HH Shri Vidyadheesha Teertharu swami - Shri Palimaru Mutt

 Present Pontiff  30th  Peetadipathi of Shri Palimaru Matha.

His Holiness Shri Vidyadheesha Teertharu swami – anugraha bashanam

Sri  K Annamalai and Dushyant Sridhar on stage.

Took this photo from a distance – happy that it has come out so well – with the anugraham of Acarya. 

Haridwar Sri Rajarajeswari temple ~ Lalithashram

Haridwar is a holy, tranquil place, the gateway to Sri Badrinath & Kedarnath shrines .. .. ..

அழகிய மலைகள் நிறைந்த மாநிலமான உத்தரகாண்டில் அமைந்திருக்கும் ஹரித்வார் 'கடவுள்களின் நுழைவாயில்' என்றழைக்கப்படும் புகழ்பெற்ற யாத்ரீக ஸ்தலமாகும்.  'சப்த புரி' என்றழைக்கப்படும் இந்தியாவின் ஏழு புனிதமான நகரங்களின் ஹரித்வாரும் ஒன்றும். மேலும் ரிஷிகேஷ், கேதர்நாத், பத்ரிநாத் ஆகிய உத்தராகாண்டின் பிற புண்ணியஸ்தலங்களுக்கும் ஹரித்வார் நுழைவாயிலாக விளங்குகிறது.

நமக்கு மிக புண்ணிய நதியான கங்கை மலையிலிருந்து தோன்றி இங்கே ஹரித்துவாரத்தில்  சமவெளியை தொடுகின்றது. தனது ஆதாரமான கவுமுக்கிலிருந்து 253 கி.மீ. (157 மைல்கள்), கடல் மட்டத்திலிருந்து 3,139 மீட்டர் (10,300 அடி) கங்கோத்ரி பனிமுகட்டின் முனை வரையில் பயணம் செய்த பின்னர் கங்கை நதியானது  ஹரித்வாரில், பரந்து  பாய்கிறது . இந்த நகரத்திற்கு பழம் பெயரானது  கங்கத்வாரா (गंगाद्वार).

 

"Ayodhyā Mathurā Māyā Kāśī Kāñcī Avantikā

Purī Dvārāvatī caiva saptaitā mokṣadāyikāḥ" – Garuḍa Purāṇa I XVI .14

 

Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kasi, Kanchi, Avantika and Dwaraka are the seven holy places… .. Haridwar is mentioned here as Maya !! – mayapuri.

The legendary King, Bhagiratha, the great-grandson of the Suryavanshi King Sagar through his unstinted  penance,  brought the river Ganges down in Satya Yuga, for the salvation of 60,000 of his ancestors from the curse of the saint Kapila. ,   Sriman Narayana left His footprint on the stone that is set in the upper wall of Har Ki Pauri, where the Holy Ganges touches it at all times.

Haridwar came under the rule of the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE), and later under the Kushan Empire (c. 1st–3rd centuries).  First modern era written evidence of Haridwar is found in the accounts of a Chinese traveller, Huan Tsang, who visited India in 629 AD during the reign of King Harshavardhan (590–647) records Haridwar as 'Mo-yu-lo', the remains of which still exist at Mayapur, a little to the south of the modern town. Among the ruins are a fort and three temples, decorated with broken stone sculptures,he also mentions the presence of a temple, north of Mo-yu-lo called 'Gangadwara', Gateway of the Ganges.

It perhaps is the ultimate dream of a Srivaishnavaite – darshan at the most holy Sri Badrinath.  It is not easy even in the modern World.  As we travelled, the bus would stop – one would find hundreds of vehicle in a line extending to couple of kilo-meters  (mostly disciplined !) – the gorges on the mountain would offer a very pleasant at the same time a fearsome view !  One could see river flowing all the way – yet the vehicle passing on a ridge could evoke fear.  At many cross-points only one vehicle can go – so vehicles would stop for an hour or so. Then traffic would flow from one side – then from the waiting side.  One could see bolsters falling down; they might fall on the vehicles, at times they would close the road.  Army and Govt agencies would work effectively clearing the debris – everyone will have to wait.  .. .. and if it were to rain, the work could be hampered, vehicles would have to remain as they are – at times they would return back to the nearest city and continue the next day. 

