Advertisement
Published: March 1st 2015
Edit Blog Post
The pitter-patter of bare feet shuffle along its timeworn cobblestones honoring a time old tradition. The muffled whispers of devotees echoes through its dimly lit alleys and passageways. A freezing December fog filters through streets casting giant dancing mythical shadows on its antique walls. Sleepy red-eyed vendors lethargically fill the air with aromatic teas and cookeries. The quiet market square is hypnotically transformed into a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds and aromas. This is Nathdwara; the home of
Shrinathji. Nathdwara sits on the Avaralli Hills about 30 miles northeast from Udaipur on Highway 8. The small desert town is a popular pilgrimage destination to many Krishna devotees who believe that by doing puja (worship) at a
Shrinathji ki Haveli (House of Shrinathji) fulfills all their spiritual or material desires.
The tale of
Shrinathji is a story of persecution, escape,
and mystery; all the elements of a good adventure story. In 1665 a Mughal warrior emperor -Aurangzeb was hellbent on destroying the Hindu religion and culture. As his mighty army held siege to a town called Govardhana (the original home of Shrinathji), a small band of devotees loyal to the
Shrinathji packed the holy idol onto a bullock cart and escaped in the dead of night. For 32 months the band of warriors and priest wandered the arid lands of Rajasthan in search for a new haven for the idol. Then one auspicious day their journey came to an abrupt end. When the party reached the Kingdom of Mewar, their bullock cart carrying the murti was halted waist deep in mud. Failing to move the cart out of the clutches of earth and clay, they saw it as an auspicious sign and built a temple at the very site where it had stopped.
The
Shrinathji murti (idol) is considered to be a 14th-century 7 year old infant incarnation of <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border:
0px; font-weight: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Lord Krishna who was known for his kindness, playfulness, and fulfills impossible dreams. According to Hindu texts
Shrinathji began to appear in 1409 in the hills of Govardhana; when one of cows belonging to Shri Krishna faithfully climbed the top of a rocky outcrop and drop her milk every afternoon. It is said that a raised arm appeared in the exact location where the cow had emptied her milk. By 1479 at this same location the face of
Shrinathji appeared. Based on many old Hindu text, this murti was one of the incarnation of Shri Krishna who is said to have fulfilled all the dreams and desires of his followers.
Around the temple haveli a lively bazaar sprouted around its outer walls catering for the needs of incoming pilgrims from around the world.
The eclectic food stalls, religious souvenir shops, shifty-eyed antique dealers, and pushy jewelry merchants line each side of the streets intermingled with thousands of faithful pilgrims create a medieval imagery cast in time.
Spiced
chai (tea) walas (vendors) serve piping hot mint spiced tea onto disposable clay cups, decadent crispy deep fried fafdas generously sprinkled with chat masala served along with the complementary fried hot pepper pakoras and a radish salad are the best breakfast orders. Friendly bovines proudly strut along main street as the faithful feed them with fresh greens. This town… this desert town captures a world that I thought only existed in lore, but here in this town… in this desert town history and legend comes alive.
For more information visit my site at: www.armandpoblete.com
Advertisement
Tot: 0.125s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 13; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0677s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb