Kawar yatra and Baidyanath Temple

Out of countless Gods and Goddesses as is claimed by Hindu religion and supported by different mythological books ,Lord Shiva is believed as the supreme power and His divine power lies in Jyotirlinga, which is simply a symbol or a structure.

 

In India ,there are twelve jyotirlingas located at different places. Among them the jyotirlinga at Baidyanath temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand has its own significance ,also known as Kamna linga. The name itself reveals the meaning .Here ,Kamna means wishes or the linga that fulfills the wishes of an individual is called as kamna linga.

During sawan or monsoon season(July-August), also a sacred month of Hindus, thousands of pilgrims from different corners of  the world pay visit and offer holy water to the linga.The popularity of Baidyanath Temple is not only because of jyotirlinga but is also blessed with one more pilgrimage site. This is the only Hindu pilgrimage place in India where jyotirlinga and shaktipeeth are present at one place and very close to one another .

In the sawan month Baidyanath temple look differently because of kawar yatra Kawar is a wooden structure made of bamboo used to carry vessels full of holy water or Ganga Jal.Kawarias are the devotees of shiva who in saffron robes travel barefooted with kawar on the shoulder carrying the holy Ganga jal . 

Kawarias collect holy water or Ganga jal from Sultanganj in Bihar and after rambling through fields,uneven surface  covering 108 kms barefooted they reach Baidyanath temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand where they offer the Ganga jal to the Lord. Several help groups come forward and install makeshift camps along the way at different points to wholeheartedly serve the Kawarias by  providing free food and medical services along with space for rest. While trekking the route Kawarias chants hymns like 'Bol Bam' or ' Har Har Mahadev'.These words are used in praise of the Almighty .

But the question is why do  devotees  offer holy water to Lord shiva mainly in the month of sawan ?

The answer to this question is very simple. As per the mythological books the Lord shiva is also called 'Nilkanth' because during churning of the sea many things came out like nectar ,precious gems etc and also a pot containing poison . Among gods no one accepted the same .Ultimately, Lord shiva drank the whole pot full of poison and kept it in the' kanth 'or the neck region and He got the name 'Nilkanth'.

The affect of the poison is more felt during monsoon season and to lower the affect or to cool down, water is offered .So, the holy water is poured during the sawan  month on the Lord or linga.This is the reason behind offering the holy water.  Safforn-clad pilgrims or the Kawarias do the kawar yatra ,which is an annual pilgrimage for or on fulfilment of wishes they had sought from the Almighty.

    

Where to stay during kawar yatra?

Many dharmshalas and temporary settlements are present  along the way which provide free stay option or paid services are also available.

Where to stay at Deoghar?

In Deoghar many dharamshalas ,hotel at pocket friendly prices are available. Luxurious and comfy stay options are also there.

What precautions are to be taken in Deoghar and Sultanganj?

Do bargaining before purchasing any thing and before performing any puja or rituals ask the priest or the panda in advance about the charges or fees to be paid.

Important phone numbers.

From Sultanganj the route to Baidyanath temple is not smooth but has variations. The journey of Kawarias begins with trekking on gravel road and then starts kucha road with inner bare earth surface and a thin layer of sand on top .When wet the road turns muddy and slippery and baked hard when dry.With the fall of rain the road almost becomes impassable and needs precautions to walk.

A large number of temporary stalls made of plastic sheets and some having thatched roofs lined up on both sides of the route that leads to the Baidyanath temple.After every ten to fifteen metres there are stalls where all kinds of stuffs one could get starting from a cup of hot tea to complete food.The Kawarias also relax and take rests in these stalls as they all have wooden beds or chowki called in local language.Some must to eat stuffs on the way are kela jaelebi ,a sweet dish prepared from the pulp of ripened banana,Dahi-rabri (sweet curd and condensed milk ),then hot pure fresh boiled milk .Perhaps ,all these things collectively make this 108 kilometers walk more pleasurable.

Certain rules

that Kawarias follow while carrying the holy water are 

(1)  Not to tell lie during the Kawar yatra

(2) Not to eat non-veg food .

(3) After every nature's call take bath.

(4) keep a distance from stray dogs so that it should not touch the holy water.

These are the important measures that Kawarias follow while travelling barefooted or kawar yatra.

The route to Deoghar from Sultanganj and distances in kms are given below.

 Ajgaibinath (starting point)----Kamrai    6KMS

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Masumganj    (  2KMS )

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Asarganj ( 5 KMS)

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Rangaon ( 5KMS )

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Tarapur ( 3KMS )

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Madhodih ( 2KMS )

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Rampur ( 5KMS )

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Kumarsar ( 8KMS )

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Vishwakarma Tola ( 4KMS )

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Mahadev Nagar ( 3KMS )

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Chandan Nagar ( 3 KMS )

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Jalebia More ( 8KMS )

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Tageshwar Nath ( 5 KMS )

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Suiya ( 3 KMS )

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Shivlok  ( 2 KMS )

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Abrakhia ( 6KMS )

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Katoria ( 8 KMS )

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Lakshman Jhula ( 8KMS )

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Inaravaran ( 8KMS )

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Bhulbhulaiya  ( 3KMS )

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Goryari ( 5KMS )

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Patania ( 5KMS )

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Kolkatia ( 3 KMS )

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Bhotbangla ( 5KMS )

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Darshaniya ( 1KM )

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Baidyanath Temple

With arrival to Baidyanath temple the Kawarias take a holy deep into Shiv Ganga ,a pond which is believed to be the part of sacred river ,the Ganga.After bath the Kawarias offer the holy water ,collected from Sultanganj to the Jyotirlinga at the Baidyanath temple.

