Kashi and its Temples
Whatever is written here comes from an assimilation of personal experiences, readings, viewings, conversations and discussions and I don't claim to have any knowledge of my own and I am not factually correct. It is an attempt to write about my experiences which almost edges between dream and reality, so don't believe a word of what I write, go experience for yourself...
What does one do on a long weekend? Now that's no dilemma
really, because the answers are now quite standard, bingeing online streaming
content, revenge retail therapy, meet friends and family or a short break to a
resort nearby. From somewhere Kashi / Varanasi / Benares popped up and it was
planned and booked, while being knowingly unknowing about the heat, the flocks
of people, the temples (I am not religious) and my diet which forbade me to eat
anything which tasted good. As the day came closer, the destination was much
questioned and debated but finally the cancellation was too expensive so off we
went.
We were greeted by the following pearls of wisdom:
"One is "called" to Kashi, one cannot
"go" to Kashi, this city represents the paternal element of one's
life, if it is willed by your forefathers you shall come"
"Kashi happens to you"
"Every particle of Kashi reverberates with Lord Shiva"
"It is the will of Mahadev"
"One attains Mukti when one dies in Kashi"
"Kashi has 3 segments (Kedareshwar, Omkareshwar and
Vishveshwar) - placed on Shivas Trishul (Trident)"
"You are staying in Kedareshwar Khand of Kashi where if
one dies, one is spared the Kalbhairava Yatana"
And of course, there were many more which I will leave you
to discover!
Temples have always been places I have avoided, mostly due
to a mixed (Brahmo and Hindu) upbringing and being clueless about what to do
while in His or Her presence, the crowds and special days being other major
deterrents. I have often wondered if God in all forms is Everywhere then why
go to temples?
Our itinerary had had 5 temples and another one was
suggested as it was close to the hotel, well I must admit that I approached
this tour with a fair amount of trepidation due to the reasons listed above,
along with it was a larger measure of curiosity about what makes Kashi special,
and the temples are a large part of it and curiosity is a great propeller.
First on our list was The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, it is one
of the twelve Jyotirlingas or temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is on everyone’s
list so there are a lot of people, the bookings of assisted “Darshan” and other
rituals can be done online
or from a booking office near the temple. A “Rudra Abhishek” was decided for us
by our guide (little did he know that we had no clue about what it was) but it
was nice to go with the flow, one can’t be in complete control or be too
planned in Kashi. We waited patiently for one of the priests to arrive and he
took his time, so we observed the swirls of crowds in the spotless white marble
temple compound, portly officials and VIPs came surrounded by their bodyguards
and were personally blessed by the head priest, large families rested in the
shade while kids played and ran around, on the side, there was energetic
chanting of mantras by all people opting for Rudra Abhishek which seemed tough
as Sanskrit Mantras are not something we recite every day! We went through the Rudra
Abhishek almost as if in a trance, all the noise, confusion and crowds fading to
the background while the process happened under the guidance of the priest.
Then came the task of pouring five litres of milk and offering flowers on the
main Shiv Ling for which there was a snake like dense queue with a fair amount
of jostling and pushing, this too happened easily while the perceived difficulties
(or was its resistance?) melted away.
During Aurangzeb’s rule, many temples of Kashi were
destroyed, including Kashi Vishwanath, the then Head Priest of the temple had
rescued the Ling by taking it with him and jumping into a well nearby – this well
still exists in the compound and is now covered, the Annapoorni temple is also
in the same compound. The temple was rebuilt later in the year 1780 by the Maharani
Ahilyabai Holkar and its domes are covered in gold donated by Sikh Monarch,
Ranjit Singh.
Next on our list was The Kalbhairav Temple, also fondly
referred to as “Kashi ke Kotwal” or the Guardian of Kashi, the story goes that
the police commissioner of Kashi keeps the photograph of Lord KalBhairav on the
chair and sits on a different seat to give due respect to the role of this Deity.
Kalbhairav is the fiercest form of Lord Shiva, and it is said that death too fears
him, it is an ancient, powerful, and significant temple as per Skanda Puran and
Kashi Khand and people come here to ward off evils and seek blessings.
After walking through narrow and winding lanes, we were
greeted with another long queue and enthusiastic devotees waiting for “Darshan”,
we perhaps did not look as enthusiastic, so our guide requested a person in the
beginning of queue to let us in and she did! Yet again we were carried by the
flow in front of Lord Kalbhairav with our offerings and a moment to take in the
complexity and fierceness of this form which, the clanging bells, the chanting
and the collective murmur of the crowds only added to the experience, it was
almost as if being under a spell or perhaps we were spellbound?
