Mountains are home to Lord Shiva. Mountains are home to temples. Mountains are home to stories.
On Mahashivratri, the locals have started grand celebrations which will will last till Holi. After all, it is the festival of their favourite Shiva, the Lord of the mountains.
On this day, the pilgrims visited various temples in the morning and did fasting all day. Later in the evening, the men relished on Shiva’s prasad bhang and sang his praises till the break of dawn.
Pahadis are known for their dedication towards Pagan Gods, they believe if they displease the Gods in any way, the results would be bad. They have a story behind every temple and it’s existence. They have a set of rules to follow in each temple, and none dare break any. During my trek to two of the temples in my surroundings, I came across a few interesting tales, they made me realise how blind faith exists in the mountains, and for some reasons the locals have many real life experiences justifying their belief system.
#1 - Watch what you eat, or you shall get lost in the jungle.
The locals believe that noone should eat onion or garlic from one night before mahashivratri. This is specifically for the ones who would visit the temples located amidst thick forests. They say that if you consume onion or garlic, you will forget the path to the temple and never reach it. My house owner staunchly believes in this and she made sure she gave me dinner cooked without any of it. She constantly kept calling, fearing that we may get lost in the forest and be attacked by dog looking foxes. Apparently, she had lost her way once when her relative did not believe in this and had onion for dinner a day prior. Clearly a superstition, but the pahadis will not budge how much ever you try to explain.
#2 - Science or Miracle?
Our first visit was to the Siddha Mandir, a 10 km walk from home. The locals offered rice, milk, water and fruits to the shiv linga. Only men wearing dhoti were allowed near the linga, women did not go near the idol. The milk and water offered flowed through a channel which opened to the hill slope. The pandit told us that this offering never flowed down, there was no run off. It got collected at the highest elevation point right beneath the outlet and the water and milk seeped into the ground. Further, this water could be seen flowing out of a stream 800 meters downhill, a temple of a local deity is situated there. The stream water often has a milky white water or a thin layer of fat on it. Now both these temples exist for hundreds of years. Though this is a classic example of ground table recharge and aquifer science, it is no less than a miracle for the locals.
#3 - Married menstruating or pregnant women can dry wells!
The same Siddha temple has a naula - a source of water which is perennial. It is said that a pair of snakes live here, they are Shiva’s bhakts. If any married and menstruating or pregnant woman enters the naula, the water levels reduce as the snakes are displeased by the women touching the waters. I want to discuss on this with the locals, visit this naula and try to look for the pair of snakes!
#4 - A tamed lion will feast on rotis!
Later we visited another temple, Futling Mandir. We met a yogi, an ascetic who has lived here for decades. He had a beautiful chillum. His mud house had a hermit touch to it. He reared honey bees and cooked on a chullah. He also had many stories of himself which the locals believed in. One of those included a lion eating rotis. As per locals, a few years ago when the forest was denser and there was nothing except for the shiv linga and the yogi’s hut, a lion visited them daily in the night. The lion was their protector, hence, he made a roti and kept it outside the house every night. I am still not sure if lions can be tamed and given rotis to eat, but someday I would want to talk to this yogi and listen to more of his stories. He looks almost 90, his experiences should either be a wonderful piece of fiction or a mystical spiritual treat.
I am visiting more local places to find the stories behind every temple and naula, the pahadi culture is very intriguing. Meanwhile, the season of bhang guti and bhang Pagoda have officially started in the mountains. To celebrate Shiva, there is toxicity in the air.
It’s the Bum Bum Bhole season!