Saturday, January 9, 2016

Tapovan and Nawlakha Temple at Deoghar, Jharkhand

Contiued from the post Baba Baidyanathdham, Deoghar, Jharkhand.

Way uphill to Tapovan, Deoghar,Jharkhand

      From Baidyanathdham Temple the distance of Navlakha Mandir is 2.5 km and that of Tapovan is 14 km. We hired a taxi for these visits and the driver suggested that we should first visit Tapovan and then on the return journey to the Navlakha Temple because it is better to get back from Tapovan before evening. We agreed. 

           Tapovan is a small hill where some temples are located. Steps and inclined planes are made to reach the top where there is some fairly plain place. This place is also protected with railings at dangerous slopes. Visitors can see the sunset view from here and take pictures or just have good times with friends. But the special thing is the other path to go back to the base that is through stones and boulders. Descending through this way is adventurous and funny. 

A view of shops near parking at
Tapowan, Deoghar, Jharkhand

             Since it was the last week of the year and X-mas time, there was a rush of tourists here too. As soon as we stepped out of our taxi a group of monkeys surrounded us asking for food. My daughter was screaming with fright. But along with the monkeys came a groundnut seller boy selling packets of groundnut for Rs. 10/- each and these were for monkeys. We knew these monkeys were hard to drive away until given some food. So we bought two packets  and started to throw peanuts towards them but soon they forcibly took away these packets from our hand and went to other visitors. It was interesting to note that the monkeys did not ask for peanuts from the seller boy who had lots of packets but asked from the arriving tourists. It reminded me of the cows at Somnath who did not go to women selling green fodders but as soon as some visitors bought it and took it in his hand they would rush towards them.  
Take pics amid rocks at
Tapovan, Deoghar,
Jharkhand

              The visitors are not allowed with slippers and shoes on this hill because it is sacred. It is the place where a saint Balanand Brahmachari had his "Aashram" and he spent his time in "Dhyana" of god. So we kept our shoes and slippers in the taxi and went towards the entrance of the "Tapovan Hill". From pitch road to entrance there are shops on both sides that sell religious items, toys and household utilities. Next to it just when the steps begin there are a few temples. We paid our "Namaskar" to gods there and started to climb the hill. After rising some steps my old mother declined to go further and went back to the temples while we kept climbing. We enjoyed it and took many pics. We reached the top at sunset point where many tourists were having joyful times. Most of them were Bengali speaking. After spending some time here and shooting pics, it was the time to get down. We decided to take the way through stones and boulders but my wife refused to go this way when she saw the dangerous path. On the other way my daughter was keen to go through this path to have some fun and adventure. So my wife got down with son through the steps we had just climbed and me and daughter took the rough route. It took a lot of patience and carefulness to climb down. At a place we had to slide down through a small opening among stones and dropped about four ft to land on a narrow rock. A few times I doubted my decision and wished I had not come through this path. At last both of us came to the point from where steps begin and met our family. We were safe but exhausted. I was a bit angry for my daughter's stubbornness but she was happy and told that this fun and adventure will ever remain in our memory. 

An attempt to create illusion
at Tapovan,Jharkhand

               One point of interest in this rocky descend was a place where we saw a priest, a "Prasad" seller, and the flag of "Hanuman" but no idol of "Hanuman" was visible. When asked they pointed towards a rock that was split apart about five inches and said that the split surfaces had images of the god "Hanuman" - on one surface it was a raised image while on the other it was a copy in a depression. Since "Hanuman" had emerged here naturally by himself, hence worshiped. They had painted the image with red vermilion. Tourists could even touch it by putting their hand on the rock split.
Through these openings in rocks
is the downhill adventurous
path at Tapovan, Deoghar,
Jharkhand

                 Evening was close and we wanted to go back now but we were tired and in urgent need of a cup of good tea. Near the parking of our vehicle, there were a few shops selling "Pakoda", "Pyaji" and tea. We took these hot things, felt good, and started back to our next stoppage "Naulakha Mandir".
Entrance of Navlakha Temple
Deoghar, Jharkhand

                    This temple was built by a queen from Kolkata on the advice of the saint Balanand Brahmachari from "Tapovan". The queen had lost her son and husband when she was still young. At that time nine lakhs of rupees were spent over it which was a big amount then, so it was named "Naulakha Mandir". The queen Charushila became a devotee of "Krishna". Beautiful marble statues of "Radha Krishna" are installed here. The floors are also of marble. In fact inside the temple, it is clean and peaceful. When we reached here we found that they even do not allow cameras and mobiles inside the temple and the place where it was being deposited was crowded. The temple walls were not cleaned for many years nor the campus was well maintained. We stayed there for some time and took some snaps. The Sun had already set and darkness was increasing. So we decided to return back to our hotel.

Navlakha Temple at Deoghar
Jharkhand, India

                 This trip to Baba Baidyanathdham, Baba Basukinathdham, Tapovan and Naulakha Mandir was entertaining and satisfying. Happily, we boarded our train back to home that evening.   


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