The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their
On the second day of Navaratri,
here is the story of two temples dedicated to the Goddess. Both are in
Jaisalmer, and though I have visited Jaisalmer twice, I haven’t yet visited
these temples. I first heard of them from my uncle, who, on an official visit
to the city, took time out to visit the border, and, on the way, these temples.
I was so fascinated by his stories, that I asked him to pen them down for me.
So, here they are, as a guest post from Mr. K.S.Raghuraman, who, apart from
being my maternal uncle, also worked at the Airport Authority of India , and managed to travel across the country and beyond, for work and pleasure! :)
While on a visit to Jaisalmer,
Rajasthan, I visited the temples of Tanot Mata and Ghantiyali Mata, who are sisters
and considered as ‘Miracle Goddesses’, by the people of the region as well as
BSF personnel posted there. The temples are situated close to the international
border with our neighbouring country, Pakistan.
The drive to the temples
took us almost two hours. Driving through the Thar Desert was exhilarating - just
sand, sand and sand everywhere on either side of the road, with rarely a
vehicle passing by; and the heat creating mirages in the road and the
surroundings. The journey was a memorable one.
We first reached the Ghantiyali Mata
Mandir, which is maintained by the BSF personnel.
Apart from the main deity, there are also idols which are destroyed and
beheaded kept separately on the premises. When queried, they narrated how the
temple came into existence and why the people believe her to be a miracle
goddess.
It is said that,
during the Indo-Pak war of 1965, the Pakistani army had come up to this place,
and destroyed the idols. Some in their army, who had objected, were also beheaded.
Further, inhabitants of the entire village were murdered, and the village taken
over. A woman who had gone to her parents’ house for delivery was the lone
survivor. When she returned with her son, she found that the entire village was
taken over by the insurgents. She went back to her parents, narrated the story,
and, with no other recourse, settled there. Her son grew up, and, being teased
about being fatherless, he decided to go to his village, and take revenge on
those responsible. On the way to the village, he fainted of thirst near the
temple. A small girl appeared with a pot of water and offered it to him. She told
him that it would give him strength. She also advised him on the best way to
avenge his father and the villagers.
Accordingly,
the boy arrived at the village, and noticed that a marriage was in progress. He
snuck in, along with the guests, killed one of them, and ran away into the
darkness. The next morning, when the villagers discovered the body, they were
suspicious of each other, and fighting broke out within the factions. It escalated
to such an extent, that almost all of them killed each other, and the few that
were left, ran away, fearing that they too would be killed!
The boy was overwhelmed
by the result of his one act, and was grateful to the girl for suggesting it. He
realized by then that she wasn’t a simple girl, but the goddess, and, offered
his head to her. The goddess appeared before him in her true form, and said “I
am your mother, and a mother never takes her son’s head. You have achieved your
mission, now go back and bring your mother and the others back home.” And thus, the villagers returned once more, and
the temple was rebuilt.
Marveling at this story,
we next headed to the Tanot Mata Mandir. Even in the hot weather,
it was chilling to know that we were only 10 Km from the International border!
Here again,
during the war of 1965, everything in the area was destroyed by the Pakistan
army tanks and missiles, but not a single bullet touched the temple. It is said
that the bullets /shells/ missiles simply dropped unexploded after hitting the
wall! All the unexploded shells have been kept inside the temple, as a museum
collection. In fact, the shells are kept inside the sanctum sanctorum and
worshipped along with the goddess! Certainly a unique temple!
Apart from the locals,
both Indian and Pakistan army have a feeling of respect for this temple.
No wonder, the two sister-goddesses
are called “Living Miracle Goddesses’!!
Information:
- The two temples are situated at an approximate distance of 115 -120 Km from Jaisalmer city. The international border is at a distance of approx. 10 Km from the temple.
- The temples are accessible by road, but to visit the border, you need special permissions and relevant documentation.
Great to read this about from your uncle Anu! Heard about him in Jaisalmer, and now reading about his stories from there :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sid!!! Dont you wish we could have visited this temple too?
DeleteBahut shandar jagah hai. temple, sand dunes, border, typical village life sab kuchh dekhne layak hai.
ReplyDeleteAbhi aapke shehar mein dekhne ke liye bahut hai!!! phir se aana hoga hamein, Sumerji... aur jab bhi aayenge, aapse toh zaroor milenge!
DeleteVery interesting and miraculous temples. Unexploded shells being worshiped along with goddess, as you said, really a unique temple.
ReplyDeleteYes, Meghana. I had never heard of these before till my uncle told me. If you are ever in the area, do go visit.
DeleteVery interesting stories about the two temples, wants one make to visit the place and hear the story furst hand from the locals. Loved the post!
ReplyDelete