~ and the holy journey to ‘Jai bolo Badrinath’ originates from Haridwar, one travels via Rishikesh, can have darshan at Devaprayag, then probably halt at Pipalkot – next day morning proceed to Badrinath via Joshimath.  One will pass through Pauri, Srinagar, Chamoli Gopeshwar. On the way is the beautiful Devaprayag.  A mystic place where the holy rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet, merge into one and take the name ‘Ganga’. Lord Rama  and his father Emperor  Dasharatha did penance here.  

Haridwar is holy, peaceful, scenic, beautiful Haridwar has Ganga flowing through. A great sight and a holy place for bathing – on the foothills of Himalayas, it has ashrams and a very pious ambience enveloping all over. Haridwar is one of the four holy Indian cities that host the Kumbh Mela, a pious gathering of millions of devotees every 12 years. The Ardh Kumbh is organised here every six years. It also hosts the Kanwar mela every year during the rainy season. The ‘Panch Tirth’ or the five pilgrimages located within the periphery of Haridwar, are Gangadwara (Har Ki Pauri), Kushwart (Ghat), Kankhal, Bilwa Tirtha (Mansa Devi Temple) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi). Haridwar serves as the gateway to the Char Dham of Uttarakhand as well.

An ancient city, Haridwar's roots are steeped deep in culture and traditions of the ancient Vedic times, and there are several institutions here imparting traditional knowledge of wellness. There  are many certified Ayurvedic clinics in Haridwar – and Pathanjali Guru Ramdev too has set up his ashram here.   Every morning and evening, the ghats (stepped banks of a river) of River Ganga witnesses the blissful Ganga aarti, which attracts devotees and tourists. The evening ritual being more popular, it makes for a mesmeric sight to see the river being venerated with loud and rhythmic chants and tall lamps, their lights lightening up the darkening waters. It is a spectacular sight as thousands of small diyas (earthen lamps) are set afloat on the river.

Haridwar is well connected by motorable roads with major destinations of Uttarakhand and northern states of India. Luxury and normal buses to Haridwar are easily available from Delhi ISBT Kashmiri Gate and Meerut.   According to the Samudra manthan, Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nashik and Prayagraj (Allahabad) is one of four sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda. Brahma Kund, the spot where the Amrit fell, is located at Har ki Pauri and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.

As we proceeded to Sri Badrinath, we stayed overnight in Haridwar (to and fro) and was fortunate to have darshan of Sri Rajarajewsari mata at Sri Lalitha Ashram, Mukhiya Gali, Haridwar H O, Haridwar – 249401.

Goddess Tripura Sundari (Sodashi and Lalita) , is venerated in Shaktism. , Rajarajeswari is Mahavidya, glorified in many Shakta texts, with Lalita Sahasranama being the most popular one.  Here  she sits on the throne holding ‘Ikshu khanda’ (golden sugarcane) in one hand, a beautiful golden parrot on right hand and divya authangal too.  There is a very beautiful conch placed at her feet.    Sweet Juice of Sugarcane symbolises the juice of bliss (atma gnana – the self realisation). She whips those who are wicked and arrogant or harmful to others.   In temples here, Shri Rajarajeshwari is considered as the Kul-devi.  

This Lalitha Ashram housing the temple for Sri Rajarajeswari in swarnam is a really beautiful place running a veda patashala and free food too.  It is so holy  and serene place – the vedic chants were reverberating .. .. indeed a divine experience to be there and have darshan of Goddess Raja Rajeswari wielding sugarcane.

Praying God that live returns to normal, Corona is totally eliminated, people live happily without fear and we have opportunities of travelling such holy places, having darshan of our Emperuman.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
22^nd May 2021 

Lord Shiva idol found in Red Hills lake !

Chennai for long is associated with water problem – residents of Chennai look forward to supply of metro water and that comes from reservoirs of which PUzhal [Red Hills] is the most prominent.

 

Nataraja ( நடராஜர்),  is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine dancer. His dance is called Tandavam.    The pose and artwork is described in many Hindu texts such as the Anshumadbhed agama and Uttarakamika agama, the dance relief or idol featured in all major Hindu temples of Shaivism.  The dancing form, represents the cosmic dancing of Shiva and is very popular in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu. There are various theories from the iconography perspective as to when this form was evolved. It is worth noting that the Nataraja worship flourished during the Chola era (9 to 13 century CE). Cholas were ardent devotees of Shiva.

Chidambaram, the foremost among the Nataraja temples, is one of their capitals. The Chola kings were usually coroneted in the vicinity of golden sabha of the temple. One can see   innumerable bronze sculptures of Nataraja made by Cholas.   The Chola bronzes, cast in the eleventh century, include several different incarnations of the god Shiva. The most elegant and sublime of these is a representation of the creation of the universe at the beginning of each cosmic cycle, a motif known as the cosmic dance of Shiva. The god, called in this manifestation Nataraja, the Dance King, has four hands. In the upper right hand is a drum whose sound is the sound of creation. In the upper left hand is a tongue of flame.

Red Hills ("செங்குன்றம்") is a neighbourhood in the northwestern part of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.  The name was derived from the red hills (Semman Kuviyal) that was mostly present in this area in early stage. The celebration for god Angaala Parameshwari Amman in Padianallur Angaala Parameshwari Temple at the month of March and April also brings great fame to this place.

Puzhal aeri, or Puzhal lake, also known as the Red Hills Lake, is located here, forming part of Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu state. It is one of the rain-fed reservoirs from where water is drawn for supply to Chennai City, the others  being the Chembarambakkam Lake and Porur Lake. The full capacity of the lake is 3,300 million ft³ (93 million m³).  The Puzhal reservoir was built in 1876 during the British rule in Puzhal Town, The reservoir was originally a small tank with a capacity of 500 million cubic feet (mcft) and two masonry weirs, built using locally available laterite stones, then functioned as surplus weirs to release excess water from the water body.

Today there is news in Dinamalar and Daily Thanthi that - Murali of Vilangadupakkam went to the lake for fishing. When he pulled the net, he found a leather bag stuck in it. Inside that, he found a one-and-half feet tall Nataraja idol weighing about 6 kg. On information, Red Hills police seized the idol from Murali and alerted the Revenue officials. Further investigation is on whether the idol belongs to any temple nearby.

எங்கேயும் உன் தாண்டவம் என்ன நடராஜா !!

 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

30.08.2020

Lalbaugcha Raja not coming this year ! Ganapati bappa moraya !!

When coronavirus claimed its first victim in country’s largest slum in April, many feared the disease would turn its narrow, congested streets into a graveyard, with social distancing or contact tracing all but impossible. But three months on, Mumbai's Dharavi offers a rare glimmer of hope with new infections shrinking, thanks to an aggressive strategy that focused on "chasing the virus, instead of waiting for disaster", according to city official Kiran Dighavkar. The sprawling slum has long been a byword for the financial capital's bitter income disparities -- with Dharavi's estimated one million people scraping a living as factory workers or maids and chauffeurs to Mumbai's well-heeled residents. With a dozen people typically sleeping in a single room, and hundreds using the same public toilet, authorities realised early that standard practices would be of little use. "Social distancing was never a possibility, home isolation was never an option, and contact tracing was a huge problem with so many people using the same toilet," Dighavkar told AFP. But  news on COVID front of the State of Maharashtra   is not all that positive !

With the number of Covid-19 cases rising rapidly every day, the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra has decided to extend the statewide lockdown till July 31.   Mumbai has recorded 1,487 new coronavirus cases and 73 COVID-19 related deaths in the last 24 hours. The total COVID-19 cases tally in Mumbai now stands at 79,145 and the death toll is 4,631.  Maharashtra continues to remain India’s worst-affected state. Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra have increased by 5,537 in the last 24 hours taking the total COVID-19 tally to 1.8 lakh. The state has also recorded 198 COVID-19 related deaths on Wednesday taking the death toll to 8,000  .. .. and the effect is now felt in Aug 2020 !

ஹிந்துக்களால் மிகவும் உற்சாகத்துடன் கொண்டாடப்படும் பண்டிகைகளில் முக்கியமானது விநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி.     ஈசனின் மகனுமான விநாயகர் அவதரித்த தினமான விநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி விழா ஒவ்வொரு வருடமும் ஆவணி மாதத்தின் வளர்பிறை சதுர்த்தி நாள் அன்று கொண்டாடப்படுகிறது.

Pillaiyar is found everywhere – on the banks of river and below Peepal trees – it is Vinayaka everywhere.  The  Karpaka Vinayaka Temple or Pillaiyarpatti Pillaiyar Temple is an ancient rock-cut cave shrine dedicated to Lord Ganesha, located at Pillayarpatti in Tiruppathur Taluk, Sivaganga district in the state of Tamil Nadu.  Pilliyarpatti is located 12 kilometers far, east to Tiruppathur, 3 kilometers far, west to Kundrakudi Murugan temple and 16 km far, west to Karaikudi, and 47 km far, north-east towards Sivaganga town, the district head-quarters ~ and there are tens of thousands of temples dedicated to Vinayaka in every nook of the country.

