KUNJAR MAHADEV
From the times immemorial, huge number of residents from My Village Ladori and the adjoining villages had deep faith and visited Kunjar Mahadev, a sacred place for Hindus situated atop a pyramid type peak of Hathi Dhar. Being situated amidst mountainous terrain and there being no motorable approach to this shrine, only a day's foot journey is undertaken by the devotees from Ladori side. Though, being a cumbersome and difficult up, downhill and sideways walk throughout journey, devotees do not feel much fatigue and tiredness and complete the journey without any difficulty. Now, at present, I doubt if anybody from the village has ever visited the shrine in the recent past. However, steep and strenuous climb right up to the shrine, does not deter the old time devoted pilgrims from visiting Kunjar Mahadev every alternative year.
As legend has it, once upon a time, a spiritual old man of Gaddi clan happened to reach, though accidentally, at night fall along with the sheep herd, at an open and plain oval shaped open space, atop one of the unknown peaks of Hathi Dhar, a branch of Dhauladhar Mountain Ranges, in Himachal Pradesh. and had to stay there overnight. The sky was overcast and prickly sharp cold winds were blowing with intermittent showers. Somehow the Gaddi Mittar passed the night in a dilapidated shelter there along with his loyal dog.
As legend has it, once upon a time, a spiritual old man of Gaddi clan happened to reach, though accidentally, at night fall along with the sheep herd, at an open and plain oval shaped open space, atop one of the unknown peaks of Hathi Dhar, a branch of Dhauladhar Mountain Ranges, in Himachal Pradesh. and had to stay there overnight. The sky was overcast and prickly sharp cold winds were blowing with intermittent showers. Somehow the Gaddi Mittar passed the night in a dilapidated shelter there along with his loyal dog.
While leaving next morning, the Gaddi Mittar wanted to sharpen his sickle on a stone lying nearby. He took out his sickle from the bag and went near the partly buried stone. As soon as he rubbed his sickle on the stone once or twice, he saw to his surprise, that some drops of blood had emerged out from the stone! Since Gaddi was a religious man, he lost no time in understanding as to what might have had happened. He stood up erect, folded his hands, looked up towards the sky and shouted humbly in reverence and prayed God. He said "If You live here, You have to prove it". The man then walked around and collected some dry grass and twigs scattered there, heaped near the well and lit a fire there, prepared a thick and big corn roti and buried it in the ashes. He then stood up looking towards the sky and shouted again as if telling the God that he was leaving for home along with his sheep and would return again next summer and then he would like to eat this roti. Saying this, he set out for his onward journey, followed by the sheep and obedient dog!
Next summer, when the pious Gaddi Mittar came back along with his other family members after six months, he found to his pleasant surprise that the roti was freshly baked and was sizzling hot and smoky and the remnants of fire was still alive and the ash very hot! Gaddi Mittar felt enchanted and enlightened! He then sat on his knees with hands folded and prayed the Almighty in reverence and asked his family members to carry on to their further journey and leave him alone as he would stay here for ever and worship Shivji and would leave this materialistic world for ever as he had already been blessed by the Almighty by His Divya Darshan! However, his loyal dog was reluctant to leave his master's company!
Next summer, when the pious Gaddi Mittar came back along with his other family members after six months, he found to his pleasant surprise that the roti was freshly baked and was sizzling hot and smoky and the remnants of fire was still alive and the ash very hot! Gaddi Mittar felt enchanted and enlightened! He then sat on his knees with hands folded and prayed the Almighty in reverence and asked his family members to carry on to their further journey and leave him alone as he would stay here for ever and worship Shivji and would leave this materialistic world for ever as he had already been blessed by the Almighty by His Divya Darshan! However, his loyal dog was reluctant to leave his master's company!
As legend goes, it is believed that Shivji Maharaj is in sleeping posture. His Head is resting at Manimahesh, while His Charan (feet) are stretched up to 'Kunjar', an elephant type look-alike branch hillock of Hathi Dhar!
Quite some time later, Maharaja Jagat Singh of Nurpur Kingdom paid a visit to Kunjar Mahadev and worshiped Lord Shiva. He also got a pucca well constructed approximately 40 feet deep, in the center of the limited mela ground with its bottom covered with thick copper sheets to enable the falling rain water to accumulate in the well for two years and use by the devotees for holy bath on mela day.
Ever since, devotees started thronging the place which later turned out to be a worship ritual where a mela is organized after every two years, in the month of August where hundreds of pilgrims, petty businessmen, small time hoteliers, shop keepers, magicians and tea vendors start pitching their tents well in advance of mela day. This mela is held during night hours and groups of devotees sing and dance whole night in praise of devon ke dev Mahadev. Rain and wind storm never miss the occasion. People shiver with cold and huddle together under leaking and fluttering tents with wet clothes and tumblers of hot tea in their hands. They. somehow pass the night until 4 O" Clock next morning when holy bath from the rain water collected in the well starts. After holy bath, pilgrims start their climb down to their homes with a sense of satisfaction!
Quite some time later, Maharaja Jagat Singh of Nurpur Kingdom paid a visit to Kunjar Mahadev and worshiped Lord Shiva. He also got a pucca well constructed approximately 40 feet deep, in the center of the limited mela ground with its bottom covered with thick copper sheets to enable the falling rain water to accumulate in the well for two years and use by the devotees for holy bath on mela day.
Ever since, devotees started thronging the place which later turned out to be a worship ritual where a mela is organized after every two years, in the month of August where hundreds of pilgrims, petty businessmen, small time hoteliers, shop keepers, magicians and tea vendors start pitching their tents well in advance of mela day. This mela is held during night hours and groups of devotees sing and dance whole night in praise of devon ke dev Mahadev. Rain and wind storm never miss the occasion. People shiver with cold and huddle together under leaking and fluttering tents with wet clothes and tumblers of hot tea in their hands. They. somehow pass the night until 4 O" Clock next morning when holy bath from the rain water collected in the well starts. After holy bath, pilgrims start their climb down to their homes with a sense of satisfaction!
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