Temples In India-1.pdf - Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKAThey find themselves liberated from narrowprejudices of caste and region andlanguages. Here in the hill, there is onlyone group, devotees of God, pilgrims, eagerto have darshan of the God. The God inman comes out in in His effulgent form.For the short duration during which thepeople have only one goal of havingdarshan of God ... they find peace andsublimation and the resultant liberation fromentrenched prejudices which have erectedwalls between man and man, compartmentalisedhumanity and stirred up all thetroubles of the modern world.All the three temples the temple of LordAmarnath in Southern Kashmir and thetemples of Lord Badrinarayan and LordKedarnath in the Tehri Garhwal of UttarPradesh ... are set in majestic surroundings.The route to the temple of Amarnath,situated at a height of about 12,750 feetabove sea-level, runs through one of themost difficult terrains. The temples ofBadrinath and Kedarnath, situated atheights of 10,500 feet and 11,500 feetabove sea-level, to challenge the best inman and bring out the best in him when hestakes his all to have darshan of gods. Apilgrimage to these temples demands ofman the courage to face the vagaries ofNature, the strength to withstand thewhims of the weather, the capacity toforget the self-imposed limits of the mortalframe and to get a touch of immortality.To those who accept the challenge, theHimalaya holds out its grace and beautyand power and range.The Amarnath cave is formed of fissures.The cave remains unapproachable for thegreater part of the year. It is on SravanPoornima day of August that pilgrims throngTEMPLE INDIAhere to have darshan of the Ice Lingam ofLord Shiva. The cave lies in a long glacialforge, standing close to the rumbling,tumbling Amaravati river. The river providesthe music. The long spiky pines rustle inthe wind lending rhythm to the music ofthe river.The pilgrims gather at Pahalgam and waitfor the charri, with a pair of silver macesand a six-foot silver trident, the emblemsof Lord Shiva, to reach Pahalgam from theDakshina Akhara of Srinagar in procession.The arrival of the symbols of God atPahalgam marks the start of theexcitement. The pilgrims move toChandanwari, on foot or by mountain poniesor by dandies. The first halt is atChandanwari. After a halt for the night,the pilgrims resume their journey. They geta gorgeous view of Sheshnag lake. Thewater of the lake looks emerald green,catching in its touch of green a reflectionsof the glaciers which tower by its side.The pilgrims take dips in the lake, move onover the ice-bridge and camp at wayujan(height, 12,230 feet).The next day’s trek is the most strenuous.The trek takes the pilgrims to Mahagunasat a height of 14,500 feet above sea-level.The rarefied atmosphere here makes manypeople pant for breath. The climb is hard.The young laugh, cut jokes, pridethemselves on their physical strength. Theold puff and huff rest often, seek medicalaid when necessary, move on anddetermined to reach their goal.The highest point has been reached. Nowbegins a move down, to Panchatharani ata height of 11,500 feet, which gets itsname from the confluence of five streams.Amarnath cave is only five miles away.135