As I mentioned in my last post (Kaali Mathh), Mother Kali first appeared as Kalyani in Dhari Devi. Dhari Devi is local name of this temple given by Garhwalis because the temple is situated on the fast flowing Alaknanda river.
The temple is dedicated to Mother Kali and a head of black stone, coming out of rocks is worshipped here.
The temple is situated between Rudraprayag and Srinagar and can not be missed because of dozens of shops selling prasad. We parked our car beside the road and went down about 1 Km and reached the main temple.
There is an interesting legend about this temple. As you know sacrificing goats and sheeps is very common in Himalayas, hence this temple was a center for local people to sacrifice animals on occasion of marriage or child birth. The head priest would sacrifice the animal and would keep the most delicious parts as भेंट to Kali and return the caracass as Prasad. Priest was also given a bottle of local whisky to enjoy later. Meat and alcohol is common among brahmins and priests of Himalayas due to, perhaps, scarcity food and need of extra energies needed in such a cold place.
So one night the head priest was awakened by someone and he saw Mother kali standing near his bed, eyes red with anger. She asked the priest to stop sacrificing the animals in her name, otherwise she would destroy his family. The priest woke up next morning in high fever and trembling with fear and announced “No more Balis” in the temple. The locals were infuriated as nobody believed his dream ! But seeing the adamant priest, who himself was enjoying the bali meat, they decided that the sacrifice will not be done at the temple but at Bhairon Gufa, 1 Km ahead the stream. So this Kali temple became the first sacrifice free temple of Devi in Uttranchal. I leave your own mind to judge the story as per your belief.
There is no place to stay at Dhari Devi, so we moved forward and reached Devprayag. Just before Devprayag there is a turning to the right. A Garhwal Tourism hotel is situated on that turning. If you wish to visit next Devi in the series of Kali Math, this hotel is the right place to stay.
Turn right from Devprayag, crossing the Hotel . . this road goes to Tehri Dam. After 22 Kms of journey we reached a place called Jamni Khaal. We left the straight road going to Tehri and turned right towards Chandrabadni Devi after crossing some 8-9 Kms uphil. The road is small but new without potholes.
There is ample parking area with one tea shop. Chandrabadni temple was at a trek of 1.2 Km from parking. The trek is cemented and well railed from sides. After about 45 mnts we reached the top. Earlier there was no facility of night stay here, but now they have some 4 rooms to stay at night and a restaurant, cheap and with OK food. Water is scare here so dont waste it. Since Chandrabadni is on top of the hill and highest point in that area, we can see Chandrabadni clearly from afar after leaving Srinagar for Devprayag. The clouds are far below our level and there are high speed winds. The temple is very clean and is well maintained.
There were only a few visitors in the temple and the Dhol walas were beating it mercilessly to get their last tip of the day and go home. We had a quick puja, enjoyed some paranthas with hot tea and came down to the parking.
We further continued upto Tehri Dam and had a look at this wonderful structure. The road was very bad. 2 Kms tar road and then Kucha road for 5/6 Kms. In the way there are some tiny villages where we can have some refreshments.
The intial programme was to go to next temple of Surkanda Devi from here, but all of us decided to leave it for next trip. More over we had to stay at our favorite spot at Kaudiyala and serve Awasthiji with some carbon hydrogen oxygen compound to remove his fatigue. So we turned back and reached DevPrayag again.
Another view of Dev Prayag from Bridge over Bhagirathi.
Camp of rafters across Ganga river
CAMP KAUDIYALA: 35 Kms from Devprayag on Rishikesh road comes Camp Kaudiyala. I became fan of this place in 1982 when we came to Devprayag from Delhi on scooters. Then this was a camp site for the road maintenance staff and Garhwal Tourism put some tents on the banks of Ganga river. We had then stayed first time in tents and this place became our favorite spot to stay on our journeys to further places. Whenever we come to this side, we always spend a night here before reaching Delhi.
The place is now a big tourist camp with log huts, paved ways, a well managed Dhaba but they have still kept some tents as reminiscence of the past. The Ganga create so much sound here that it is difficult to listen to each other.
But sitting in the open, besides roaring Ganga and remembering your past journey… gives you such a satisfactions that you feel re-energised and ready to face the traffic jams of NCR.
Route for all these places is Delhi – Meerut – Haridwar -Devprayag-Srinagar-Rudraprayag-Augustmuni – Guptkashi -Kali Math. Dhari Devi is on the way between Srinagar and Rudraprayag. Chandrabadini is 22 Kms right from Devprayag. Camp Kaudiyala is on the way back from Devprayag to Rishikesh.
Due to a dam being built in Srinagar, the historical temple of Dhari Devi will be drowned in the lake of the Dam.
there is a lot of hue and cry among the locals, and there have been many meetings to solve the issue. The height of the dam can not be reduced, nor can the dam be cancelled.
When we reached there, engineers were working on a wonderful solution. to cut the rocks and raise the platform of temple premises by 70 meteres. If this happens it will not only save the old sacred temple, but also will be a scientific miracle…
let us see what finally happens !!!
Nice Post & Pic…. Too.
tks riteshji
Amazing narrative and pictures, Silentsoul, especially, the picture of the Chandravadani temple. In that picture, I have noticed that there is a communication tower which appears to be higher than that of the temple’s spire (Shikhar). The convention is that when there is a temple in the vicinity, nothing is built which is taller than the temple. I wonder why this convention has been flouted in this case.
I also found it amusing that Silentsoul gets energised, paradoxically, by the roar of Ganga Maiyya as she rushes past Camp Kaudiyala. Sometimes there is great peace within in spite of all the din around you.