The celebrations done with religious fervour at home, became a major social and public event after the sponsorship of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj following the Mughal-Maratha wars. The festival gained further prominence when it was publicly supported in the 19th century by the Indian freedom fighter, Lokmanya Tilak, who championed it as a means to evade colonial British government ban in Hindu gatherings through its anti-public assembly legislation in 1892.  This year Vinayaka chathurthi falls on  Sat 22nd Aug 2020.

As the country battles coronavirus, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of positive cases and deaths. This may force organisers of the annual Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations to postpone the 2020 event. This is to minimise the infection spread since this event sees heavy public gathering across the pandals (event ground) across Mumbai, Pune and other regions

Lalbaugcha  Raja (The King of Lalbaug) is the most famous Sarvajanik Ganapati kept at Lalbaug, a prominent locality in Mumbai during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The idol is kept for public display for 11 days; thereafter it is immersed on the auspicious day of Anant Chaturdashi. This  idol of Lord Ganesha is Navsacha Ganpati ("one who fulfills all wishes") and hence over 1.5 million people visit this Ganesh Pandal daily during the festivities.

The 'mandal' was founded because of a vow  for construction of the present Lalbaug Market at its existing place. The marketplace at Peru Chawl was shut down in 1932. Hence, the fishermen and vendors who used to sit in the open place vowed to Ganesha for permanent place for their market. With the consistent efforts and support of a group of people, the landlord Rajabai Tayyabali agreed to give a plot for construction of a market. As fulfillment of their wish, the fisherman and traders established the Ganesh idol on 12 September 1934. The idol was dressed in the customary fashion of fisherman. Since that day, this idol of has become popular as He fulfills the wishes of devotees. The mandal was formed in the era when the freedom struggle was at its peak. 

Now comes the news that  Mumbai's famous Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal has decided not to hold any festivities this year in the view of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Several Ganesh Mandals have already decided to have low key celebrations this year, while many have even canceled plans. This year, instead of the Ganesh Festival, the Mandal has decided to celebrate 'Aarogya Usav' by setting-up a blood and plasma donation camp. The Mandal is already involved in various social activities and has been conducting medical health check-ups and blood donation camps. The mandal has also decided to donate Rs 25 lakh to the Chief Minister's Fund. The plasma donations camp will be held along the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). During the festival period, the Mandal will also felicitate the families of police personnel who died due to COVID-19 while being on the duty. Every year, to take darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja, people from across the country stand in a queue for hours to get a glimpse at the idol.

It is one famous  Mandal where the big names from Bollywood, politics and business too pay a visit every year. Another prominent Mandal - Lalbaug Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal - has decided that there will be no 'Utsav murti' and will bring-in only a four-foot idol, while online darshan will be organised so people can take part in the Ganeshotsav from their homes. GSB Mandal of Wadala too has announced its decision to postpone its Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations to February 2021. Two days ago, addressing the state, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that Ganesh idols will be of only 4-feet and there will no procession.

In the back drop of Covid 19 affecting people, the decision of the authorities needs to be appreciated.

We will wait for Lalbaugcha Raja

गणपति बाप्पा मोरया, मंगल मूर्ति मोरया।

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

02.07.2020

Pics from twitter.

jhanki darshan at Kashi Vishwanath Temple ~ no kanwar yatra 2020

The month of monsoon which is known as the 'Shrawan Maas' or 'Saawan' in is devoted to Lord Shiva and pilgrims from all over India visit the holy cities on the bank of the Ganges to collect its holy water.  Kanwar is a bamboo pole which has two pitchers hung with a rope on either side A Kanwariya, meaning a devotee, carries this bamboo on his shoulder or both the shoulders and does a yatra while balancing the weight of the two containers. They head to places where the river Ganga flows (Haridwar, Rishikesh, Gaumukh, Gangotri, Kashi etc.) and fill the pots with her waters and then offer it to Lord Shiva. Some devotees decorate the Kanwar with colourful papers and flowers.

Varanasi  (Holy Kasi) also known as Benares is a city on the banks of the river Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres (200 mi) south-east of the state capital, Lucknow, and 121 kilometres (75 mi) east of Allahabad. A major religious hub in India, it is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism,    served by Varanasi Junction railway station and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport.

