If there is one deity with which Uttarakhand is most strongly identified with, it is no other than lord Shiva. And in the monsoon (Saawan) season, this becomes especially evident. Thousands of Shiva devotees can be seen in the hill region, offering worship at the several Shiva shrines spread out in the hill State.
Raising cries of Bam Bam Bholey while performing the ‘pooja’ which is done specially during ‘Shravan’ (Saawan), crowds of devotees, including a large number of Kanwadias, begin moving towards the Neelkanth Mahadev shrine which is a scenic trek from the Swaragshram area across the Ram Jhoola at Rishikesh. Buses are also easily available from Rishikesh to go upto this ancient shrine.
Shiva devotees can be seen in large numbers in the Doon valley while on their way to Rishikesh, Haridwar and Neelkanth. The Neelkanth Mahadev yatra begins in the month of “Saawan” and culminates on the Shrawan Shivratri. Neeknath is around 20 kilometres from Rishikesh and is located at a height of 1,675 metres.
More than 30 lakh Shiva devotees visit the shrine every year. The Neelkanth yatra is an extension of the Kanwad yatra and melas which begin with the arrival of Saawan too. Amid the rains, the yatra carries on with the infectious fervour of the devotees making it an extremely colourful and exciting event in the cultural calendar of the hill State. By mid-August, the area begins wearing quite a deserted look as the Shiva devotees move back to their homes.
Neelkanth yatris participate in the mela organised every year at Hardwar. Till mid-August, ‘kanwadias’ will move around in several parts of the hill State, collecting ‘Gangajal’ and performing poojas at various Shiva shrines in the region. The little village of Garhi in the Doon valley is home to Tapkeshwar Mahadev shrine.
The forests around the cave shrine have thinned over the years but the fascinating story of this age-old shrine remains unfaded through folklore and legends. The banks of the Tons river, which flows besides Tapkeshwar, were the site where Dronacharya, the warrior sage of Mahabharata, used to meditate. legend has it that it was the result of his intense “tapa” (meditation) that the “Shivling” appeared in the cave. The cave is also called “Drona Gufa” after the great Guru who came here more than 5,000 years ago in search of peace.
The story associated with the Shivling is that when Aswaththama, Dronacharya’s son, was young and insisted on drinking milk, the sage, poor as he was, told him to ask lord Shiva to give him milk. When the child did so, Shiva was greatly moved and made streams of milk flow into the cave. Drops of milk came in constant flow from the rock on top of the Shivling. One day, after a priest drank this milk, it turned to water. Several ivory idols of Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Nandi adorn the dimly lit cave to which oil lamps and incense lend an aura of mystery. Snakes can be seen commonly in the cave.
The Uttarakhand Himalayas are filled with the power and passion of lord Shiva. The most famous is, of course, Kedarnath Temple. There are four other temples and along with Kedarnath, they are called “Panch Kedars”. Shiva is known for his love of lonely peaks and true worshippers of this deity are always prepared to face many challenges that he places in their way.
These five temples (Panch Kedars) are sprawled all over the vast Kedar valley at altitudes ranging from 1500 metres to 3,680 metres. Out of these, Tungnath is the highest at 3,810 metres, Kedarnath is 3,584 metres, Madmaheshwar is at 3,289 metres, Rudranath is 2,286 metres and Kalpeshwar at 2,134 metres.
Also, the challenging and exciting Kailash Mansarovar yatra that passes through Uttarakhand and the pilgrimage to Chhota Kailash are two extremely special and unique spiritual/religious events in the hill state’s calendar annual of events. The Kailash Mansarovar yatra takes place from June to September while the pilgrimage to Chotta Kailash or ‘Adi Kailash’ is undertaken between July and September .
So, at the moment, both the pilgrimages are underway and in fact, at their peak. Eight hundred and sixty five kilometers from Delhi, Kailash-Mansarovar, according to the Puranas, is identified as the centre of the universe. Mount Kailash (6690 metres) is believed to be the abode of lord Shiva and Parvati while the vast lake (Mansarovar) near it is believed to have been created by Brahma. Uttarakhand can, no doubt, be called lord Shiva’s Own Country. Specially in Saawan.