Baidyanath Dham in Deogadh....
Just the day before returning from Ranchi, I had the opportunity to visit Baidyanath Dham in Deogadh. It happens to be a renowned pilgrimage for Shiv Bhakts.
It was a routine sortie, for a political somebody. The gentleman wanted to visit the Temple and an official reason was found to despatch the helicopter for him. After a tiring day of non-stop flying (we had been flying the entire past week for police recces and mineral prospecting in 40°C temperatures) the capt and I had to spend another couple of hours looking for decent accomodation. The Government machinary had, as usual, failed to arrange for the same. The official excuse was it was the marriage season and they had not been intimated of our program in advance. All said and done, I had to settle for a grimy hotel room and the Captain for a room in the circuit house. The driver offerred to take me to the temple early in the morning if I was interested. Tired as I was, I was also aware that this may very well be my last visit to Ranchi (I know that's what I prayed for in the temple). But curiosity got the better of me, and I asked the Driver to be at the Hotel at 5.30 in the morning.
Reached the Temple early to save myself from the rush of believers and the driver (he was a police type) assured me that the "darshan" would be a memorable one. The poojari gave me a tiny jug of water and asked me to preserve it to offer to the diety. As soon as I entered (back door entry, reserved for the privileged; talk about being equal in the eyes of God!), the quantum of mankind squeezed into that small place gave me an idea of how it would feel like in a Black Hole. By the time I reached the Linga, forget the holy water, I wasn't sure if me myself was in one peice. The Poojari made me repeat a lot of holy mantras and then it was time to get out. By the time I came out, I was soaked to the skin, not because of any falling water, but in my own sweat.
My experience with Hindu worshippers across the country, be it Tirupati or Baidyanath has been very disappointing. man has ensured that a hierarchy exists even now to decide who has preferred access to God. The only exception might be Shirdi where I found the setup much more organised.
It was a routine sortie, for a political somebody. The gentleman wanted to visit the Temple and an official reason was found to despatch the helicopter for him. After a tiring day of non-stop flying (we had been flying the entire past week for police recces and mineral prospecting in 40°C temperatures) the capt and I had to spend another couple of hours looking for decent accomodation. The Government machinary had, as usual, failed to arrange for the same. The official excuse was it was the marriage season and they had not been intimated of our program in advance. All said and done, I had to settle for a grimy hotel room and the Captain for a room in the circuit house. The driver offerred to take me to the temple early in the morning if I was interested. Tired as I was, I was also aware that this may very well be my last visit to Ranchi (I know that's what I prayed for in the temple). But curiosity got the better of me, and I asked the Driver to be at the Hotel at 5.30 in the morning.
Reached the Temple early to save myself from the rush of believers and the driver (he was a police type) assured me that the "darshan" would be a memorable one. The poojari gave me a tiny jug of water and asked me to preserve it to offer to the diety. As soon as I entered (back door entry, reserved for the privileged; talk about being equal in the eyes of God!), the quantum of mankind squeezed into that small place gave me an idea of how it would feel like in a Black Hole. By the time I reached the Linga, forget the holy water, I wasn't sure if me myself was in one peice. The Poojari made me repeat a lot of holy mantras and then it was time to get out. By the time I came out, I was soaked to the skin, not because of any falling water, but in my own sweat.
My experience with Hindu worshippers across the country, be it Tirupati or Baidyanath has been very disappointing. man has ensured that a hierarchy exists even now to decide who has preferred access to God. The only exception might be Shirdi where I found the setup much more organised.
posted by Sandeep at 10:44 PM
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