Varanasi grew as an important industrial centre famous for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture. Buddha is believed to have founded Buddhism here around 528 BCE when he gave his first sermon, "The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma", at nearby Sarnath. The city's religious importance continued to grow in the 8th century, when Adi Shankara established the worship of Shiva as an official sect of Varanasi.   Tulsidas wrote his epic poem on Rama's life called Ram Charit Manas in Varanasi. Several other major figures of the Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir and Ravidas.

Standing on the western bank of India's holiest river Ganges, Varanasi is the oldest surviving city of the world and the cultural capital of India. It is in the heart of this city that there stands in its fullest majesty the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in which is enshrined the Jyotirlinga of Shiva, Vishweshwara or Vishwanath. Here gravitate the teeming millions of India to seek benediction and spiritual peace by the darshan of this Jyotirlinga which confers liberation from the bondages of maya and the inexorable entanglements of the world. A simple glimpse of the Jyotirlinga is a soul-cleansing experience that transforms life and puts it on the path of knowledge and bhakti. Vishweshwara Jyotirlinga has a very special and unique significance in the spiritual history of India.  Deeply and intimately implanted in the Hindu mind, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been a living embodiment of our timeless cultural traditions and highest spiritual values.  

                   The Temple has been referred to in Hindu scriptures for a very long time as a central part of worship in the Shaiva Philosophy. It has been destroyed and re-constructed a number of times in history. The last structure was demolished by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque on its site. The current structure was built on an adjacent site by the Maratha ruler, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780.  Maharaja Ranjit Singh, First Sikh Maharaja, donated 1 ton Gold for flaming Temple's Dome.

Lord Siva statue at Haridwar

On June 8, 2020 - with an elaborate 'Mangala aarti', the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi threw open its doors for devotees after a gap of almost 80 days. Devotees who thronged the temple were allowed to offer prayers from a distance and flowers and 'prasad' was not allowed into the temple. Only those devotees who wore a mask were allowed in after proper sanitization.  It was stated that   devotees were asked to sanitize their hands twice before entering into the temple. "We are allowing only five devotees at a time to ensure social distancing. Every devotee is being subjected to thermal scanning and no one is allowed to touch the deity or the bells," a temple official said.  Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath  inaugurated the 'e-Rudrabhishek' facility at the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Now comes the news that the Varanasi district authorities have made arrangements for three entry and exit gates for devotees for a jhanki darshan of Lord Shiva, the reigning deity of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, during the Hindu holy month of Shravan, beginning July 5, amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, said Deepak Agarwal, divisional commissioner, Varanasi. The bureaucrat said kanwarias, the saffron-clad Shaivites, have been barred from visiting the temple town during the holy month because of the viral outbreak.

Devotees wouldn’t be allowed to enter the shrine’s sanctum sanctorum and only permitted a jhanki darshan’, he added. Agarwal shared this information with media persons after holding a meeting with the Kashi Vishwanath Trust authorities, the district, and police administrations regarding the special preparations for the holy month amid the pandemic. He said that the predetermined routes for the temple’s entry and the exit had been obstructed due to the ongoing construction work of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor. He instructed the officials to put up a zig-zag barricade from Maidagin crossing to Godaulia and mark prominent circles on the ground to maintain a six-feet social distance for devotees while standing in a queue. Sanitiser cans would be placed at every 100 metres along the queue, he added.

The temple authorities have been directed to hold a meeting with the members of the Yadav community called Yadav Bandhus and other people regarding tweaking of rules while performing the over two-century-old special puja during the holy month because of the viral outbreak. In a marked departure from the age-old tradition, only five persons would be allowed to perform the special puja on Shravan Mondays this year instead of the usual group of 100, Agarwal said. The authorities are also making arrangements for heightened security, uninterrupted power supply, and maintaining cleanliness in and around the ancient shrine during the holy month.

The annual pilgrimage of devotees of lord shiva, known as Kanwarias, would occur in towns like Haridwar, Gaumukh, and Gangotri, Varanasi, etc. The pilgrimage is a quest to fetch the holy water of river Ganga in the Hindu month of Shrawan (July -August) devoted to Lord Shiva.  The number of Kanwars who reached the holy city Haridwar last year to collect holy water was approximately 3.76 crore, with which they walked back home in faraway states.

