Source:
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Stone+idols+of+Kumaon&artid=7Ryr2oc2U1Y=&SectionID=OptbZECmFoc=&MainSectionID=OptbZECmFoc=&SEO=Jageshwar,+Kumaon+hills,+travel&SectionName=dl2XZklJ2/w=Debraj Mookerjee
If you have decided to visit the inviting Kumaon hills, don’t forget Jageshwar. Nestled in a cul-de-sac, this little town comprises a cluster of almost 200 temples set against the backdrop of a breathtaking deodar forest that rises symmetrically across the face of a hill which climbs sharply at the point where the temple compound ends next to a stream.
Jageshwar is not just another temple town in Uttarakhand. Here, you don’t find the hordes of Haridwar or the madness of Madurai. What makes this temple different from others is its anonymity. It is located barely 35 km from Almora on the Almora-Pithoragarh highway. The point to watch out for is Aartola village, from where you need to take a left turn. The road from here grips the edge of a little river valley, swings past what is known as the Dandeshavara cluster of temples, and three kilometres on, plonks you abreast the KMVN (Kumaon Vikas Mandal Nigam) tourist rest house, which overlooks the main temple complex located across the road.
The rest house is nowhere near stately,
but affordable with rates varying from Rs 800 for a double to Rs 1,000 for a family room. With an affable manager at hand, the overall experience of the place is quite reassuring; the chef turns out cheap puri subzi for breakfast. Oh yes, the menu (indeed the town) is strictly vegetarian. True to its Shaivite tradition, the place is liberal when it comes to imbibing uplifting spirits.
If you schedule a two-night stay, you would likely manage two memorable outings.
One day can be devoted to exploring the temples, finished off by attending the evening aarti. The other can be kept aside for some serious exploration along the deodar-lined river bed for a kilometre or so up to the Dandeshavara temple, besides those side trips up the hillside at points where your fancy takes over. A little packed lunch can make for magical togetherness amidst the rustling breeze and some serious solitude.
The presence of the deodar is not wholly incidental. Ruskin Bond has written somewhere that the name derives “from the Sanskrit deva-daru (divine tree)...sacred in that its timber has always been used in temples, for doors, windows, walls and even roofs”, especially in the north Indian hills.
Of the numerous stone temples in this group, the prime attraction is the Maha Mrityunjaya temple, apparently the oldest, built some 1,400 years ago. Other temples, like the ones dedicated to Surya, Navagraha and Neelkantheshvara belong to a later age when the Katyuri kings added to the existing structure age some 800 years later. Four hundred temples are thought to have existed here at some point, of which less than a half survive now.
Some temples are tiny and you might have to move into them sideways. There are some big structures, but let not the count of hundred lead you into expecting a gargantuan temple complex. Moreover, the temples of Jageshwar belong to the simple Nagara style (north Indian temple architecture). The stone icons are various and impressive and the backdrop breathtaking.
The Maha Mritunjaya temple is ‘somewhat’ unique (the local priests claim it’s one of its kind, but there are other Maha Mritunjaya temples, though arguably of less importance than the one here). People spend a lot of money getting incantations read to help breathe life into their near and dear ones who’re critically ill. Perhaps they do not realise the Maha Mritunjaya chant is a potent mantra meant to release mortals from the cycle of rebirth; unlike what popular belief suggests, it is not particularly efficacious in preventing death! The fact that Jageshwar is revered as one of twelve jyotir linga shrines across India adds to the sanctity of the Maha Mritunjaya temple. That the temple complex is associated with the Lakula tradition (named after Lakulisha Acharya who lived about 200 BC), which broached a severe ascetic form of worship, accompanied by sacrifice and yogic practices, adds to the mystery and wonder that every ancient Shiva temple evokes.
Once you’ve torn yourself away from worship, you can amble through the tiny bazaar, picking up for people back home bric-a-brac, especially little temple bells that ring with a mellifluous tinkle. That done, a short visit to the recently opened museum set up by the Archaeological Survey of India is not a bad idea. It almost straddles the KMVN complex, so demands little by way of a walk.
You need to remove your shoes, and leave your camera in its saddle — no photography allowed, since sarkari diktat rules. You can take photos inside the blue mosque in Istanbul, even as the faithful are crouched in devotion offering namaz, but you can’t click the amazing array of idols recovered from the temple complex at Jageshwar. That minor crib aside, the box of a museum gives you a fair indication of the range of deities worshipped at Jageshwar, besides depicting the myriad sculpting styles that have contributed to the idols carved over the ages.
And just by the way, the walk up the river valley is not wholly devoid of danger. If you’re going to take my advice about the picnic thing and trek up the boulder-laden track, don’t lose your nerve if you spot leopard pug marks on the sandy patches. There is a bit of wildlife around these parts, and while an antelope might spring a nice surprise for the family, a night walk might just end up in an undesired encounter.
— debraj.mookerjee@gmail.com
factfile
Jageshwar is 370 km from Delhi. Various route options: Delhi-Rampur via Ghaziabad, Gajrola, Moradabad (NH24), Rampur-Kathgodam (NH87E), Kathgodam-Almora via Bhimtal (State Highway). From Almora to Pithoragarh (take left towards Jageshwar (2-3 km) at Aartola village, some 34 km from
Almora). The nearest railhead is Kathgodam, 118 km away and the nearest airport is
Pantnagar, 150 km away. Attraction: Bridh Jageswar, a hilltop trek away, offering
magnificent views. Log onto
www.kmvn.org/index.aspx for more information.