Shanidham – a new religious destination in Saptari

Shanidham

Every Saturday the Rupani-Birendra Bazar stretch of East-West Highway in Saptari District sees horde of visitors and auto-rikshaws queued up to get to Shanidham. The shrine, around three kilometres north from the highway, is nestled in the Churiya hills.      

When Satya Narayan Shah of Saptari’s Terhauta Village dreamed of seeing Shani under a shami tree, he had no idea the place would turn into a crowd-puller religious destination. It took him more than three months to locate the tree of his dream. The tree had six other trees, called bel, mirchaiya, gajahar, mehsan, fooldhap and koiraiya in local language, entwined at its root. Luckily, it was Saturday, considered auspicious day for worshipping Shani. He performed the first pooja of Shani at the site on 18 March 2000, remembers Shah who has been worshipping the shrine as the main priest since then.  

Lord Shani

Shani, son of Surya (sun) and Chhaya (shadow), is considered as harbinger of bad luck and Hindus worship him to ward off the evil and obstacles in their lives. ‘Shanibar’ or Saturday in Hindu calendar derives its name from Shani and Saturday is considered to be the best day to perform Shani pooja. “Worshipping Shani for seven consecutive Saturdays with seven set of ingredients – seven areca nuts, seven betel leaves, seven laddoos and seven set of any other materials have fulfilled wishes of many pilgrims,” said Satya Narayan Shah. “Even the children born being blessed by Shani have turned teenagers by now.”

108 Shivalingas

Lately, many idols have been added to the site. In the east of the tree is an idol of Shani followed by an idol of Ganesha and an idol of Gauri Shankar in the west of the tree. To the west of the tree 108 Shiva lingas have been added and idols of Radha Krishna, Vaishno Devi and Hanuman have been added to the site. However, priest Shah considers the shami tree to be the main adobe of Shani. 

“Pandavas hid their weapons in a shami tree before going incognito and retrieved them on the day of Vijaya Dashami,” said priest Shah recollecting the Pandava’s Agyaat Vaas (living incognito) in Mahabharat. “That’s why it is auspicious to see and worship a shami tree on the day of Dashami. It brings good fortune to the worshipper.” Shah found peace and solace after finding the shami tree and started studying religious texts. He is now a known astrologer and claims that shami tree is actually a ficus tree and not the thorny tree claimed by many.  

Lately, the shrine has turned into one of the major religious sites of Madhesh Province. Devotees from as far as bordering Indian districts and neighbouring districts of Nepal come here and worship Lord Shani for seven consecutive Saturdays to get their wishes fulfilled. 

The journey to the shrine is exciting. One has to cross a river several times and walk through the Churiya forests. Though there are no bridges on the river, motorbikes and auto-rikshaws can easily wade through the shallow waters. Since the road is not gravelled it gets muddy during the rainy season. But it doesn’t dampen the pilgrims’ spirit. 

With the increasing flow of visitors, petty traders have been earning incomes selling worshipping materials, snacks, toys and clothes every Saturday. However, this has also led to littering the area, particularly the stream with bottles, plastic plates, spoons and forks. The Shani Community Forest Users’ Committee comprising the erstwhile first four wards of Terhauta Village Development Committee, responsible for the caretaking of the site, needs to take this matter seriously.

“The shami tree needs to be conserved and watered regularly so that it remains evergreen,” added Shah. “An all-weather accessible trail to the shrine is also necessary looking at the number of devotees visiting Shanidham. Above all, the conservation of the Churiya hills is a must to preserve this site.” 

Not only the religious importance but the natural beauty of the place also attracts the visitors. Despite the difficulties to reach the site, devotees flock to the site not only on Saturdays but also on the weekdays. And thanks to social media, the photos and videos shared by the visitors have been attracting more footfalls and making the site more popular. The shrine, if conserved and promoted well, will help grow the local economy as well.

Republished from ECS.

Memories

It's neither the tree,

Nor its rustling leaves,

But the moments

That I spent

Together with my friends.

It's neither the tree's branches,

Nor the chirping brood in the nest,

But the songs

That I sang with my friends.

It's neither the tree's platform,

Nor the loitering dogs,

But the candid conversations

That I had with my friends.

When I returned here

After decades,

The only thing

That I missed

Were my friends,

The moments,

The songs,

And the conversations,

That have made

This tree indelible

In my heart.

Republished from my Instagram post.

When we meet again

When we first met

You were whiter than snow

And colder than ice.

I reminisce about

Hiking to your source --

A lake placid ---

And descending

Along the rocky slope

Hand in hand with you

Flowing incessantly.

I remember

Meeting a young man

Who got healed

Of snake venom

Plunging into your laps.

I have been witness

To your beauty eternal

And heard stories countless

Of you quenching

Travellers' thirst.

But

What did you get in return?

I can see

You have toned down

And turned brownish.

Somebody told me

The lake

Now is a happening spot

With boats ferrying

People making merry.

And

No longer

The migratory birds

Call it their home.

I am worried

How will you look like

When we meet again?

Republished from my Instagram post.

Climate of change

The snow-capped peak

Sneered at the change.

The wooden rooftops

Replaced by iron sheets

And the stone walls

Replaced by kiln bricks.

The beauty in uniformity

Had given way to modernity.

The landscape looked

Like tattered patches.

A scarred face,

Like shadows on the moon.

The village strove for change,

Stoked ambitions

To turn into a town.

But the silly peak

Wanted the time to stop,

Freeze in the past.

The villagers built roads,

brought vehicles.

And the vehicles

Brought everything.

With amenities galore

The village jeered at the peak

Scoffed at its wrinkles,

The dwindling snowline.

The peak decided to keep mum

And watch karma take over.

Republished from my Instagram post.

Walking along the Bagmati River - from Thapathali to Teku Dovan

Republished from ECS. 

Most of my friends look with shock when I talk about swimming in the Bagmati River during school lunch-breaks in my early years. It used to be a clean river; we picnicked on its banks and fished in the river. But, within a few decades, the river has turned into a stinky, lifeless gutter of garbage. However, not all has been lost. Many organisations are working to clean the river and restore the beauty of its banks and surrounding areas. Especially, the newly-built parks along the banks at Sankhamul offer a pleasant experience. However, if you are interested in history, art, and architecture, the heritage sites along the banks of Bagmati on the Thapathali–Teku Dovan stretch are a must-visit.

Chess park is a calm and quite junction in Thapathali.

The bridge connecting Lalitpur and Kathmandu districts at Thapathali sees snarling traffic throughout the day, and not many passers-by notice a small park adjacent to the bridge at its north-west corner. Known as Chess Park, it attracts chess lovers from early morning till late evening, and regular tournaments are organized here. The bridge, built by Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher, is also known as Rato Pul, or ‘red bridge’, due to its colour.

Bagmati River bank at Thapathali

As you pass through the chess park and walk along the river banks, you will come across akhadas (rest houses built for saints and sadhus)—Dasnami, or Sanyasi, Akhada, Udasi Akhada, and Bairagi Akhada. The akhadas were built to offer accommodation and food to saints from respective sects visiting Kathmandu on pilgrimage. You can still see the sadhus staying in these akhadas, especially during Shivaratri, when they visit Pashupatinath Temple.

Pushpa Das, a caretaker sadhu at an akhada in Thapathali

“Akhada is an open university for sadhus, where they’ve been getting trained since the Malla and Lichchhavi eras. People coming to Kathmandu for different work used to stay in dharmashalas and sattals (a resting/ gathering place) while the sadhus stayed in akhadas,” said Pushpa Das, the caretaker priest of one of the akhadas, who hails from Okhaldunga, but studied in Benares.

Jung Hiranya Hem Narayan Temple (as in March 2019). Most of it has been rebuilt now.

Nearby, you’ll see the Jung Hiranya Hem Narayan Temple being reconstructed with traditional materials like mortar, bricks, wood, and surki, containing brick dust and limestone. The temple was brought down by the 2015 earthquake. One of the most beautiful temples in Kathmandu, it derives its name from then Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana and his queens Hiranya and Hem, followed by Lord Narayan, or Vishnu. Interestingly, Jung Bahadur and his queens’ names precede the god's name. To the east of temple is a statue of Garuda, Lord Vishnu’s mount, and next to it is Jung’s statue on a pillar taller than the Garuda! It is said that he built this temple to seek penance for the killings at Kot Parva, where he killed many high ranking officials.

Vaidhya Chowk

As you walk westwards, you’ll come across Tukucha Khola, also called Ichhumati. The river originates from Maharajgunj in the valley and meets the Bagmati at Kalmochan Ghat. Sadly, the river looks like an open drain. As you walk towards the main road, you’ll see a small door with a sign, Vaidhya Chowk, to the north of the road. The Vaidhyas came from Bhaktapur and started living here when one of them was summoned to cure an eye ailment of the queen of a Rana. This chowk is so-named because of Hutaram Vaidhya, an agricultural engineer turned activist, who dedicated his life to saving the Bagmati River. He is also called ‘Bagmati Ba’ out of respect for his commitment.

Shivalingas by the roadside

Walking for a few minutes westwards along the road, you’ll come across two 300-year-old Shivalingas established on the entrance to a road leading to the banks of the Bagmati. This road will lead you to Tripureshwar’s Mahadev Temple, built by King Rana Bahadur Shah’s wife Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari. The largest temple complex in the Bagmati area is being renovated, but when we enquired, the wood pieces were being carved by carpenters from Assam, and were not as detailed as the old ones. However, the gajur of the temple was being renovated by local artisans, led by Shailendra Tamrakar.

Tripureshwar Mahadev Temple (as of March 2019)

Further to the south is Hanumansthan, with a huge Hanuman statue. Nearby are Shivalingas, a statue of Uma Maheshwar, and a Chaitya belonging to either the later Lichhavi period or early Malla period.

Hanumansthan

Ancient sculpture of Uma Maheshwar at Hanumansthan

As you head westwards, you’ll come to Chandra Ghat, named after then Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher. It houses a guest house meant for royal guests, now occupied partly by the District Police Office and partly by the eye hospital.

Guest House at Chandra Ghat

Sattal at Purohit Ghat with graffiti on its walls

Further to the west is Juddha Ghat, followed by Purohit Ghat. If you carefully look at the bottom of the entrance of the sattal, you’ll see two conjoined lions having a single head. If you look at them sideways, you'll think that it's the statue of a single lion, the same from the other side! A French artist, Seb Toussaint, and Spag from the Outside Krew, painted graffiti on the walls of the sattal before the 2015 earthquake, and it created a huge uproar among the Kathmanduites. Everybody thought that the artist had defaced the ancient structure, but he said that he painted it after being requested to do so by the temple priest!

A conjoined lion at the Purohit Ghat sattal

As you walk west, you’ll come across the main sattal, which has beautifully carved windows. Then, further west is Kaji Ghat, with a sattal and a Krishna Temple, followed by Hanuman Ghat, which houses a Ram Temple and another sattal. It’s a hub spot for old people to hang out in the early morning.

Hanuman Ghat

On the way to Teku Dovan is Pachali Ghat, and this stretch houses many beautiful temples like Bombikateshwar Mahadev Temple and Lakshmishwar Mahadev Temple at Pachali, and Jagannath Temple and Radhakrishna Temple at Teku. At Pachali Ghat, you’ll see sculptures of Buddha, ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Shivalingas, and Ashtamatrikas.

Cremation site at Teku Dovan

Radha Krishna Temple

Teku Dovan is the confluence of two sacred rivers, Bagmati and Bishnumati. The confluence houses the shikhara-style terracotta Radhakrishna Temple and other stone sculptures of Hindu deities, along with Buddhist chaityas. The place is also called Chintamani Tirtha by the Buddhists. While you’re being awed by all these temples and sattals, don’t miss visiting Pachali Bhairav, one of the most revered shrines of Kathmandu Valley. To learn in detail about the shrines in the Bagmati Heritage Walkway, read ‘The Bagmati: Between Teku and Thapathali – a Monument Guide’ written by Shaphalya Amatya, and follow the Bagmati Hangout group on Facebook.

The conservationist and the woodcutter

The conservationist sighed his frustration
And rebuked the woodcutter:
"Because of you people
We're losing the forests precious
And environment pristine."

***

The layman put down the firewood
And heaved a sigh of relief:
"Because of our forefathers
You're seeing the forest conserved
And the wildlife preserved."

***

The man from the city went closer
And proposed:
"Leave the forests alone
And we'll make sure
You people are food secure."

***

The man from the village sat down
And replied:
"Leave us as we are
And we'll make sure
You'll get everything pure."

Republished from my Instagram account.

Chhedingmo was my name

I used to wear
A strange dress
Called ghalek and lungi.
I looked strange
While others around me
Flaunted their gunyu choli
I always thought
Why only me?
Why do I look so alien?

My vernacular words
Seemed tongue twisters
To my new neighbours
So I thought of
Learning their language
And ended up
Speaking their tongue.

My culture and tradition
Started looking ages-old
And I don't know
How I started following
New customs and traditions.
It all happened
Gradually and gradually
Till I lost
My own identity.

So,
One day I decided
To get rid of
My old fashioned name
Chhedingmo
And started callling myself
Parvati.

***
Parvati Kunda is a religious high altitude wetland in Rasuwa district of Nepal bordering China. It's called Chhedingmo by Tamangs, the indigenous people of that region.

Republished from my Instagram account.