Rajesh Dutta

Surrounded by many scenic places, lush green terracesand scenic Himalayan mountains covered with snow,Manma Mata shrine is situated at village Khargala, whichis about 6 kms south of Kalakote tehsil on the Jammu-Rajouri road via Kalakote route in Rajouri District.

Over the last few years, a beautifully painted temple hasalso been built by the devotees of Manma Mata on theroadside near this shrine. Besides private vehicles, everypassengers' bus, tempo travel, sumo and other commer-cial vehicles stop here for a while to pay obeisance to Man-ma Mata and get blessings of Mataji in the form of parsad.This holy temple and shrine is greatly revered because ofits spiritual powers as a result of thousands of devoteesfrom different parts of Jammu region particularly the twinborder districts of Rajouri and Poonch visiting it everyyear just to get blessings of Manma Mata Ji while payingofferings to the deity in the form of flowers, coconuts, ver-milion, sweets and incense sticks.

HISTORYManma Mata shrine provides testimony to the cultur-

al and historical past of Rajouri district. This region findsprominence in Mahabharata and is said to have been vis-ited by Pandava brothers during their exile, who stayedfor a long period at Panjnara village, which is an anotherhistorical place situated about 8 kms from this cave. It isbelieved that Pandavas worshiped and meditated here fora while to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva and Manma Mata.Moreover, other evidences can be found in the writings ofYuan Chawang - a Chinese traveller and writer, who hasbriefly mentioned Poonch and Rajouri in his writingsalong with the temples built there. He also mentioned thereign of Kambojas in 7th century.

LEGENDSAccording to the local folklore and legends, Lord Shi-

va had visited this scenic terrain through a cave which islocated near the shrine. This cave is later believed to havebeen used by Lord Shiva for travelling to Kashmir.

An another legend says that Manma Mata herself cameto this place and then meditated here for long time in thepeaceful environment of this place thereby confining her-

self for many years in the cave. A Local myth also says that once a bull fell off from the

high mound where the cave is situated, but didn't receiveany injury and remained protected due to spiritual pow-ers of Manma Devi. Ever since, this cave has been reveredand worshipped by the natives of this region.

While interacting with Pandit ji, it has been revealedthat there are several sanctum sanctorum in the form of"natural pindies", dedicated to Goddess Shakti and her dif-ferent incarnations such as Vaishno Devi, Manma Deviand Kali Mata are present inside the cave.

He also said, according to the legendary tales, GoddessManma Mata alights on Earth from her heavenly abodeand stays in her maternal abode in the mountains during"Navratras". Since that period, traditional offerings andreligious prayers are held which begins in lunar month ofAshvin with dates of various important rituals being deter-mined in accordance to the Hindu Lunar Calendar.

This temple complex is best visited during the monthsof Navratri (April/September) when devotees from far andnearby come all the way to seek blessings of powerful god-dess.

While Chaitra Navratri held in April ends with RamNavami, celebrations of Sharad Navratri culminates withDusshera and Durga Puja. Devotees of Manma Mata pre-fer to observe a fast during this period and refrain fromalcohol, non-vegetarian food and other material pleas-ures.

A big Yagya is being held at this shrine every year onthe eve of Navratras which is a major source of attraction.This festival of Navarati is quite famous in the regionwhere thousands of devotees from far- flung villages andnearby places take part. The environs echoes with loudmusical chants in praise of Manma Mata during this peri-od and the ambience is totally electrifying and highly spir-itual.

Moreover, it is a place of joyous festivities and celebrations dur-ing Navratri. With passion, devotion, faith and festivity in the air,devotees strive to seek blessings of the Goddess Manma Mata forknowledge, wealth, prosperity and other potent powers to face prob-lems and hurdles in their life.

Devotees visiting Manma Mata Temple also like to goaround and have mesmerizing experiences of its captivat-ing lakes and beautiful hills. This region is appropriatelyknown as the "Vale of Lakes".

Moreover, the hot water spring, located about 5 kmfrom this religious place is another major source of attrac-tion for locals and tourists in Kalakote tehsil. It is not onlyfamous among the locals and other parts of Jammu andKashmir region but the tourists from Punjab andHimachal Pradesh also visit this place in huge numbers toget relief from the vaious orthopaedic ailments, which they

believe to get rid of by taking a bath in the pool of naturalhot water springs present over there.

