Revisiting - Almora & Ranikhet (a
photo-blog)
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| Sunrise over the Himalayan ranges - view from Ranikhet |
My blog about
Almora is already available and the link is as follows - http://ghummakar-biswas.blogspot.in/2011/12/almora-visiting-jageshwar-katarmal.html
but as happens, you cannot visit every small temple or tourist spot at one
go. Therefore, as we were traversing
back from Jalna, we found out that in order to reach Ranikhet, we had to return
back to Almora and thereafter head towards Ranikhet. We proceeded towards Saharphatak, this road
further leads to Lohaghat from Jalna, till we came across another small village
about 4-5 Kms. from Jalna called Lamgara.
Here from a small road bifurcates through some small villages and
connect with the Almora-Pithoragarh road.
Instead of back tracking through the same route that we had used while
travelling from Almora for Jalna, we chose this route instead to avoid
monotony.
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| Huge cobwebs - absorbing the moisture from the clouds/fog enveloping the valley |
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| Impatiens spp. - Balsam flowers |
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| Terraced fields - on way from Jalna to Almora |
Lamgara is also
perched at an altitude which is almost similar to Jalna and also offers some
good panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges & the vales below. The road that runs towards Almora from here
can be best described as a little better than a dirt track, but it runs through
some pristine forest area and regions untouched by the modern world
gizmos. The life these village still
trudges at a slow speed that can be kept pace with and the lack of hustle &
bustle leads to a sense of serenity in these region. There were a lot of birds to see and
photographer, but our friend’s father, who is almost an octogenarian, was
getting impatient due to constant halts and hence we had to rush through. He was more intent to reach Jageshwar temple
complex, as it was the auspicious Hindu month of ‘Sawan’ and performing puja (performing Hindu rituals) at the
various ‘Shivlingas’ (Shiva’s phalanx
is worshipped in Hindu temples) is considered very auspicious by Hindus. Most
Hindus believe that Jageshwar is the place of Nagesh,
8th among the Dwadasa
Jyotirlingas i.e. Ten plus two Jyotirlings (the twelve resplendent Lingas of Lord Shiva established by Lord
Vishnu), which is stated to exist in
the forest of Daruka/Deodar (Cedrus deodara) or daruka van/forest. Jageshwar holds a special position as being
the first in the list of such Jyotirlingas
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| Brown fronted woodpecker |
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| Asian Koel |
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| Yellow breasted Greenfinch or Himalayan Greenfinch |
We reached Jageshwar temple complex at
around 11.00 A.M and found that the complex was almost empty. While purchasing the ritualistic articles
required for performance of the puja inside the temple complex, I struck up a
conversation with the shopkeeper and he informed that during this year, because
of the calamity that had struck Kedarnath region, the tourist influx had been
badly affected in entire of Uttarakhand and the business was very poor, almost
a slump of 80% from normal. We too could
sense this, as despite being a very auspicious month for performing Puja, the
crowd of Hindu devotes were quite conspicuous by their absence. But this offered us a window of opportunity
and we could perform the Puja in an elaborate manner inside the temple complex,
which otherwise would have been a luxury in case of heavy rush of
pilgrims. There is no definite dating of the construction of Jageshwar group of
temples but according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), they belong
to the post-Gupta and pre-medieval eras and are estimated to be about 450 yrs
old. These temples range in the period from the 8th century (early Katyuri Dynasty) to the 18th century
(Chand Dynasty). The temples were renovated during the reign of Katyuri King
Shalivahandev. There is an inscription of Malla Kings on the main temple
premises indicating their devotion to Jageshwar. The Katyuri Kings also donated
villages to the temple priests for its maintenance. The Chand Kings of Kumaon were also
patrons of the Jageshwar temple. Numerous
Jageshwar temples were constructed or restored during the Gurjara Pratihara
era. It is believed that while
establishing the various maaths in Uttarakhand,
like the Kedarnath and Badrinath dhams, Adi Shankaracharya too had visited
Jageshwar and renovated and re-established many temples before leaving for
Kedarnath. The Samsan ghat of Jageshwar is also the cremation ground of the
erstwhile Chand Kings. The temples
architecture belongs to the Nagara style,
characterized by a tall curved spire surmounted by an amalaka (capstone) and a
kalasha crown. Most of the temples enshrine a stone Lingam, surrounded by stone
sculptures of various deities. The pilgrimage to Jageshwar is considered as
sacred as the famous Chardham yatra.
