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| Hateshwari Mata Temple |
After my joyful stint at apple harvesting in Ruhil dhar, we boarded
a bus back to Kharapathar, where I volunteered for apple grading. The bus was
to ply till Hatkoti, from where we had to board another bus going to
Kharapathar. That was a great opportunity to visit the famous Hateshwari temple
in Hatkoti. My host and I walked for half an hour from the Hatkoti bus stand
and reached the temple amidst a slight drizzle of rain.
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| Main entrance to the temple premises |
This ancient temple, built on the banks of the Pabbar river,
is dedicated to the Goddess Hateshwari, a form of Goddess Durga. While there
are no written records about the construction of the temple, some believed that
it was constructed by the Pandavas who spent a considerable amount of time at Hatkoti,
during their exile. Some others believe that the temple was built by Adi
Shankaracharya. Based on the style of architecture and sculpture, historians
claim that the temple must have been built during the reign of the Guptas,
between 6th and 9th century AD.
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| Exquisite wooden carvings. |
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| Note the intricacy. |
The entire structure, I observed were made
either in wood or stone, or a combination of both. I was particularly in awe of
the intricate carvings on the wood, especially on the ceiling, inside the
temples. And they have been remarkably well preserved, considering that the
temple is several thousand years old. Photography wasn’t permitted inside the
sanctum sanctorum but I’ll try my best to describe the Deity.
The form of Goddess Hateshwari is beautiful with eight arms
and is believed to be made of an alloy of eight metals. It is also said that there are inscriptions in
the sanctum sanctorum in the Brahmi script which is yet to be deciphered, but I couldn't spot them as it wasn't very well lit inside. The local people believe
that no one has been able to view the feet of the deity, as they believe it
touches the river Pabbar, on whose banks the temple stands. Another story which
supports this belief is when the Gurkhas, in the early 19th century
had established their stronghold in parts of Himachal Pradesh and wanted to
move the deity to another place convenient for them. The Gurkhas dug for hours
on end and days together, but couldn't move the idol by even an inch, since the feet were buried too deep to be dislodged.
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| The huge bronze pot tied to the statue of Lord Ganesh |
Outside the doorway of the sanctum sanctorum, you cannot
miss spotting a huge bronze vessel tied with a chain next to a beautiful idol
of Lord Ganesh. Legend says that there used to be two vessels instead of one,
at the doorway, but many years ago, a fiery rain storm caused the river Pabbar
to overflow and carry away both the vessels. The pujaris (priests) of the
temple tried their best to rescue the vessels in the thunder and rain storm but
could succeed in finding only one, which is tied near the doorway.
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| The Shiva temple. |
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| Closer view of the beautifully carved entrance. |
To the left of the sanctum sanctorum is the temple dedicated
to Lord Shiva, with exquisite carvings on stone and wood. There is a Linga
inside, and somehow the ambience, serenity and the dark interiors transported me
1000 years ago, when it would have been just the same, even then.
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| The five stone structures or 'deols' representing each of the Pandavas. |
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| A closer view of the carvings. |
Further to the left of the temple premises, there are 5
stone structures, locally called ‘Deols’, representing each of the Pandavas. I
loved the carvings of figures and motifs on stone on these too. The two
majestic bronze statues of lions guarding the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum
made for a lovely capture.
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| The majestic bronze lion. |
Feeling awed by the serenity and the rich history and
mystery of the temple, we sat inside the premises for some time, before
leaving, enjoying the landscape dotted
with the greens of the forest, whites of the clouds and colours of human
habitation.
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| The view from the temple premises. |
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