HOW TO REACHDevotees, visitors and tourists wishing to experience

the spiritual enchantments of Manma Mata shrine can doso by availing regular bus services to the Rajouri districtby Kalakote route from Jammu bus stand or from Srina-gar to Kalakote by a special service of JKSRTC via MughalRoad. They can also hire taxies, tempo traveller or sumowhich brings them to this beautiful hillside location.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2015 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazineAA ffeeeell ggoooodd mmoovviiee........PPaaggee 44 Purans : source of supreme truth....Page 3

Manma Mata Shrine

Lalit Gupta

With J&K State writers like GulamNabi Khayal and Marghoob Banihali,joining the bandwagon of over 34writers of different languages acrossthe country, who have returned theirSahitya Akademi Awards in protestagainst the so called spread of ‘com-munal poison’ and ‘rising intoler-ance’—the award ‘vapsi’ tamasha hasliterally arrived home. The so-called‘literary revolt’ by creative writerslapped up by media channels to holdkangaroo courts with self styled jurymembers comprising of glibspokespersons and ideologues ofpolitical parties sharing podium withso-called rationalists, secularists,democrats and right wing fundamen-talists and the cultural elite—hasraised many questions about the realintention of ‘protest’ by award win-ning writers.

Since the Kashmiri writer Gulam Nabi Khayal con-nected his ‘protest’ with delayed government reaction on‘Dadari lynching incident and Banihali linked his return-ing of award to attack at Udhampur on a truck driverfrom Kashmir among other things, the question that aris-es is that why this sudden stirring of the conscience andwhy these writers did not raise their voice when in pastdecades, the aftermath of gruesome acts of violence byextremists against innocent citizens led to large scalemassacres and subsequent displacements of communi-ties including Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs.

Though veteran celebrated Kashmiri writer AkhtarMohi-ud-din, was the first awardee to return his award,he won in 1958, to protest Maqbool Bhat's hanging inTihar in the year 1984. He returned his Padma Shreeaward later in the wake of violence in 1990s. One is leftto wonder, whether the recent ‘protest’ by Khayal andBanihali like other writers in the country is really a caseof intellectuals ‘finding’ better late than never muchneeded strength to voice dissidence against the so-calledprevailing political situation that allegedly tends to play

havoc with the composite fabric of the country or it isjust an act of careerism or simply to hog ‘fifteen minutesof fame’.

In the light of blame game by so-called ‘secularists’writers who hold responsible the present BJP govern-ment for failure in protecting the minorities, one is tempt-ed to place the recent spate of ‘award vapsi’ as a ‘manu-factured revolt’ to malign the incumbent government.

As a sheer look at chronological shortlist of placeswhich were subject to communal clashes and killings dur-ing ‘secular times’ of Congress led government—such asTurkman Gate, Marichjhapi, Moradabad, Mandai, Nel-lie, Delhi, Malliana, Hashimpura, Bhagalpur, Gawakadal,Bombay, Bijbehara, Sopore, Godhra, Naroda Patiya—one cannot but see clearly that the ‘secular’ ‘award vap-si’ individual writers are votaries of a particular politicalideology who in past never had the conviction as well asgumption to lodge protest.

Darshan Darshi, a Dogri poet and writer and 2006Sahitya Akademi awardee, warns writers to not tobecome a fool twice: Firstly by accepting the award andsecondly by returning it! Clearing the air about SahityaAkademi, New Delhi, he said the organization is anautonomous body which gives the Sahitya AkademiAward every year to writers who write in 24 different lan-guages it supports. It also provides Sahitya Akademi Fel-lowship for lifetime achievement.

The award, apart from being the national recognitionof a writer/poet for his outstanding contribution to thelanguage and literature to which his book belongs, alsohelps the winning writers as their award winning booksare translated into different Indian languages.

Om Goswami, well known Dogri writer and 1986Sahitya Akademi awardee, opines that writers are justgetting sentimental. “It is an award given by body of writ-ers to other writers in recognition of their contributionsin literature”. He further said that writers by nature arehumanists who believe in equality and equanimity.“Their views automatically find expression in their works,then what’s the need to trumpeter one’s views in a non-literary fashion when can express his idea in writing”.

