The travels of Bengalis in the past
Sumana Dam
(Continued from the last part)
From Hoshiarpur, crossing the Bhanga (or Vangi) River, they reach the start of the mountains. Gradually, passing through Bota, Ambag (Amb), Rajpura, and Champa in the present-day Himachal Pradesh, they arrive at Jwalamukhi. The road here climbs gradually, with shops on either side and pandits' residences around the temple. This is where the tongue of Bhagwati fell, also known as Jalandhar (But this is not Jalandhar. Why did he wrote so?) Pith. The temple is surrounded by mountains, with a golden kalash (urn) and a golden umbrella established by Raja Ranjit Singh, and two golden tigers in front. Inside the temple there is a sacred flame. The goddess is seated on a silver throne. Offerings brought here are said to be consumed by flame. To the north of this temple is the seat of Gorakhnath, a yogi who, through meditation, had a vision of the Mahadevi. Near this seat are two lights, and in the nearby well, one can observe the play of fire.
To the north, in the mountains, is Bilvakeshwar Shiva, with two lights also burning near him. Further up is the temple of Unmatteshwar. The parikrama (circumambulation) of Jwalaji Pith is 48 krosh. It takes nearly three months to visit many sacred places like Kaleshwar, Chaturbhuja Narayan, Kashyapanath Shiva, Trailokyanath Shiva, Ambika Devi, Sheetala Mata, Kal Bhairav, and others.
The pandits of Jwalamukhi live on the mountains. Their daughters are very beautiful. Girls aged one to twenty come to the temple of Mahadevi and ask for money from the pilgrims. They are without any aberration and are content with a little. They freely roam everywhere and are satisfied with small amounts. If given food, they eat it without hesitation. After finishing the darshan, worship, and Brahmin girls' meal, the author proceeded to the next destination.
Now, Yadunath Sarvadhikari's goal was to visit Manikaran and Rewadeswar. From Jwalamukhi, crossing the Beas River at Nadwon's ghat, he arrived at the town of Nadwon, the capital of King Umed Chand of Kangra. From there, passing through Fatehpur, Lambadu, Gopalpur, and climbing four krosh, he reached the Pushkarini and Shiva temple of Raja Talau. After another difficult climb of four krosh, he arrived at Rewadeswar Kund. This place, known today as Rewalsar in Himachal Pradesh, is a significant Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh pilgrimage site. On the way down, the pandits lead the pilgrims. At the base of the mountains is the Kund, with a Shiva temple of the Mandir Raja. There is Narmadeshwar Shiva there, and in front, a black stone Nandi statue.
The Kund's water is very deep, measuring two krosh in length and breadth. The Kund has seven floating stones, known as Beras, each with soil and vegetation forming small floating islands. These Beras are named after Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Hanuman, Durga, Ganesh, and Dharmadhari (the sage Lomash). Six Beras float throughout the year, while Durga’s Bera floats only during the months of Shravan and Bhadra. When the author with his companions approached Kunj, Vishnu's Bera came to them floating. After performing darshan and worship, he felt the journey was worthwhile. Despite much contemplation and examination, he could not find an explanation for how these Beras float on the water.
Many people from Vot desh (Tibet) and Mahachin desh (China) visit this shrine. They are very wealthy and highly revere Brahma’s Bera, making donations and inscribing their names on stones. The author mentioned the Tibetan and Chinese pilgrims, noting the legend that the Buddhist guru Padmasambhava alias guru Rimpochi flew from Tibet to Rewalsar and performed penance here for a long time.
The next day, after crossing mountainous terrain, the author reached Mandi, the capital of Raja Banveer Sen, on the banks of the Beas River. Raja Banveer Sen had died, and his ten-year-old son Vijay Sen was then the king. In the city, there is the very ancient Bhuteshwar Shiva temple and the Shyama Kali temple on the hill. In Mandi, a Dev Mela (festival) is held where all the gods and goddesses of the kingdom gather. People come from all over with gold and silver decorations, and the deities are adorned and danced around. The king, ministers, and military commanders, all dressed in gold and silver, ride elephants, horses, and camels, carrying flags, trumpets, and other decorations, to the Bhuteshwar temple. The whole day is spent in grand dance performances. The king of Mandi is wealthy due to his gold and salt mines.
From Mandi, after crossing the Beas River by boat and navigating through treacherous terrain, then crossing the Gauri River and traveling through Kumad, Baudi, and other places, the journey continued. In Baudi, there is a type of fly that, when bitten, causes bleeding and swelling at the wound site, which is hard to heal. The author endured much hardship and spent the night there. Continuing on the extremely difficult and rugged path, they arrived at Bejor (Bajauri), the capital of Kullu, where the king's dilapidated fort stands. From here, eight krosh east is a Shiva temple established by the Pandavas, along with temples of Mahishmardini, Chaturbhuja Narayan, and Ganesh.
Next, they crossed the Beas River using a large leather bag-like device filled with air and arrived at the confluence of the Parvati River and the Beas River. After crossing the difficult path, they reached Bamunkothi (possibly Bhuntar), where mountain people, dressed in blankets, eat fish and meat. In the midst of rain and snowfall, the travelers took shelter in a house. The next day, after crossing the river again and navigating rugged terrain, they arrived at Jari village and eventually reached the Manikaran pilgrimage site.
( To be continued )
In this episode, the period of the diary is from 21st Falgun 1262 (5th March 1856) to 5th Chaitra 1262 (19th March 1856).
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