Regarding the dam which is likely to submerge the Dhari Devi temple, I am reminded of the temple of Abu Simbel, in Egypt, which would have got submerged after the Aswan Dam was built in the 1960’s. An internationally funded project was launched by UNESCO for relocating this ancient temple.It involved sawing the temple into blocks weighing 20 tons or more, relocating and reassembling the temple at the new site which was an elevation of 65 metres.
The task is technically feasible; all it needs is political will and allocation of funds. You can read about it at this website:
http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2011/03/classic-projects.cfm
LOL..yes Narayanji ! tks for you gr8 remarks. Modern technology is spoiling the spiritual moods… dhari devi being submerged in a lake, a tower is built about temple…etc etc
We all have peace inside us… waiting to be uncovered by removing the artificial noise wrapped by us around it.
some places have such vibrations which help in finding or rather exploring the peace within..
tks
pls read ” a tower is built above temple…etc etc” (above in place of about)
beautiful pics of chandrabadni devi and bhagirathi.
please let know about cemara.
tks vashishthji for yr kind comments. The camera I used is simple- Nikon Cookpix (12 mega pixels). I think with professional cameras the fotos can be more detailed.
Nikon Coolpix -S 2500 12 mps 4 x zoom
Chanderbadni , Surkanda Devi , Dharidevi , Jwalpadevi …etc are worth visiting temples in Garhwal . My village is very close to Chanderbadni.
https://www.ghumakkar.com/2009/06/28/a-divine-yatra-to-dev-bhumi-uttrakhand/
yes mahesh ji I read in your posts. Glad ! so our next visit to Chandrabadni will end as guests in your village ? LOL I have gone to chandrabadni 3 times…and everytime the experience was different and always spiritually enlightening
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I wrote many things in the honour of Guruji and Jat Devta but I am surprised this colmn is empty.
Moun Aatma ji,
Aapki yah post bhi badi manoranjak tatha gyanvardhak rahi. camp of rafters ka chitra bada hi sundar laga. Aapne hamare ek prashna ka uttar ab tak nahin diya, Ganga maa ka sabse swachchh swaroop hamen kahan milega, yadi sambhav hua to ham ganga snan pehli baar wahin karenge.
Dhanyawaad.
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Tks kavita ji…. so we were lucky to have visited Gaumukh, now I heard it is almost impossible to go there due to restrictions.
But i am happy that govt is not allowing pubic there because heat of so many bodies was affecting the glacier and people were making it a trash-place throwing water bottles wrappers and what not
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maa ne apna rudra roop dikha hi diya….aur hatao mandir unki jagah se..:( maa sbko chama karain aur sbki raksha kare..
as per the full article which i hv read tonight first time,the last line was the type of question asked tha LETS SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN FUTURE WHEN DEVI MAA TEMPLE WILL BE SHIFTED TO UPPER HILL.We got the answer as the movement devi maa murti was just took from the place at 7.30 p.m. in the evening,that very movement lord shiva got angry and the weather changed in a horrible manner and all the people ,priests who were there to get the murti of maa on the upper level,with in no span of time ran away from there for their lives.and by 8 in the night ,this fury started way back from badrinath and kedarnath by all the sisters of dhari maa(river mandakni ,alaknanda,ganga )got angry and started playing havoc all over the state.THIS IS THE REALITY FOR EVERY YUGA that nobody has a right to get SHIVA AND KALI(shakti)away from each other for a mili second.as KEDARNATH and DHARI MAA started their aradhna on both the areas way back 800 years ago.aftr 800 years on 16th june 2013 this fury came.This is just the trailor made by LORD SHIVA to get his cnsort away from him for a while.Its better now to make the sthapna of the murti.otherwise this will prove havoc in future.
Dhaari Devi temple has very high spiritual vibrations and power of this temple is clear from the incident of sacrifice, which I mentioned. Dhari Devi (Mother Kali) is treated as caretaker of CharDham… and when she was disturbed, all char Dham saw the disaster.
Is it not surprising that the moment, Kali’s idol was moved from its seat, there was cloud burst in Uttrakhand, specially in Kedar Nath. But who cares for the sentiments of hindus ?…even hindus themselves make fun of our faith.
Dhari Devi is another name of Prakriti… and we humans have been disturbing the Nature in the name of progress and dams…. Prakriti has taken her revenge from us.
Hello SS,
Yes, Judged it, and got your point. Now First reaction. Ha Ha Ha…… and continues. Why? Let me quote you…..”priest would sacrifice the animal and would keep the most delicious parts as ???? to Kali and return the caracass as Prasad”
Second Point, offering whisky, here in Guwahati also, there is a temple named as Bagala Devi Temple, situated near Maa Kamakhya Temple, where on every Tuesday all rich businessman specially Contractors & Suppliers, offer their Puja with bottle of alcohol, and you won’t believe the queues are very long. Does Maa Kali also give blessings in return?
This is yet another master work of yours. I enjoyed reading it thoroughly. Your style of narration is superb. Great Job Boss! Will read the next another time. Till then OK Bye.
Hi SS ji
Many thanx fir the link you provided and made my day to read such an insughtful travel story.
The question of sacrifice is really a complex one.
I do not know how and when it came into practice.
If we say, the goddess herself prihibted this, then many questions appear on the authenticity of such religious books, which support this concept.
The reference of Carbon- Hydrogen-Oxygen compund is master piece and fully justifies the time you spent in your Chemistry classes. Cheers to Awasthi ji!
Thanx for the nice link…
Thanks Anupam & Avtar jio for reading this old story :)
I am saddened at the blatant commercialization of pious places. We indians are not worthy of such a great spiritual heritage.We never learn , we see only our bellies and leave the rest to rot. It is no wonder that natural calamities occur and thousands die…as you sow so you reap. Pray before the murti in your home with a pure heart, help a needy person near you. God will never be pleased with someone going to chardham yatras and destroying nature with impunity.