctantly, we removed our footwear and left it at the small stall at the entrance.
There are 3-4 temples in the main premises. To visit one of them, a Shiva temple, you have to descend a staircase and enter a cave-like room. The other one would remind you of the Vaishno Devi temple – at Katra or in Ahmedabad – because you have to crawl to reach the Sanctum Sanctorium.
There is a tall statue of Bajarangbali and an idol of Lord Ganeshji. In another corner you can see an idol of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan with the King of Gods, Indra, kneeling before him. There is a small shrine devoted to the Navgrahas or Nine Planets. And you can also see Sheshashayi Vishnu with Goddess Lakshmi (though I must confess that I wasn’t too happy to see that she was sitting at his feet!).
Our final Darshan was of the Shivalingam which is called Tapkeshwar because of the water that drips onto it from above.
As I exited the Tapkeshwar Sanctorium a stone idol kept in a wall recess caught my attention. There was neither any nameplate identifying it (Hindu religion boasts of no less than 33 Crore Gods and Goddesses. It is impossible to know all of them!) nor did its form resemble that of any well-known deity. It probably would have been a stretch to call it an idol. In all probability, it must have been discovered by someone somewhere and brought into the temple because it bore some resemblance to the Shivlingam. As I stood there watching it, I wondered who must have brought it and when.
On our way back, when I inquired about how much we needed to pay at the stall where we had left our footwear, I was told to give whatever I felt like giving. Perplexed, I handed a Rs. 10 note. Don’t know if I should have given Rs. 20 instead.
As the car left the parking lot, I looked back at the temple. I had immensely liked it – except the wet, muddy floor, of course. There was an ancient, timeless look about it. It felt like a temple, not like a place where religion and faith was for sale, because the devotees weren’t pushing each other to get into the temple. No one was shouting at the devotees to keep moving. And no one was pressurizing you to buy anything as an offering to the Gods.
I couldn’t help but wonder about the people who must have visited this place in the past, their prayers, joys and sorrows. I felt sad about the idols and photo-frames of Gods that lay grouped together, abandoned, under a tree or in a corner of the temple. I remembered the old sadhus sitting in various temples. There was a time when I was naive enough to assume they must have denounced everything to devote themselves to God. But these days the first thought that crosses my mind when I see these men in saffron robes is whether they are doing it because it saves them from toiling hard and dealing with the complexities of life. I thought about the stone that was kept in a corner – forgotten and unattended and wondered about what makes a stone a revered idol.
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