Predicament of ...... Page 4 SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2017 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine Preaching Yog ...... Page3 THE BEAUTIFUL BOND Ayodhya Nath Kerni a mark of friendship and social harmony. There are many legendary accounts about Raksha The name 'Raksha Bandhan. Only some are being mentioned for Bandhan' means 'a the reference. The legend of King Bali and Goddess Laxmi bond of protection'. According to legend Demon King Bali was a On this auspicious day, great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu had taken up the task to guard his kingdom leaving brothers make a promise his own abode in Vaikunth. Goddess Laxmi wished to be with her Lord back in her abode. to their sisters to protect She went to Bali disguised as a Brahmin them from all harms and woman to seek refuge till her husband came back. troubles and the sisters During the Shravan Purnima celebrations, pray to God to protect Laxmiji tied the sacred thread to the King. Upon being asked she revealed who she was their brother from all evil. and why she was there. The king was touched Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the full by her goodwill for his family and her purpose moon day of Shravan lunar calander month. and requested the Lord to accompany her. He Sisters tie a colourful thread on the wrist of sacrificed all he had for the Lord and his devot- brothers. Similarly Purohits (Priests) in the ed wife. Duggar villages are seen going to their Yajman Yama and the Yamuna houses and tie rakhi. Raksha Bandhan is the It is said that the Raksha Bandhan was a rit- combination of two words Raksha means pro- ual followed by Lord Yama (the Lord of Death) tection and Bandhan means a knot. Thus, it and his sister Yamuna. Yamuna tied rakhi to could be defined a knot for protection. One Yama and bestowed immortality. Yama was so -Excelsior/Rakesh who ties the rakhi expects protection at the moved by the serenity of the occasion that he time of difficulty and distress from the person declared thar whoever gets a rakhi tied from Sultan of Gujrat Bahadur Shah launched a Hamayun received rakhi and call for help; he delayed his forces to reach Chittore so the life to whom it is tied and also prays for his his sister and promised her protection will massive attack on Chittore. The nobles refused left the campaign in between and turned his of Karnavati could not be saved. longevity and prosperity. After applying tilak become immortal. to fight under the leadership of Vikramajit. The army to reach Chittore. It took much time to These days there are various types of rakhis on the forehead of the brothers, sisters tie The historical account of raksha widow queen of Rana Sangha sent both her reach and by the time army reached Gwalior, available in the market in assorted colours. rakhi on the right wrist of the brother by chant- bandhan goes as follows- sons to Bundi and took over the charge of Karnavati along with other royal ladies com- The concept of rakhi is a sacred thread be it a ing following ritual. Rana Sangram Singh better called as Rana Mewar temporarily. Her name was Karnavati. mitted immolation on March 8, 1535 AD, The Mauli or any silky thread. So as to celebrate the "Yen baddho Bali raja daanvendro mahabala, Sangha was an undaunted warrior who defeat- She consolidated all the nobles to face Bahadur mass suicide was committed to protect from festival in its true spirit the sisters may like to Ten twaam annubadhnami raksha machal ed the kings of Delhi, Malwa and Gujrat. He Shah, who happened to be very ambitious man. the indignity of falling in the hands of Bahadur tie Mauli thread on the wrist of brothers by machal" was quite capable of establishing his fame as a His intentions were to capture Mewar and then Shah. Hamayun pushed back Bahadur Shah chanting the ritual mentioned above. If you This means "I tie thee the rakhi which was mighty king. He had two sons Vikramajit and Delhi. Realising the fact that she alone was not and captured Gujarat also. The lost kingdom of intend to spend more, the quality and quantity tied to King Bali, the king of demons, by god- Ude Singh; After his death Vikramjit was not capable of facing Bahadur Shah , Karnavati Mewar was restored and handed over to of sweets, fruits etc be increased according to dess Laxmi. O Rakhi, I pray that you never fal- capable of handling Mewar with its kingdom at sent a rakhi to Hamayun calling him brother