Sad, all these are curtailed by Corona. At least in important temples  in the North, some darshan is allowed unlike Tamil Nadu where Temple remain closed from 20^th Mar 2020.

With grief and concern of a devotee

S. Sampathkumar

28.6.2020.

administration of holy Kedarnath !

Hari Om.. Hari Om... Hari Om... Hari Om.. Hari Om... Hari Om...

Omkareswari Sri hari nagari idhigo ra badari

Vaikunteswari siri ki nagari Adhigo mahima giri..

Ee kondapai Maa kandaga ~ aa vishu paadame Velasindhi

Vedaalane virachinchina sri vyasa peetamai nilichidhi

Alaka nanda jala sangeetam Sri hari naamam

Vushna kunda jala daaralalo hari bhakthula snanam

Gnanam, Moksham mosage vaikuntam

.. .. .. song from Allu Arjun starrer ‘Badrinath’ sung by Shankar Mahadevan, MM Keeravani – music by Maragathamani Keeravani.  In recent times, I have heard this song at least 100 times ~ so impressed by the Song, music, picturisation and most importantly .. .. ‘Jai Bolo Badrinath’ – the holy place for Sri Vaishnavaites.

The story of Yayati  is mentioned in Bhagavata Puranam as also in Maha Baratham. Yayati,  the son of king Nahusha is considered to be the ancestor of Pandavas and one of ancestors of Pandavas. He ruled over this place.  It is here that the most important rivers of the Nation ~ the Ganges and Yamuna originate. It has the religiously important places of Badrinath and Kedarnath.  It also has the  Valley of Flowers, a Unesco World Heritage Site known for the variety and rarity of the flowers and plants……… but is in news making all of us sad.

It is Uttarakhand known  "Land of the Gods" due to the many holy Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres.   This became a State in Nov 1999. The state is divided into two divisions, Garhwal and Kumaon, with a total of 13 districts. The provisional capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun, the largest city in the region, which is a railhead. The high court of the state is in Nainital.  These places were affected so badly due to flash floods and cloud bursts in 2012.  With pilgrims and tourists stranded in flash floods in Uttarakahand, Govts  rushed teams to the hill state to help bring back the affected persons and also announced aid. Good administration has ensured that the holy places have recovered so well now. 

Badri & Kedar are associated .. ..  .. .. Kēdārnāth Mandir is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April (Akshaya Tritriya) to November (Kartik Purnima - the autumn full moon). During the winters, the vigrahas (deities) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months. Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand', the historical name of the region. Our Prime Minister worshipped here when the Temple was opened after the floods and visits almost every year on special occasions –  in year 2019,  he visited on Deepavali day and celebrated the festival with our army jawans in the region.

The Kedarnath temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 18 kilometres (11 mi) uphill trek from Gaurikund.  Pony and manchan services are available to reach the structure. The  temple was initially built by Pandavas, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of Shiva  It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, expounded in Thevaram. Pandavas were supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath . The temple is one of the four major sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas.

In 2012, massive flash floods swept through Uttarakhand. The deluge claimed 197 lives.  Kedarnath was the worst affected area during the 2013 flash floods in North India. The temple complex, surrounding areas and Kedarnath town suffered extensive damage, but the temple structure did not suffer any "major" damage, apart from a few cracks on one side of the four walls which was caused by the flowing debris from the higher mountains. 

When I heard the name of the movie as ‘Kedarnath’ – I feared that it could be yet another stupid, so called ‘love-story’.  One review stated that it takes 10 quick minutes to figure out the story of Abhishek Kapoor’s Kedarnath. Starring Sushant Singh Rajput and debutant Sara Ali Khan, Kedarnath begins by paying tribute to the victims of the “Uttarakhand floods in June 2013”.   You know how this will end, which is fine. An old, predictable story can be a good story, too. .. but why again and again a hindu girl falling for a muslim youth and why bring in Pandit of the holy Temple !! – take it elsewhere in any valley, any city, any town .. put any hero, any heroine … why – why Kedarnath ?  ~ another stupid love story of rich girl believing that only poor is good at heart and falling for him !! (how many fathers will like this happening in real life – we all know the reaction of one director cum hero who preaches love in movies – but when his daughter fell in love, he resorted to rowdyism !!)   Kedarnath movie’s mediocrity was unique: it did not entertain; had no logic, only offended Hindu sentiments – yet another movie showing that Hinduism can be ridiculed so easily.

