JYOTIRLINGA TOUR OF AN OLD COUPLE (7)

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JYOTIRLINGA TOUR OF AN OLD COUPLE (7)

16th July, 2009, Thursday.

After completing Pushkar Yatra and seeing all the important places in and around Ajmer, we started at 6-15 a.m. to proceed to Jaisalmer. On the way we proposed to visit the famous Karni Matha temple near Deshnok, which is at a distance of 235 km from Ajmer. We reached this temple by 10-45 a.m. via Morta City and Nagaur City. Karni Matha is very popular in this part of the country. Many a shops, hotels and business institutions bear the name of Karni Matha. This temple is also famous for the residence of a large number of rats in the sanctum sanctorium of the temple and also in the compound. Karni Mata is known as the Goddess of Food Giving and hence the devotees provide food (jowar and wheat and also sweets) to the rats in the temple.

HISTORY OF KARNI MATA TEMPLE IN DESHNOK NEAR BIKANER

The legend goes that Karni Mata, a mystic matriarch(the female head of a Tribe) from the 14th century, was an incarnation of Durga, the Goddess of Power and Victory. At some point of time during her life, the child of one of her clansmen died. She attempted, with her mystic powers, to bring the child back to life but Yama, the Lord of Death, told her that the soul of the child had already taken rebirth and hence it is not possible to bring the child back to life. Then Karni Mata entered into a deal with Lord Yama that henceforth all of her tribes’ people would be reborn as rats until they could be born back into her clan. From thence onwards the rats are considered holy because they are believed to be reincarnations of story tellers of the Karni Mata clan who wait in the temple as another life form between successive reincarnations as humans. The tourists consider it as a lucky sign if any of the rat touches his body. There are also said to be four or five white rats in the temple which were considered to be especially holy and are believed to be the manifestations of Karni Mata herself and her kin. Of course, I have not come across any such white rats in the temple during my visit. Inspite of standing still for two three minutes, no rat touched my body to make me lucky.

Commonly rats are killed for inhabiting the same space as humans and destroy the food of the human beings and spread diseases. But in this temple, the rats are treated with sincere devotion and if someone accidentally steps on a rat and kills it, they are expected to buy a gold or silver rat and place it in the temple as atonement. So, the tourists should be very careful while visiting this temple. I have also not come across any golden or silver rats donated by the tourists in this temple. Another peculiar feature I noticed is that all the rats in the temple are very lazy and sick. They were not at all active. Perhaps, it is because that they have plenty of food around and need not exercise for the same. Because of over eating they became sick and also very lazy. They seem to have forgotten their natural way of earning/obtaining food and in the process became lazy, weak and sick. The temple draws a large number of Hindu pilgrims from across the country hoping for blessings of Karni Mata. It is also stated that during the century of this temple’s existence, there has never been any outbreak of plague or other ratborne disease among the humans who have visited this temple, which may be a miracle in itself. The entrance gate to the temple is lavishly decorated with beautifully sculptured marble panelling full of intricate designs and delicately worked devata murtis.

BIKANER -- Bikaner is at a distance of 30 km from Deshnok. The city is situated at the northern most part of the Thar Desert with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. The City is famous for its Bhujia and Sweets. The city is also famous for its intricately carved Jharokas, the red sandstone jalis (screens) on the windows of the Fort, temples and havelis. These Jalis would be used for ventilation and for women to watch the world while remaining hidden. These jalis are said to be made in a nearby village Dulmera.



Laxmi Nath Temple in BIKANER

As our main intention of the tour is to visit Punya Kshetras and as we have no energy left to walk and witness the ruins of the old Forts and Royal Palaces, we decided not to stay in Bikaner and passed through the City witnessing the Fort, Palaces, etc., from the Car. It is the starting point of great desert Thar. Passing through the city of Pokran, the place of atomic test by India, we reached Jaisalmer by 6 p.m. The road from Ajmer to Jailsalmer is excellent and the traffic also is very less. I have covered a distance of 587 km in twelve hours in between stopping for breakfast, lunch and visiting Karni Mata temple. From Ajmer itself I have booked a room in the Lodge Golden Palace in Jaisalmer. After taking bath and relaxing for an hour, I went to reception to enquire about the places to be visited the next day.

My main aim is to visit the sand dunes of Thar Desert. The travel guide at the reception told me that the Hotel will make arrangements for sight seeing in Jaisalmer City and taking to Sand dunes which are at a distance of about 50 km and showing all important places on the way. The charges are said to be Rs.3000 per couple and they take 6 persons in a Scorpio Van. The travel guide informed me that one has to obtain permission from Forest Department for visiting Sand Dunes (which appears to be not necessary and is only a ruse for charging more from tourists). I had been warned that unlike in Uttarakhand, the Camel owners, etc., will not hesitate to cheat tourists for obtaining more money. So, I decided to visit these places through authorised Guides to avoid any trouble. It is also stated that they will make arrangements for overnight stay in the Desert, in a tent, providing dinner, arranging dances by folklore tribals of desert, and breakfast the next day (provided there are sufficient number of tourists on a particular day). They will also make arrangements for camel ride in the desert. The charges are said to be around Rs.4000 per person. The tourism in Jaisalmer is mainly meant for foreigners and arrangements are also made keeping the foreign tourists in mind. I have negotiated for Rs.2,500 for showing us the important places in the City and to take us to Sand Dunes near Sam Village, as we have no intention of riding camels and staying overnight in the Thar Desert.