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| Temple spire of Jageshwar temple - near Almora |
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| Panoramic view of Jageshwar temple - near Almora |
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| Inside the Jageshwar temple precincts |
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| Idol of Kal Bhairav in Jageshwar temple complex |
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| The ceremonial fire or 'Yagna kund' in Jageshwar temple |
The folklore in the regions around
Jageshwar tells us a gripping story about building the Main temple Near Kot
Linga Temple
Complex. Lord Shiva selected this place to be his abode. During the Tapasya by
Lord Shiva, demons obstructed his penance. Then God "Sam" came into
being as Trinetra (the third eye of Lord Shiva), who sent his ‘Ganas’/Demons to kill these demons. It
is believed that Lord Sam will come to Kot Linga temple premises to save
humanity and Jageshwar in Kalyuga. Adi Shankacharya tried to build the maim
temple at Kotlinga but to no avail as Lord Sam wanted Kotlinga to be specifically
reserved for the Meditation of his beloved Lord Shiva. Old Ruins of a temple
structure can be found near Kotlinga. Local People still believe that Lord Sam will
come and built the real Jageshwar temple near Kotlinga and thus, save the
mankind from adversities of Kalyuga. It
is also believed that anyone who prays here is saved from ‘akaal mrityu’/untimely or sudden violent death. The temple city comprises a cluster of 124
large and small stone temples, dating 9th to 13th century AD, with many
preserved by the (ASI), which
include Dandeshwar Temple, Chandi-ka-Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Kuber Temple,
Mritunjaya Temple, Nanda Devi or Nau Durga, Nava-grah temple, a Pyramidal
shrine, and Surya Temple. The most
famous of them is the Mahamrityunjay temple is the largest and oldest temple in
the Jageshwar temple complex. This temple
of Shiva is eastern
facing and the Linga is worshipped as the saviour from death. The unique linga
has an eye shaped opening. Pilgrims believe that reciting the Mahamritunjaya Mantra is a fruitful, auspicious and powerful
method of self-realisation, removal of evil effects, and freedom from all kinds
of fears, illness and negativity. The Mahamritunjaya Mantra is attested in the Sukla Yajurveda Samhita III/60. Thus, having performed the Puja at the main
temple, we proceeded further to visit another the famous temples that was
missed by me during my previous visit i.e. Golu Devta temple in Chitai, Almora.
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| Outside view of Golu Devta temple in Chitai, Almora |
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| Temple gate of Golu Devta temple in Chitai, Almora |
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| Bells placed by devotees inside Golu Devta temple in Chitai, Almora |
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| Inside view of Golu Devta temple in Chitai, Almora |
Golu Devata is thought to be as an incarnation of
Gaur Bhairav (Lord Shiva), and is worshipped all
over the region and regarded as the dispenser of justice by the devotees with
extreme faith. Historically, he is
considered as the brave son and General of Katyuri King, Jhal Rai and his
mother was Kalindra, and his grandfather was Hal Rai and great-grandfather was
Hal Rai. Historically the origin of Golu Devata is accepted at Champawat in
Uttarakhand. His mother Kalindra is believed to be the sister of two other
local deities Harishchand Devjyun (the divine spirit of Raja Harish of the
Chands) and Sem Devjyun and both these deities are regarded by the locals as
uncles of Lord Golu. Another legend
suggests that he was a General in the army of the Chand King
,
Baz
Bahadur (1638–78), and died
displaying exemplary valour at war, the temple at
Chitai was erected in his honour, 8 km
from Almora city. On the other hand another
legend says that Golu Devta was killed by the king of Binsar
due to some false doubt, and he
was beheaded by the king and his body fell at Gairad at Dana Golu and his head
fell at Kaparkhan, near modern day Binsar, a few km from Almora. At Dana Golu,
there is the original and most ancient
temple of Golu Devta. The most popular story, however, about Gwalla
talks of a local king who, while hunting, sent his servants to look for water.