Vikramajit. It is the best example of a sacred your will. It is better to remain away from pur- ter in protecting your devotee". Chittor. The Sultan of Gujrat found an oppor- and seek his help to face Bahadur Shah. thread of raksha bandhan which compelled chasing the non indegenous products which The rakhis are not tied only by real sisters tunity to attack Mewar for the second time as Hamayun was already engaged with mili- Hamayun to change all his warfare plan. Some are no way sacred or desirable in view of and brothers but also between other people as earlier he had faced defeat from Rana Sangha. tary campaign in Bengal. As and when people hold the other idea that Hamayun national interest. PADDAR LAND OF SAPPHIRE Manoj Dogra Nestled in the foot hills of Great Himalayas and known for its world famous sapphire, that made Dogra Warrior General Zorawar Singh to conquer Ladakh, Paddar is one among the many places in The Baltistan successfully and extend the borders of Dogra rule upto Tibetean the state yearning for official attention. Paddar Sapphire region. Zorawar Singh had paid obeisance at the Shrine of Chandi Mata in is considered to be the Machial Village during one of his missions to Ladakh. Bordering with Himahcal (Pangi) on the eastern side, Zanaskar (Ladakh) Barely couple of miles away from Machial Mata Shrine there is an old on the north and Dachan-Marwah (Doda) in the west, Paddar is a remote, sce- best in the entire world for its Gompa in village Haluti. Young lamas from monasteries of Spiti, Pin Valley, nic valley in the district Kishtwar comprising valleys like Machail, Ghandari, unmatched qualities of Kinnaur, Manali in Himachal Pradesh can been seen meditating in this Kabban, Ongai, Bhuzunu, Barnaj, Bhuzas, Kijai Nallah and Dharlang etc. Monastery which is said to be 1000 years old build by Lama Serpo. This Besides being famous for its sapphire mines, which lie in the greater durability, variety and monastery is associated with some of the monasteries based in Himachal and Himalayas, along the Chenab River basin, the beauty of Paddar is unmatched beauty. Suncham, the highest Ladakh and monks' oftenly visit this monastery as part of their annual and unparallel. preaching program. During the annual Machail Yatra some devotees also visit Historically the area too has its own significance as legendary Dogra war- inhabited village is in Paddar this monastery to quench their curiosity. rior General Zorawar Singh (1786-1841) used the mountainous track of and from here one can see Trekking over the main Himalayan range is always a challenging task and Paddar to conquer Ladakh, Baltistan and Tibet. And under the Dogra dynasty Paddar is a perfect place for adventure lovers. At the onset of militancy in the extended the borders of Jammu and Kashmir beyond Himalayas. the famous blue Chenab valley region the trekking activities in the region (which was famous After Ladakh, it is the mountain peaks in the region/Paddar which is sapphire mine. among foreign trekkers and hikers) came to a halt but now the return of peace emerging as the favorite place for the adventure lovers especially the foreign- in the region has started yielding results with trekkers from European countries ers as the number of trekkers of other countries has soared considerably over again flocking there from last few years. the past few years. Tun is the remotest village of Paddar in Gandhari Nala which separates The annual Machial Yatra is also being performed by passing through one of Paddar from Himachal Pradesh, whereas Suncham, the highest inhabited vil- the tough terrains of Paddar as devotees throng to the shrine of Goddess Chandi lage is situated at an elevation of 3385 metres from sea level. Suncham links in the Machail village during the month of August. With a mixture of Hindu and Paddar with Padum in Zanskar after crossing Umasi La or Bardhar Pass at a Buddhist populace a number of monasteries/Gompas can been seen in Paddar. height of 5340 meters above sea level. His holiness Dalai Lama had last visited one of such monasteries in Gulabgarh The Kishtwar Himalayan range is of sharp rocks and ice peaks. Brammah in June 2010. is a mountain range in the Kishtwar Himalayas , east of the town of Kishtwar It is not hot in Paddar during summers though winters are a bit chilly as it and near the border with Himachal Pradesh. It comprises four peaks, receives heavy snowfall. Gulabgarh is the significant village of Paddar. 