HISTORY OF JAISALMER

The Golden City Jaisalmer was built in 12th Century by King Rao Jaisal. The Meru (Fort) was built with yellow sand stones, on a hill known as Trikuta Hill. It shines in golden hue during day time. The small City was developed around this Fort. The Kings used to provide protection, by levying taxes, to merchant caravans laden with precious silks and spices that crossed the territory enroute Delhi or Sind. The rich Marwari merchants built Havelis near the Fort and the places of interest in Jaisalmer City is the Fort and the intricately carved and chisteled Havelis(mansions) which illustrate superb craftsmanship. For young and energetic tourists the most satisfying experience with the time to spare would be camel safari and a three or four day trip which takes them into the real hostile desert, sand dunes and through villages, both ruined and inhabited.

The view of Jaisalmer Fort which I witnessed from a distance before entering the City is stunning, shining in golden colour in the evening rays of the sun. The legend goes that Lord Krishna professed that a scion of his Yadav clan would build a kingdom around Trikuta Hill. There was water on the Hill, a miracle performed by Lord Krishna to quench the thirst of Arjuna. The Hilltop offered the safest fort location, dominating and surveying the desert for miles. The development of Sea-Ports, Air traffic, National Highways, railway tracks, etc., contributed to the decline of desert based camel trade routes.


17th July, 2009 - Friday.

We are ready by 9 am waiting for the Jeep to take us on a city tour in the morning session. The Scorpio Jeep arrived at 10 a.m and the Driver stated that other tourists are not taking part in the city tour and he will take us and show the Havelis and the Fort. First we went to the Havelis - three of the Havelis are situated at one place. We have witnessed the mansions from outside and we have no intention of going around the Havelis by walk and climbing the various floors of the Havelis. From there we proceeded to the Fort. The route to the Fort is narrow and it is stated that Jeeps are not permitted and one has to go by walk or in an Auto to go around the Fort. We engaged an Auto and went into the Fort and witnessed the same from the Auto itself. Later we went to witness a Lake known as Gadsisar Lake where boat riding would be there when the tank is full of water. This beautiful lake at the heart of the City was built by Rulers to ensure the townsfolk never ran out of water. The serene atmosphere of the lake, with temples and a museum nearby, make it a popular tourist spot. As on that day there is no water and only we had seen the park developed around the tank. From there we went to the Lodge and the Driver stated that we will go to Sand Dunes in the evening and requested us to be ready by 4 pm.

At 4 p.m we started from the Lodge in the Scorpio Van. There were three more tourists - two foreigners (one lady from Paris and another gentleman from South Africa) and one Lady, said to be a Teacher from Assam. We have packed two three biscuit packets and a bottle of water. The driver-cum-guide shown us two three jain temples on the way and also took us to the houses of Tribals. On the way he had taken us to a village said to have been abandoned two/three centuries ago. The story goes like this: The King of the day wanted to marry a beautiful girl of this village, Kaldhari Village, and the Village Head wanted a week’s time to give his decision. Taking it as an insult, and unable to fight the King, the villagers abandoned the village and left to unknown places. Similar to the story of Vasavi Kanyaka of Penugonda in West Godavari District. Since then the village remained uninhabitated. From this village, we proceeded to Mogul Sand Dunes near Sam Village. There a camel arranged by the Hotel is ready for ride to tourists. The Lady from Assam had a camel ride and we enjoyed the scenery witnessing the Sand Dunes. It is a wonder that Jilledu Trees, with green leaves, grow abundantly in the Desert. In hot summer travellers sit under these Jilledu Trees, which are three or four times larger than those we see in our area, and take rest. In a matter of 15 minutes, there was sudden change of atmosphere and we witnessed a sudden sand and dust storm for five minutes followed by a sudden burst of clouds for ten minutes. I walked for a short distance in the Desert and the foreigners walked for some distance and the Lady from Assam enjoyed the camel ride. From there the Driver took us to Sand Dunes near Sam village where there were a number of tourists and camels ready for a ride. There were also tents for overnight stay at this village. By 8-30 p.m. we returned to the Lodge and took rest for the day. With this our tour to Jaisalmer is over.

OM TAT SAT OM TAT SAT OM TAT SAT


RAGHAVARAO U.V.G.V. DUGGIRALA,

HYDERABAD, Dt.10th SEPTEMBER, 2009.

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