After Deoghar the Kawarias visit to Bashukinath temple which is also a place of pilgrimage. A 50 minutes short drive from Deoghar will take the devotees to Basukinath. Like Deoghar this place also draws tourists from across the globe. Here, also the Kawarias offer  holy water to  the shiv linga .It is a belief that kawar yatra will be incomplete without a visit to Bashukinath temple.

What to buy at Deoghar ?

Here devotees  mainly buy peda ,a sweet dish made from milk, bitten paddy ,Elaichi dana made from sugar and powered form of plum also  known by name 'bare churna'

What to do before planning Kawar yatra?

Book railway tickets in advance or make reservations before planning as rush during kawar yatra reach at its peak and getting reservation be

Sultanganj  

0641-2492202 

Police control room 0641-2400701

Control room100

Ambulance 102

Women's Helpline 181

Disaster Management 108

Deoghar important  Phone   nos

Baidyanath Temple 916432232295

9431418752

S.p  06432 232733

06641 226100

A short trip to Mumbai city 1 .

Think a megacity and almost instantly Mumbai comes on the lips.The city that never sleeps .Be a day or night it works tirelessly, without any pause.Here, none of the train,bus or any transport problems come just everyone enjoys the hassle free journeys.  One day  I don't know how a crazy thought  got better of me and arose  my mental hunger to see this dreamland.This mega city has lured me and others in more ways than one. It would not be wrong to say Mumbai ,a land of superstars, beaches and colourful nights. 

   The next morning  ,I got up pretty early and the rental car sped me toward the railway station. After an hour and a half I reached the railway station a bit early the scheduled arrival of the train .As I stepped in the platform the Mumbai bound train entered. The platform was packed full.The closer I got to my coach,the denser the crowd became but I didn't lose my patience.Anyhow I continued to worm my way through and occupied my seat.

The train was flagged off on time.Next morning in the early hours the hustle and bustle going around, in the coach woke me up.I opened my eyes and saw outside. It was kalyan station ,the first stop close to the main destination. The time was 3.40 AM .The interesting part was that even at that time and early hours the platform looked alike office hours ,full of commutters, and office goers.Again, after a short halt the train headed towards  the main and final destination.Then, my eyes fell at the hill along the railway track which was flooded with light .The space of the hill was covered with slums, not an inch vacant where there was  no temperory settlements.

 The view was tempting but raised many questions like how do they live? What happens in case of landslides? .But I didn't ask anything to anyone and kept mum.After about an hour the train rolled into Dadar station that connects the main and western line.Here, the condition of the passengers was very pathetic .All the passenger trains that passed me was packed full .The ladies compartment too  had the same picture.Many a passenger found travelling with no precautions ,simply hooked the fingers and toes while rest body parts waving outside the coach.To see these pictures I remembered and prayed to the God for their long life. Taking in the sights,sounds and smells on way ,I reached CSMT by 5.30 AM,the main destination of my journey.CSMT is the abbreviated form of Chhatrapati Shivani  Maharaj Terminus which is the heart of Mumbaikars.The building is old enough and being a historical monument it is focus of  attraction for tourists and travel enthusiasts. 

The unique thing that we hardly get a chance to see anywhere is having platforms on both the sides of the coach which is really convenient for the passengers and also reduce rush .Out the station ,to find a proper stay option in small budget is not an easy task but my ten minutes walk ,mental work helped me a lot and brought me to a  hotel of my choice .Here, even with a tight budget I managed to get a room .So ,happily I checked into .As I was new to this place I was a little nervous .But thanks to the manager of the hotel who himself came to my help and asked ''Sir, what's your planning tomorrow?" "Nothing sightseeing" I replied " .He kept mum for a second and told " Get ready in the morning "Now the problems to hit the road got solved.

It is said that in the beginning the CSMT was named as Bori Bunder railway station ,then the name changed  to Victoria Terminus followed by CSMT.This station has historical background and is also in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.Everywhere there was chaos .Every element that is required for calling it  a 'metro' like malls, markets, rush hour madness all is present here.

with sunset the city turns young and colourful ,fun ,parties all around that none wants to loose.Perhaps ,these are the reasons that attract travellers and tourists from different corners .

But ,here they come with different motives.Some keep a desire to experience the beautiful sights. Some come with a motive of shooting the images of the stunning beauty.Some come with a dream of becoming a  superstar.The wishes of some also get fulfilled here.

Post dinner ,I  strolled straight to  the busy street   crammed with traffic and I followed the way where the traffic were moving with slow pace .The route had a few restaurants to stay fueled and has some great places to stop.My slow  walk brought me to a place about which I had  only heard and read since childhood .It was Colaba. One of the most significant places for travellers.The Gateway of India and hotel Taj at the sea shore here are the main point of attraction that rejuvenate the heart and fill it with energy .Everyday scores of tourists visit these sites. About Colaba it is said that only affluent people live here.In  brief I could say that Colaba is a  blend of modern and old city.Tbe place bas a deep Portugal touch.It is said tbat Colaba was one of the seven islands of Mumbai which was ruled by the Portugal and was gifted to Charles II of  England as dowry when he married  Catherine of  Braganza.I devoted my first day to explore only  Colaba   but I was excited about the vistas that were about to unfold in front of me.