Mohan Singh, the celebrated Dogri poet and 1991

Sahitya Akademi awardee said that writers have to be vig-ilant about happenings in society and it is good that writ-ers are raising their voice against recent incidents butreturning Sahitya Akademi awards seems to be a mis-placed act. He said unlike J&K State Cultural Academywhere Chief Minister is its president and Governor thepatron, the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, is anautonomous literary body and its award is not a govern-ment award. If the writers have any grievance with thegovernment they should register their protest by return-ing awards given by the government like State awardsand Padma awards.

Padma Sachdev, well known Dogri poet and secondSahitya Akademi awardee, who got the national honourin 1971 at the thirty of age, said that every day there aremany reasons to return one’s awards. But recent spateof award vapsi was a wrong way of lodging one’s dissi-dence. She asked where these writers were when 1984riots happened. Why writers are silent now when smallgirls are being raped on streets and when day in, day outwomen are being subjected to domestic violence. She saidlinking Sahitya Akademi awards to with a protest againstthe government, is belittling one of the nation’s highestliterary honours.

Shiv Nirmohi, writer of more than 30 books on vari-ous aspects of Jammu’s culture, who has also beenbestowed with many national awards, says that such an actby writers smacks of some kind of conspiracy to malignthe present government. The writers are towing the linewhich is often associated with super- intellectual class whothinking themselves to be above everyone including thepoliticians, take pride in espousing an international out-look and are often dismissive of indigenous cultural moor-ings. He also blamed media for being biased and becom-ing mouth pieces of different political ideologies.

Khalid Hussain, acclaimed short story writer ofPunjabi and winner of 2104 Punjab Shiromani SahityaAward, said that writers are erring in connecting SahityaAkademi Award with politics. Decrying the recent spurtin the acts of intolerance, he said such an atmosphere isinstilling fear in minorities. All efforts must be made tocurb right wing Hindu fundamentalists from destabiliz-

ing the country’s composite fabric. Writers are gifted withthe power of pen and they should use it to spread mes-sage of amity and tolerance.

Interestingly many Kashmiri award winning writershave also shared in media almost similar view on theaward returning acts by writers. As reported in press, MZaman Azurda, a noted Kashmiri writer who wasawarded by the Akademi in 1984, while saying he was heis against the rising communal atmosphere in India, reit-erated that if writers oppose the government on differentissues the Sahitya Akademi has nothing to do with it. “Isay you cannot return the Sahitya Akademi Award on thisissue. This is no way to protest. These awards were giv-en by writers. So what is the point of returning theseawards to the Government?” he said.

“If writers are returning an award in protest againstKannada writer MM Kalburgi’s killing or against therecent Dadri incident, they should also have protestedagainst the Godhra and Muzzafarnagar riots as well,” headded.

Farooq Nazaki, Who got a Sahitya Akademi awardin 1995 for his poetry collection, said that secular forceswould always “shine” in a country like India. “It’s a greatcountry with great people; however, there are narrow-minded elements in society who create a communalatmosphere in the country. India is an amalgam of dif-ferent cultures, races and people. It may look intolerantright now, but it’s great in its values,” he said.

In the words of eminent historian and columnist,Ramachander Guha, if there is one thing that the writ-ers’ revolt has proved it is that freedom of expression inIndia has never been more robust. But at the same timehe blames writers of inconsistency and their recent act asa case of selective outrage.

He further says the writers ‘revolt’ may have gainedthem more publicity than they had in their literarycareers, but the irony is that they have ended up makingthe Prime Minister look like the victim of an unwarrant-ed and irrational attack. They have also ended upbesmirching their own credibility, except in the eyes offoreign correspondents in Delhi and Indian writers wholive in New York like Salman Rushdie and Amitav Ghosh.

LITERARY REVOLT OR SELECTIVE OUTRAGE

The cave of Manma Mata Shrine

Manma Mata Temple is a holy and an ancient shrine dedicated to Mata Rani and is one of the important placesof Hindu shrines in Kalakote tehsil. This shrine of Manma Mata is situated inside a natural cave and has lot of religioussignificance. It attracts thousands of devotees every yearespecially during the festival of Navrataras.

Padma Sachdev Farooq Nazaki Gulam Nabi Khyal Mohan Singh Om Goswami Shiv Nirmohi Khalid Hussian