After the masculine energy forms, it was time to visit
temples dedicated to feminine energy forms, namely the Durga Temple which is a
beautiful red colour structure and has an impressive architecture. As with all
Kashi temples, this was also well maintained and spotlessly clean. The story
goes that the image of Goddess Durga wasn’t created but it emerged on its own,
the temple was built in 18th century by Rani Bhabani of Natore (1716
to 1795), who was a Zamindar in British colonial era and managed the vast
zamindary for nearly four decades. Now Natore is in Rajshahi, Bangladesh and
Natorer Rajbari is open to visitors. (Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/english/Natorer-Rani-Bhabani/27611)
There is a story about the origin of the
idol here which
describes how She came into being. The temple was further augmented by the
Peshwas, Durga Kund right behind the temple was built by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar
who has made significant contributions all over Kashi.
If I had to visit a temple, this is my kind of temple, it is
spread out, the crowds are manageable and the whole atmosphere is pleasant, all
forms of Devi have their shrines here, namely Kali, Durga, Lakshmi and
Saraswati and there is a Bhairav temple as well. Ma Durga is here in the form
of a Yantra, and the idol is for representational purposes, the visit was a
breeze and in fact I would have liked to sit next to the kund for a while and
just absorb the atmosphere – perhaps that’s for next time, one must always have
reasons to come back.
The next was The Sankat Mochan Temple dedicated to Lord
Hanuman who is quite a star in Northern India and Hanuman
Chalisa, composed by Tulsidas
(the author of Ramcharitmanas and also a resident of Kashi), is chanted by many
to gain strength and courage and face life’s challenges. It is said that Tulsidas
had a vision of Lord Hanuman here and so the temple was built. We entered
through the entrance at the back, the security measures in this temple are
stricter than in others due to a series of blasts in 2007 and we had to leave
our mobile phones in a locker. The walk to the temple was through a shaded
pathway with lots of trees on both sides, the temple complex has a mini forest
within it and an open space where the yearly Sangeet Samaroh is held in April. The
crowds are ever present in this temple and there are two shrines, one for Lord
Hanuman and one for Lord Ram, his consort Sita and brother Laxman, our guide
Kunal talked about a well in this temple where the water is sweet, he took us
to the water chamber where it was stored in large mud vessels and a kind
gentleman patently gave water to everyone who wished to drink. The water had an
earthy, sweet taste and was vey refreshing, our thirst quenched, we bought some
Lal Peda Prasad from the temple counter and set off the next on our list. I
have always wondered why devotees worship Lord Hanuman, here is why – very enlightening.
The Banaras Hindu
University is close to Sankat Mochan Temple and it has the New Vishwanath
Temple within its complex, it is a replica of Kashi Vishwanath Temple and was
built by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and the Birla Family, it took 35 years to
build and was completed in 1966. It has nine temples within the main temple
building, the primary being a Shiv Temple and other shrines for other deities.
The temple complex is large and spacious and has a very calming influence, the
day we went, there were PhD students of BHU performing bhajans in first floor,
the music is of concert quality, and it is a sublime experience to just sit and
listen to the songs being sung in the praise of Gods – perhaps it is an everyday
performance. After completing the visit Kunal insisted that we must try the
cold coffee with ice cream from a shop just outside, now this is absolutely
forbidden in my diet, but I gave in and cooled my innards which seemed to be in
protest due to hot weather.
After a couple of days of break from temples, we decided
that it was time for one more and the last on our list as it was suggested by
many, the Gauri Kedareshwar temple was just a few minutes’ walk from our hotel and
is a very ancient temple. It is a large complex with many small Shiv Lings and
a Garbha Griha with the main Ling, it is the only Shiv Temple where the Garbha
Griha faces The Ganga, and it is located on Kedar Ghat. It is said that while
Aurangzeb was on his temple destruction spree, his soldiers came and tried to
break The Nandi with the strike of a sword, on impact Nandi’s cries echoed loud
and real blood started flowing out from the point of impact, on seeing this the
soldiers of Aurangzeb were frightened and fled the scene and the temple was
saved, the impact of the sword is still visible on Nandi’s body. Perhaps this is
the reason why all devotees who come, stroke the head of Nandi as a gesture of
love and thankfulness. In my experience this is one of the most approachable
and intimate Shiva temples where one is not cordoned off and managed in rows to
be pushed along, it is a place where one can go sit and spend some time if inclined
and it had a unique vibration which was palpable. On our way out, we read
through many stone placards inscribed in Bengali of the many donors of this temple
dating back to 19th century which was interesting.
Kashi has a certain charm and magic which ensnares every
visitor, while the temple and sightseeing circuit can be taxing, all who
visited return blessed and loved and in love with this city, everyone I have
spoken to has had a similar experience irrespective of faith and belief and most
people want to go back or have revisited several times. Places are also special
because of its People, everyone we met on this trip has a little bit of Divine
within them which made experience even more special.
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