A Journey of Faith

BAHUBALI -TThe beginning...... Page 4 SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2015 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine Don’t Worry! Be Happy!!...... Page 3 A JOURNEY OF FAITH Inder Jeet S ‘Prince’ The holy cave of “Baba Amar Nath Ji’’ (Lord Shiva) lov- ingly called as “Baba Barfani’’ is situated about 140 Kms from Srinagar and is at a height of about 13000 Ft. above the sea -level. An age old story about the discovery of this holy cave goes like this that one local shepherd was search- ing for his lost flocks in the hilly mountains unexpectedly he found himself in front of this un-melting “Ice-lingam” of white camphor with the vault itself dripping offerings of water over it for centuries unseen by mortal eyes. He came home and whispered to other shepherds in the Valley how he suddenly come upon ‘Mahadeva’’ ! Another story goes like this that a local shepherd named Buta Malik hap- pened to meet a “Sadhu’’ during the course of tending his sheep. That Sadhu gave him a “Kangri’ full of burning coals. (Kangri is an earthen vessel for plac- ing burning coals in it’ to keep oneself warm). That shepherd on reaching home found’’ Kangri was full of gold instead of burning coals. He turned back to thank ‘Sadhu’’ but could not find him. Instead he found the holy cave of Baba Amar- nath Ji since then 1/3rd of the donations collected at the holy cave used to be given to the family of Buta Malik. According to some authors, the holy shrine of Baba Amarnath Ji had been lost for thousands of years and for other writers, for hundred years, till it was rediscovered by Maliks of Batkul. However, there is no dearth of writers who believe that Amarnath Ji cave may not have been lost for thousands or hundreds of years. The pilgrimage must’ve been disturbed due to political upheavals or natural calamities or per- secution of the Hindus during the Mughal invasion at the most for a decade or so. According to book “The Valley of Kashmir’’ written by Lawrence, the pilgrims proceeding to Amarnath Ji cave used to be joined by Brahamins of Mattan area and further up from Batkul, Maliks used to take charge of the pilgrimage. Maliks of Batkul were supposed to keep the track in good order, carry sick ones and ensure that nothing was stolen during the pilgrimage belonging to pilgrims. They used to receive 1/3rd of the offerings at Amar Nath Ji cave. It can easily be under- stood that the share of offerings was for the services rendered by Maliks. There is no mention anywhere in the book or in the history that share of offerings was Pilgrims on way to holy shrine of Amarnath in lieu of having re-discovered the shrine. After having night rest at ‘Sheshnaag’, pilgrims proceed towards Mahagu- Shiva removed moon off his forehead and squeezed it. ‘Amritjal’ came out ROUTES nas mountains which is about 14500 ft above sea level. Lack of oxygen is felt on squeezing ‘Chanderkala’ and started flowing as ‘Amravati’. by pilgrims in this area who are to take proper care of themselves and should A bath in this ‘Jal’ made the Gods immortal today, pilgrims take a dip in To have ‘darshan’ of ‘Baba Barfani’ one has to reach Pahalgam, situated on approach health officers or security personnels deployed en-route in case ‘Amravati’stream before entering the holy cave to have ‘darshan’of Ice lingam the Bank of Lidder-stream. Pahalgam is about 96 Kms from Srinagar, the sum- of any difficulty. This area is full of water falls and streams. inside the holy cave. mer capital of J&K State. It is said that Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati left their ‘Nan- It is said that old name of Mahaguna was Mahaganesh because Lord Shi- THE HOLY CAVE di’ (“Bail’’) here while on they way to some lonely place (holy cave). The place va had left his son “Ganesh ji’ here. The holy cave is situated at about 12730 ft above the sea level and is 60 used to be called “Bailgaam’’ and with the passage of time it came to be known After crossing this region, one finds slopes and greenary. as Pahalgam. One has to proceed towards Panchtarni after passing through a silent zone ft long, 15 ft high and 25 ft wide with its entrance wide open. Water drops After Pahalgam, up to about 16 Kms the way to Shri Amar Nath Ji cave goes because of the looming danger of land slides. After passing through silent trickle here and there inside the holy cave. The ‘Syambhu’ (Self created) only along the bank of lidder stream which presents very attractive and pleasant sight. zone, the pilgrims reach an open valley and start chanting slogans like “Jai Ice lingha in the world greets devotees inside this holy cave which has been In between comes ‘Ramajnakhya’ forest. It is said that Lord Rama with his Bole Nath!’’ and “Jai Baba Barfani’’ visited and worshipped since early historic times. wife Mata Sita and brother Laxman came to this place. Shri Ram saw demons From silent zone one reaches Panchatarni. It is believed that Lord Shiva A legend pertaining to the formation of the Ice linga is that Lord Shiva’s moving here freely. let off five components like Prithvi, ‘Jal’, ‘Vayu’, ‘Agni’ and ‘Aakash’) at this consort, Maa Parvati was eager to learn about secrets of life and immortali- He was so upset that drops of perspiration appeared on his forehead. These place and took, the form of ‘Natraj’ and performed ‘Tanav-Nritya’ here. ty and prayed to her lord to reveal the same to her. While sporting over the drops of sweat fell in to the ponds of Ranjeevan making them pure and holy. Pil- While performing this dance, Lord Shiva’s coiled hair ‘Jatayen’ got scat- Himalayas Shiv Ji rested in this cave and revealed the secrets of immortali- grims bathe in these ponds to wash off their sins. tered and the holy ‘Ganga’ came out. The Ganga got divided into five parts ty to Maa Parvati and then transformed himself into an Ice Linga. A pair of ‘Chandanwadi’ is next stop, about 16 Kms from Pahalgam and is about 9500 and the place began to be called as “Panchtarni’’ which is situated at about snow pigeons were also resting in the holy cave. They overheard Lord Shi- ft above sea-level. From Chandanwadi one has to proceed towards Sheshnaag. 12000 ft above the sea level. From here the holy cave of Baba Amarnath Ji va’s discourse and also became immortal. One has to cross ‘Pissu-Top’ before reaching ‘Sheshnaag’. The way to Pissu is about six Km whereas the distance between Sheshnaag and Panchtarni ‘Sangam’ is the place where streams of ‘Amaravati’ and ‘Panchtarni’ meet Top is serpent like zig-zag and stoney. One has to climb high mountains with is about 13 Kms.. together. From here one path goes to Pahalgam via ‘Panchtarni’ ‘Sheeshnaag’ deep gorges on one side. Pissu Top is about 14000 ft above sea level. Pilgrims have to stay for night at “Panchtarni’’. In the morning, after hav- route. The other path goes to ‘Sonamarg’ in Kashmir via ‘Baltal’ route. The Bal- Next stop is Sheshnaag lake which is situated at about 11730 Ft above sea- ing bath in the holy streams of Panchtarni they proceed further. level, pilgrims stay here for night in hired tents. According to age old stories, tal route is shortest route but is difficult and insecure especially in rainy days as There begins the difficult ascent of ‘Bhairav Ghati’. The last about three the path becomes slippery. Lord Shiva appointed ‘Sheshnaag’ (a snake by name) here to prevent anybody Kms path is in the shape of a huge glaciar moving over the Amravati stream from going towards holy cave where Lord Shiva was going to narrate ‘Amarkatha’ Many social and religious organisations from different parts of India organ- that flows here. It is said that once all the Gods together prayed to Lord Shi- ise free ‘Langar’ (community kitchens) on the entire route of Baba Amarnath Ji. before Maa-Parvati. There are three peaks of mountains around the lake and va and asked him to liberate them from the fear of death. At this place Lord have been named as ‘Brahama’, ‘Vishnu’ and ‘Mahesh’. Their efforts are praise -worthy and must be hailed by one and all. Martand Tirath Autar Krishan Trisal Maas, Purushottam Maas, Malimmacha. This is the thirteenth month of the Lunar calendar. Just as there is the lunar year with The ancient and glorious temple of Sun God popularly known the extra month (Adhik Maas), so is there a lunar year with a as Martand Tirath is situated at pilgrim village Mattan on diminished or reduced month, with only eleven months in the Pahlagam road at a distance of 6 kms from District Hq Anant- year. The Lunar year comprising of eleven months only is very nag and 65 kms from Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K State. rare indeed. It occurs once in 140 years or once in 190 years. Before the mass migration of KPs during 1990 turmoil from the But the extra month or Adhik Maas comes every third year. Adhik village Mattan, lakhs of pilgrims used to visit this holy shrine after Maas adopts the name of the month that follows Adhik Maas. performing Sh. Amarnath ji yatra. It is believed that Amarnath Whenever Sankranti does not fall within one month then Adhik Yatra is complete in all respects only when on way back the pil- Maas occurs. When there are two Sankrantis within one month grims feed the holy fishes present in the holy springs of the Mar- then it becomes the Lunar year with one reduced month (11 months tand Tirath. Due to the opening of Yatra from Baltal thousand of in the year). pilgrims are lacking the darshan of this pious place. The place Vasishtha Siddhanta (the treatise of Vasishtha) mentions is very famous as a very old Hindu pilgrimage place in the val- that Adhik Maas or the extra Lunar month occurs after every ley and enjoyed prominence at par with Haridwar among the 32 months, 16 days and 8 Ghadis (a Ghadi is a period of 24 Hindus of all our the country. Many religious festivals are cele- minutes and 60 Ghadis equal 24 hours). brated through out the year at Martand but the main celebration It is a fact that the Solar year is made up of 365 days and is Birthday of Martand ji (Sun God) which falls every year on about 06 minutes and the Lunar year is made up of 354 days. Magh Shukla Paksh Saptami i.e the 7th day of the bright fort- Thus both the solar and the Lunar years have gaps of 11 days, night of Magh (February) as per the Hindu calendar. The name 1 hour, 31 minutes and 12 seconds. As this gap increases each Martanda means "Sun God". The village was earlier name as year, it approximates in three years to one month. Machh (fish) Bhawan too. There are two main springs in the Note: The moon takes about 27.3 days to make one com- premises of the tirath known as Vimal and Kamal Kund. A beau- plete orbit around the earth. The Earth orbits around the