Hinduism Today January 2009 - Cover, Index, Front Articles

Family worship: (left) Author’s children infront of the inner sanctum of the VajreshwariDevi shrine in Kangra district.runjhun noopuramit misraindra sharmaMy Family’s Goddess PilgrimageGrandma, mom, aunts, uncles and cousins visit five Durga templesBy Runjhun Noopur, IndiaDevotees of goddess durga believethat no one gets the opportunity tovisit any of Her 51 Shakti Peethas(divine power centers) unless SheHerself sends the call. As luck would haveit, I was blessed with an invitation from theGoddess and an opportunity to visit not one,but five of Her temples. Three are ShaktiPeethas and all are located in the land of thedivine, Himachal Pradesh. Joining me werenine members of my extended family: mymother, grandmother, two aunts, one uncleand my four young cousins, including seven-year-oldtriplets—Varun, Rimjhim andAryan.We had planned our five-day pilgrimage—oryatra, as we preferred calling it—forthe month of May. We hoped to escape thesweltering heat of India’s plains, even as wesatiated our spiritual longing; but as soon aswe got down at the Chandigarh station, ourguide explained that much of the trip wasat lower altitudes and there would not be asignificant difference in temperature fromthe plains. Fortunately, the weather, thoughhot, was bearable.A practical advantage we had over firsttimevisitors was already being well acquaintedwith a local guide. A trip with sucha guide is far more convenient and economicalthan a pre-planned and prepaid travelpackage. Also, even though looking for aguide may seem like a practical hassle, it isa convenient way of avoiding the fraudulentdealings by travel agents, who are extremelyprevalent in the tourist hots spots in HimachalPradesh and surrounding areas.Naina DeviFrom Chandigarh station, we set out by cabon an unexpectedly long journey throughHimachal’s winding, mountainous roads.Our first destination was Naina Devi, locatedin the district of Bilaspur, approximately 115kilometres from Chandigarh. The lush greenbeauty of the Himalayan foothills welcomedus, and the delight of a clean, pollution-freeenvironment was refreshing.Naina Devi temple is on top a somberlookingmountain. Most of the hundreds ofdevotees choose to walk two kilometers upa steep pathway or take the ropeway. Sincewe were accompanied by very young kidsand also by aged members of the family, wechose to reach the shrine by cab, which tookjust 15 minutes. The path to the Goddess wasflanked by shops selling offerings, flowersdinodiaHoly trekkers: (opposite) The author, age 21, stands third from right with her grandmotherShail Mishra and mother Vijay Dixit to her left and aunts Kumkum Mishra and KiranMishra to her right. Kiran’s husband Amit is behind the camera. Kumkum’s daughterShivangi, 11, is at back, and her triplets (left to right) Varun, Rimjhim and Aryan, all 7,are in front. (above) Mata Shri Chamunda Devi Temple, Kangra valley. (insets) GoddessDurga on Her vahana, the lion. A map of India showing the temples’ general location.and souvenirs peculiar to the region—altarsto capitalism we’d see at every temple.We reached the shrine in the evening,with the intent of attending the eveningarati worship. It had already begun as weentered. The temple echoed with the soundof the bells, conches and chants. As we stoodat the far end of the long queue to the mainshrine, nothing could really be seen. Yet thesound of worship drowned the chaos, andan immense stillness settled all around. Itwas an unsurpassed encounter.After several minutes of experiencingthis beautiful inner silence, our senses suddenlybecame aware of the hustle and bustlearound. The sound of bells faded away as thearati came to an end. A long wait to finallyenter the main shrine followed, made lesstedious by the delightful chanting of “JaiMata Di” (“Victory to the Divine Mother”),by the enthusiastic devotees.The Deity of Naina Devi inside the shrineis not a Deity in the conventional sense ofa human-like form. She is said to residehinduism todayPilgrimage Areahere and, for that matter, in all the peethasas an abstract pindi—a featureless red stonecovered with vermilion. The story of theShakti Peethas (see sidebar page 35) says thatSati’s eyes fell in this place, hence the nameNaina Devi, “Eye Goddess.” Accordingly, thepindi stone representing the Goddess hasprominent and beautiful eyes. Many devoteesoffer a pair of minuscule silver eyes in32 hinduism today january/february/march, 2009january/february/march, 2009 hinduism today 33