My Journey to Religious Places: December 2018

Toti Jharna temple at Ramgarh, Jharkhand

Introduction
Tuti Jharna is a very old Shiva temple in the district of Ramgarh in Jharkhand, India. Though it is not as famous as Chhinnamastika Temple it will get popularity very soon. The development of the temple is being taken up by the government. A unique feature of this temple is that a stream of water continuously flows down over a Shivalinga throughout the year. The temple is situated on a slope in the Bharech Nagar area of the Ramgarh town.

Shivalinga and the natural stream of water
at Tuti Jharna temple, Ramgarh

The small temple is very old and built in Bengal architecture. The floor of the temple is about two and a half feet down from the entrance level. Unlike other Shiva temples where the Linga is in the middle of the Garbh Grih (Sanctum Sanctorum), here the Shivalinga is in a corner. The level of the platform of the Shivalinga is about one foot deeper than the floor level. Over the water stream, the Vishnu statue is made on the wall and the stream water comes out from the Nabhi (Naval) of the Vishnu through a pipe and falls over the Shivalinga. In the local language, the small pipe is called a "Tonti", hence it got the name of "Tonti Jharna Mandir". Jharna means a stream of water. During this period, the "Tonti Jharna Mandir" was popularly called "Tuti Jharna Mandir". This stream here is called "Patal Ganga" which means a sacred river coming out of "Patal" (A mythological world situated below the ground).

A panoramic view of the Tuti Jharna Temple at Ramgarh, Jharkhand

Area around
After flowing over the Shivalinga the water gets out through the outlet in the adjacent wall. This water accumulates in a hilly Nala beside the temple which has a check dam. Thus it serves as a pond which is desirable near a temple. People either take a bath in it or take water (Jalam) to offer to Shiva.

Our Trip

Small Kali temple at Tuti Jharna campus
at Ramgarh, Jharkhand

When we reached here on the day of Christmas after a drive of one hour, it was about 11:00 AM and the temple was empty. Only two families of devotees were there. In the front, there was a small shop of Puja flowers and Prasada. On the right was a small Kali temple and its grill gate was locked. To reach the temple area we had to descend about 15 feet through the steps. In front of the temple are many Idols of Nandi kept in a steel cage-like temple. On both sides of the entrance gate, there are idols of Ganesha and Hanuman on the wall. But these were also kept in safety under steel grills. Inside the temple, the continuous water was falling over Shivalinga on the down platform. Above the outlet, there was an idol of Ma Parvati on the wall. We performed Puja there.

Shivalinga enclosed with heavy iron
grills at Toti Jharna Temple,
Ramgarh, Jharkhand

The disappointing thing was that the down platform on which the Shivalinga is placed is enclosed in heavy iron grills and we could not touch it. It could be seen only from the top. We had brought Gangajal and we offered it and the flowers from the top. Even the Vishnu idol from which the stream was coming out was covered in iron grills. When we asked the Punditji there he said that the enclosure iron grill was for the safety of devotees. A Nag snake resides in a hole around the down platform and it occasionally comes out near the Shivalinga. Hence the enclosure. In Hindu mythology, Shiva is fond of snakes and He always keeps the king of snakes Basuki around his neck. So he is also called Baba Basukinath. There is a famous Baba Basukinath temple at Jarmundi, Dumka, Jharkhand.

The pond near the Tuti Jharna temple
at Ramgarh, Jharkhand

The area around the temple is peaceful. There is an old and big Peepal tree on the campus. A big Champa flower tree is also near the temple which is on the upper level.

Nandi idols at Tuti Jharna Temple at Ramgarh, Jharkhand

Location and Direction

Google Maps - Ranchi airport to Tuti Jharna Temple

The location of the temple is in Bharech Nagar which is the northern part of the Ramgarh town. When coming from Ranchi or from Hazaribagh, it is better to enter the town from the Hazaribagh end. If coming from Ranchi cover the whole Ramgarh bypass road and take a U-turn to enter the city. From this point, the welcome gate is about two km. From the welcome gate, the temple is about one and a half kilometers distance. The distance from Ranchi airport to the temple is about 62 km.

The Stream - from the science point of view

A natural underground stream from the science point of view

Such streams are seen in the areas where the underground water-bearing layer is in a saucer shape. Above this layer, the clayey soil does not permit the water below it to permeate through it. So pressure builds in the water at the lower level just like a water-filled pipe in a U-shape. If at a point this water seeks a weak path above it, the water comes out as a stream. The Punditji also said that there are some hand pumps nearby in which the water continuously comes out without any effort. In school physics, such type of tube well is called Archimedes well.
Thus a visit to this temple is not only important from a religious angle but it is also beneficial for school students to understand the functioning of such natural phenomenon and have a live demo.

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