The servants disturbed a woman who was praying. The woman, in a fit of anger,
taunted the king that he could not separate two fighting bulls and proceeded to
do so herself. The king was very impressed by this deed and he married the
lady. When this queen got a son, the other queens, who were jealous of her,
placed a stone in its place and the child in a cage and put the cage into the
river. The child was brought up by a fisherman. When the boy grew up he took a
wooden horse to the river and on being questioned by the queens, he replied
that if women can give birth to stone, then wooden horses can drink water. When
the king heard about this, he punished the guilty queens and crowned the boy,
who went on to be known as Gwalla devata.
Golu Devta is seen in form of Lord Shiva, his brother Kalva Devta is in
form on Bhairava and Garh Devi is form of Shakti. Golu Devta is also prayed as
key deity (
Ista/Kula Devta) in many
villages of Chamoli. Normally a three
days puja or a 9 days puja ritual is
performed to worship Lord Golu Devta also known as Goreel Devta in Chamoli
District. Golu Devta is offered
Ghee, Milk,
Curd,
Halwa, Poori, Pakauri (in order
– Clarified butter, sweetmeat made out of wheat coarse flour, fried bread made
out of bread flour, fried snacks made with chick pea flour batter &
vegetables) and head of the sacrificed goat. Usually, two male goats are sacrificed
(
Bali
is performed), preferably of black colored ones. One is sacrificed inside the
temple complex of Golu devta and the other outside temple in a remote location.
The sacrificed goat is received as ‘
prasada’
of Puja. Golu devta is known as God of justice and prayed with great pride and
enthusiasm. Golu Devta is offered with White Cloths, white
pagari and white
shaal. Having visited the temple and performed the
Puja/ceremony, we were famished by then and immediately proceeded to have our
lunch at the nearby
dhaba/local
eatery joint.
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| Monsoon magic - all green valleys |
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| Panoramic view of Almora township - view from road to Ranikhet |
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| Sunrise over the distant Himalayan ranges - view from Ranikhet |
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| Sunrise view from Ranikhet |
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| As the clouds gather in the valleys below - view from Ranikhet |
Having have had our lunch, we immediately proceeded towards
Ranikhet as we wished to reach there at the earliest before nightfall. Although it was about 2-3 hours journey, but
because of bad road conditions at certain sections, we were delayed and the
intense fog & clouds added to our misery and it had already started raining
by the time we reached Ranikhet. As we
were quite tired, after partaking dinner early we retired early to bed. The next morning we got up to a bright new
day, the cloud cover had all but disappeared and a glorious view of the sunrise
over the Himalayan ranges enlivened our spirits. There was a nip in the air due to overnight
rains and we walked out to the adjacent market and had piping hot ginger tea
(local tea with pieces of ginger boiled with water). Since it was a pilgrimage tour, after having
bathed we all headed for Binsar Mahadev temple that is situated at a distance
of about 19 Kms. from Ranikhet. I am not
narrating the details of the place as I have already posted a detailed blog
about this place and whose link is as follows - http://ghummakar-biswas.blogspot.in/2013/03/ranikhet-meadow-of-queen-revisited.html.
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| Begonia bloom in Bhowali |
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| Another variety of Begonia bloom in Bhowali |
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| White Begonia bloom in Bhowali |
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| Close-up of Begonia bloom in Bhowali |
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| An ornamental plant after rains in Sattal |
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| Morning glory |
After
paying our obeisance at the famed Binsar Mahadev temple, we ambled back to
Saattal on my request, with the intent of photographing some birds in the
area. But as the luck would have it, as
soon as we reached Saatal around noon, the weather took a turn for the worse
and it started pouring cats & dogs literally. We could no do anything but to wait it out
and the weather remained down under the next day too and as I was using a prime
mirror lens with an minimum aperture of f/6.3, the low light conditions took
away any chances of my photographing any of the exotic birds, but I did try to
shoot some and the results are there to see, although not upto the mark. After this short but rejuvenating break, we
headed back to Delhi and the rains kept us company
all the way back upto Delhi.
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| Black Drongo on its perch - Sattal |
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| Asian barred Owlet - Sattal |
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| Orange Minivet - shot against the light - Sattal |
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| Orange Minivet - on the canopy camouflaged - Sattal |
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| White chinned laughing thrush - Sattal |
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| Grey headed Canary flycatcher - Sattal |