60 kms Brammah-1, Flat Top, Brammah-II and Arjuna. Height of all these peaks is from the district headquarter Kishtwar, it is the hub of all the activities that over 20,000 feet from the sea level and these have been ascended in the happen in the area. All the transport services run from here, be it to the decades of 70-80. As per available records, British mountaineer Chris Kishtwar town or towards Pangi in Himachal Pradesh. Bonington, along with Nick Estcourt, aided by the Indian Institute of Skiing Mata (Traditional Yatra) is a Goddess Durga shrine popularly known as and Mountaineering, made the first ascent of Brammah I in 1973 via the Machail Mata and is located in the village Machail in Paddar. Goddess Durga Southeast Ridge. The second ascent of Brammah I in 1978 was also made by is also known by the name Kaali or Chandi. Thousands of people visit the a British group. shrine every year and the pilgrimage happens in the month of August every The Paddar Sapphire is considered to be the best in the entire world for its year. The shrine was visited in 1981 by Thakur Kulveer Singh of Bhaderwah. unmatched qualities of durability, variety and beauty. Suncham, the highest From early nineties, Thakur Kulveer Singh started 'Chari Yatra'that happens inhabited village is in Paddar and from here one can see the famous blue sap- Machail Mata Temple every year and thousands of people visit the shrine every year during 'Chari phire mine. Government has stationed a police party in the village to check Yatra'. There is a substantial increase in the number of yatris visiting Machail to the shrine of Machail Mata standing tall is Shiv Pahar (mountain) which the smuggling of Sapphire. However villagers are of the opinion that there is Mata as the Yatra has become quite popular not only in the Jammu division remains covered by the clouds and snow throughout the year. Sometimes no more sapphire left in the mountains/mines as Britishers have taken away but also other neighboring states as number of yatries performing pilgrimage devotees are lucky enough to have glimpses of a Shiv Lingam on the top of the lions share during their rule and whatever is being extracted today is mere during the August last year crossed the mark of 1.5 lakhs. peak given the fair weather. remnant. However, facts have something else to say as government has From Gulabgarh, the foot journey starts, that is 32 kms. Though the work The Chari takes three days to reach Machail. Sarv Shakti Seva Sanstha (an reined in private companies for the extraction of the gemstones and has also on motorable road is in progress but being on a snail's pace one can drive only organization affiliated with the annual Yatra) with the assistance of State conducted the auctions in the recent years. Though, some claim that only a upto Massu village, which is around 5 kms from Gulabgarh. Throughout the Government also arranges basic amenities for the pilgrims. Many people portion of sapphire is going in the government's kitty. entire yatra track right from Gulabgarh, the Bhot Nullah (a tributary of river organize roadside 'langars' on the way to the Shrine. Other means of reaching Since labour, extraction and agriculture is the main source of earnings of Chenab in Gulabgarh) accompanies the devotees all along the track till the vil- the local population of Paddar, annual Machail yatra has slowly and steadily the shrine of Goddess Chandi is by helicopter being operated from lage Machail. Glaciers can also been seen occasionally during the yatra. generated remarkable employment opportunities but it remains confined to a Usually people take one and a half days to reach the shrine on foot with Gulabgarh/Kishtwar. This year chopper service is also commencing from particular period only. Some serious steps on the part of government in cre- night halt at Hamori or Kundail villages while those enjoy walking can reach Jammu. However by going through chopper, one will miss the scenic beauty ating basic infrastructure linked to its religious and adventure tourism poten- the shrine in a day while starting journey early during the dawn. There are lots of the nature, the meadows, the streams and the splendid landscapes. There tial will surely change the fortunes of the people of this scenic remote area of supernatural happenings that the pilgrims experience and report. Opposite is strong belief among the devotees that it was the blessing of Goddess Chandi called Paddar, the land of sapphire.