In a cave, up the hill

The serene setting beckons devotees to the Vaishno Devi temple in Kullu valley

As we go rafting on the waters of River Beas in Kullu-Manali, drinking in the beauty of the hills, valleys and gushing waters, our guide and driver, Amarjit Singh, tells us that our next stop will be the Vaishno Devi Temple in Kullu. A Vaishno Devi mandir at a hill station, which is more a haven from the sweltering heat of summer. We are curious.

As we enter the mandir, its modest façade does not reveal the aesthetics, religiosity or serenity of the ambience inside. The sanctum sanctorum in the recess of a long cave is the first stop. Devotees have to crawl inside the cave for darshan. But the rest of it is a walk up the stairs from one floor to another till we are at the level of the ornate kalasam on a conical gopura. A sense of calm pervades the atmosphere. It isn’t too challenging a climb, even for the elderly.

Enchanting niches

Kullu’s Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is anything but small. Rising tier upon tier, it has enchanting niches for Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Kali, Gayathri Devi, Vishnu, the Sivalinga, Parasuram, Narasimha, Vamana, Navagrahas and other deities. The shrine of the Ashta Dathu (an alloy of eight metals) idol of Goddess Lakshmi is beautiful. The Shani bhagwan shrine is again a long cave dug out from within the mountain. Inside rows of bottles of gingelly oil are sold. Devotees buy them and anoint the Lord. We are told not to place any money on the puja plate.

A separate flight of stairs lead us out and as we come down, an outlet selling religious memorabilia, and a book shop of religious texts and books for children at the next level greet us. Cameras are not allowed. We are given free copies of a book that tells us how Mata Vaishno Devi Temple came into existence.

None knew his name or the place he hailed from when he landed in Kullu in the 1960s. He lived under a Peepal tree. As he was knowledgeable, people came to listen to him. He came to be known as Sewak Dass. The following year he moved to a cave, which is now known as Maha Devi Tirth. The place abounded in natural caves then. Sewak Dass had a vision, and believed that Mata Vaishno Devi ordained him to build a temple in the cave. Thus a modest place of worship for Maha Maya was created.

On the floor below is a large langar, where food is served free to devotees on neatly laid out rows of short tables. A person at the door genially invites everyone going down the stairs to partake of the meal. A little shy and perplexed, though we are hungry, we walk past. We get to know that Sewak Dass began the practice of ‘Bhandara’ (offering of free food) in June 1969. Amarjit drives us to a restaurant nearby, but they tell us that lunch time is over!

“We ignored the meal that was offered to us at the Maha Devi Tirth, and we end up being famished,” says a young girl in our group. We may have shunned the hospitality unwittingly, but there’s always a next time …