Moving away, in 2011, there was a Telegu film by name ‘Badrinath’  directed by V. V. Vinayak, produced by Allu Aravind.  The first para was about the song ‘Omkareswari’ from that film starring Allu Arjun in leading role along with Tamannaah and Prakash Raj. The film revolves around Badri, a skilled warrior trained by a religious Guru Bheeshma Narayan. After being made the protector of Badrinath temple, he finds his loyalties divided when he tries to revive the faith of Alakananda, an atheist, in God and gets caught in violent battles with her cruel uncle Sarkar, while his Guru suspects him to be in love with Alakananda, something against the rules for becoming his successor.

Now there is some trouble and Indian Express reports that ‘Priest protests half-naked in freezing temperatures in Kedarnath’  against constitution of Devasthanam board while Hindustan Times words better stating ‘Kedarnath Priest protests bare-chested’ – it is the views that matters !!

                   A 32-year-old priest is staging a unique protest for the last 10-days just outside Kedarnath temple at an elevation of ever 11,300 feet against the constitution of Devesthanam board by Uttarakhand state government. Santosh Trivedi, the priest who sits three times a day just in front of the revered shrine in just one cloth which is a 'Dhoti' draped around his lower body at freezing temperatures of 3-5 degrees has not seized to sit on protest even if it rains.

"My protest is against the formation of the Devsthanam Board. This move is to deprive us priests from our traditional rights. I will continue my protests," says Trivedi.  Trivedi sits on protest for the duration of 45 minutes to 90 minutes thrice a day. The first sit-in starts as early as 5: 30 am during the morning aarti when temperature is almost freezing at 3 or 4 degree celsius. The second sit-in starts at around 12 pm in the noon, for 45 minutes, during 'Bhog Prasad' of the lord Kedarnath and lastly, he sits for around 1.30 hours during the evening aarti, around 6 pm. Brijesh Sati, spokesperson of Devbhoomi Teerthpurohit Char Dham Mahapanchayat, a body representing the priests, commenting on the issue said, "We are planning to hold such protest in all 4 temples of Char Dham which includes Gangotri, Yamunotri and Badrinath. We will sit in similar kind of protest soon if the government fails to address our concerns."

Meanwhile, thousands of priests associated with Char Dham and 47 other temples (Total 51) from across the hill state are already protesting against the state government since it has passed the Char Dham Shrine Board Bill, last year. According to the priests, the arrangement by the State government  on the lines of Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and Tirupati Balaji Shrine Board aims to deprive them of their traditional rights and take control of the shines. Earlier, last year, the priests associations of Uttarakhand in a blood-written letter to Prime Minister of India has requested to intervene in a matter concerning new law about managment of Char Dhams.  In December 2019, in a big win for government, the bill related to management of Char Dham was passed after discussion in Uttarakhand state assembly.  After discussion of over two hours, and suggestions to 'improvise' the law, the name of the bill was changed from Char Dham Shrine Board Management Bill 2019 to Uttarakhand Char Dham Devshtanam Management Board 2019.

For us in Tamil Nadu, nothing is news – our Temples are firmly in the grip of State Govt and mostly in the hands of non-believers who use the temple funds for purposes other than those for which they were made.  There appears separate laws of Hindu religious places, Temples, Mutts while other places of worship get financial grant, support and are totally independent.  We hear of corruptions, misuse and even changing of Idol but the perpetrators are free, recently an official arrested on severe charges was reinstated.  Govt announces that crores would be diverted from Temple funds for relief but not from other religious places. When there is trouble to any of these temples, the Department never protests – temples are divided into zones of hierarchy according to their revenue collection, the officials are paid huge salaries, funds gets diverted to every activity but not much spent on the Temple and other Hindu religious activities.

Sad is the state of affairs – from end Mar 2020, the Temples remain closed; annual Uthsavams are not taking place, yet majority Hindus do not realize, do not make a whimper for proper conduct of temple rituals and do not cry for their inability to offer worship. Sad .. .. we miss darshan of our Emperuman Sri Parthasarathi and it is almost certain that the annual Aani Brahmothsavam of Sri Azhagiya Singar scheduled to start on June 29 too would not take place.

What do we do ! .. .. not even condemnation .. .. some of us cry at heart !

With grief – adiyen dhasan

S. Sampathkumar

25.6.2020.

All photos in this post taken from twitter (source not known)