Sun tiful Shiva temple is constructed in the center of the Kamala once every 365.2422 days (= earth's orbital speed of 29.79 km Kund giving an unforgettable and adorable look to Tirath. Dur- per second). The earth and the moon in 27.3 days have moved ing the early morning hours pilgrims are allowed to have a holy as a system about 1/12 of the ways around the sun. This means dip in this spring. Those who know swimming are allowed to that from one full moon to the next full moon, the moon must offer water over the Shiva linga in the temple and after that they travel 2.2 extra days before it appears full. This is due to the proceed to have darshan of Sun God and other temples con- curve of the earth's orbit around the Sun. The moon is still mak- structed in the premises of the Tirath. ing one complete orbit (circle) in 27.3 days. But to line up with Different stories exists in our religious documents which tells the earth and sun to become a full moon again it takes 29.531 us about the detail of the Sun god and its abode at Mattan. Accord- days. ing to 'Markand Katha' ' Markandyapuran' and other texts, the 29.531 day Lunar months = 354.372 days per lunar year. Martand (Sun God) was born from Aditi, the wife of Kashyap Thus we arrive at a difference of 10.87 days a year between a Rishi. Earlier Aditi had given birth to 12 off springs in the form of known as Vimal and Kamal Kund . In this process mysterious Shrad, Tarpan etc. performed at this Sangam in particular area lunar year and a solar year of 365.2422 days per year. eggs which later produced 12 sons known as Data, Arima, Mitra, and flames beamed from the broken egg. The light came to are regarded as highly auspicious. However the rituals carried The Puranas also sing high praises about Adhik Maas and Varun, Inder Vivaswan, Pushpa, Parjiney, Anshuman, Bug, known as Martand where as the flames hit four places are known out in the month of Malmass and on Vijay Saptami, Sankarati, indicate Puja, readings of scriptures etc. during Adhik Maas. Trusht and Vishnu. Aditi gave birth to 13th son before time in a as Four great Shaktis viz. Bhargshikha, Bheema Devi, Baswati Solar and Lunar eclipse days, Amavaysa etc. and specially on Selfless actions, without the expectations of results, are to be fit of anger after an argument with her husband Kashyapa. She and Shree Bhawani in the shape of springs. Sacred fishes are Sundays leads towards salvation and peace of deceased ances- performed during Adhik Maas. Mal Maas (Adhik Maas) is the abandoned him into waters of Satisar. The 13th Sun in the form found in these springs. Water of the springs is sacred enough tors and the same is blessed by Lord Shiva too. The most sacred month for Vishnu puja. The recitation of Srimad Bhagavat of lifeless egg remained in Satisar for a long time. To kill a demon to take it home in bottles. The water of the springs flow down and well known religious festival 'Malmass' is held at Mattan Purana and of the Bhagavad Gita during this month produce called jalobhava who was living under the water. Kashyapa with from higher level to lower through a channel made up of stones. after every two and half years where pilgrims from all over the top results. In addition to singing and listening to the praises of the blessings of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh made a cut in the The main and ancient site of Martand lies beneath the mountain country assemble here and perform religious rituals along the the Lord (Vishnu), undertake Adhik Maas Vrat also. This Vrat is mountains and drained off the waters from satisar. Thereafter he called Devi Bal where temple of Goddess BharGahshikha the Chaka nadi. This year the Malmaas (Adhik Maasa also) festi- to begin from the first day and ends on the last day of Adhik found an egg in deep waters that he recalled as his 13th Son great power is in the form of a holy rock (Shila) is situated on the val has started w.e.f. 16th of July 2015 and will culminate on Maas. Waking up during the hours of Brahma Muhurta (between Martanda dropped by her wife Aditi. As soon as he tried to hold top of the hill. Local and other Hindus from nearby villages wor- 16th of July, 2015. 4 am and 6 am), after ablutions, place a murti of Radha-Krish- on him, he was warned by his son of dire consequences. Kashya- ship this Goddess during Navratras and assemble there to have Here for the information of the community youth, it becomes na or Lakshmi-Narayana and perform Sodashopachara puja. If pa visualized the situation and prayed the gods Brahma, Vish- pooja archna. obligatory to make them aware what Adhik Massa/ Malmassa there is a temple nearby then perform puja of whatever deities nu, Mahesh and goddess Parvati to do the needful. Then, Mata Another spot is Sangam in the village Mattan which is con- is? are usually worshipped therein. During the entire month of Mal parvati asked lord Vishnu to cut this egg into two parts with his sidered very pious for Hindus as it is place where the Shrads of The lunar calendar adds one extra month every third year. Maas Vrat eat Sattvic food (vegetarian meals, milk, fruits, nuts, sudarshan chakra. These two parts transformed into springs departed souls are performed. The rituals like Pind daan, Pitre This extra month is known by various names: Adhik Maas, Mal grains, vegetables). One meal at night is recommended