Well, not exactly. But I admit – somewhat abashedly – that we chose to ascend to the Sati’s abode Pavagarh in a cable car, instead of taking those thousand-odd steps. I could site a number of reasons in justification. But at the end of the day, I realize that my faith just wasn’t strong enough.
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It is faith after all, that makes the – mostly Gujarati – pilgrims of Sati Kalika Mata to trudge untiringly to the mountain shrine of Pavagarh year after year, in all seasons and for all reasons. Picnickers also do seem to like this location a lot. But it is the ordinary bhakts from rural Gujarat with their pagris, dhotis, ghagra-cholis, ghunghats and weather-worn faces who make this place what it is. The mountain-top temple speaks of an age-old tradition and unwavering belief in the almighty.
The thought sobered me down as I gazed down guiltily from the ascending cable car, at the crowd below that was stoically climbing one step at a time, perhaps because they could not afford the fare but more likely because they did not think cable car was the way to go to The Mother’s court.
*****
We set off from Vadodara around nine-ish a.m. The way to Pavagarh is pretty simple. You just got to take the Vadodara – Halol expressway and turn right for Champaner when you see the sign (total distance 45 Km). The road was silky smooth throughout and the drive (in Santro Xing) hardly took any time.
One gets the first view of the mountain from the expressway itself. Thereafter, it remains a constant presence during the time spent in Champaner, always visible from anywhere.
Looking for signs showing way to the temple-fort, I suddenly saw a board that read “Helical Step-well”. It was right next to the road and we pulled over to take a look.
The step-well turned out to be an ancient structure under ASI protection. It was maintained nicely, (by ASI standards, of course) with a big lawn surrounding it. The original perimeter of the well had been beefed up for safety of visitors and some more construction appeared to be underway for improvement of premises.
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Champaner is barely a village. Calling it a town would be flattery. But its past grandeur can be imagined from the relics left behind. It is the kind of town that still has an archway for an entrance.
The large number of lakes all around the town also struck me as a pleasant surprise. Monsoon season being on, they were filled to the brim.
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The 4-Km climb from Champaner to Pavagarh was steep and the strain showed on the 1000cc car engine. How I missed our good old 1300cc warhorse Esteem!
It was a holiday and there was a great deal of rush. For those who want to go up on foot, there’s a paved flight of steps called ‘Rewa Path’.
The mythology of Pavagarh is as violent, gruesome and miraculous as most other tales in Hindu mythology.
We decided to skip the hour-plus walk and took the cable car instead.
The cable ride is rather brief. It just takes about 5-7 minutes. The cabins are not well-ventilated. They are probably meant for cooler climes and are not suitable for hot and humid Indian conditions.
The birds-eye view is astounding and I wished I could take it all in by halting mid air for a few minutes.
After getting off the cable, there is still a climb of 200-odd steps that one has to take. There is little space at the top itself. The temple is enclosed inside high walls of a small fort, making it feel even more congested. The matters get complicated on rush days. The darshan could take up to an hour.
There are separate stairways for going up and coming down, which is a thoughtful measure. Even this is not adequate, given the crowds on special days.
No photography is permitted inside the temple premises.
If anyone cares to know, I must state here that there is a Dargah right on top of the temple. It is anyone’s guess as to how it came to be there.
There were two “possessed” women in a trance who were sprawled on the floor with their hair and clothes askew. They occasionally raised themselves and rocked their heads violently. Their eyes remained tightly shut. Their families were sitting around them with expectant faces. The queue of devotees passed by unconcerned. Except for us, no one seemed to be the least bit interested in the spectacle.
It is said that after North Indians, Gujaratis are the largest linguistic group visiting Vaishno Devi shrine in J&K. The effect certainly showed here, with “Jor se Bolo, Jai Mata Di, Main Nahi Suniya..” chants going up every now and then. Even in the shops below, we only heard Bhajans mass-produced in Gulshan Kumar factory and not local Gujarati ones.
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Darshan was a tiring business on account of the heat, humidity and jostling crowds, besides due to the fact that I was carrying our two-year old restless baggage called Radha in my arms throughout. Frankly, I was quite relieved when we finally exited the temple after darshan.
A casual stroll among the shops and a helping of roasted corn brought the spirits back in us. The corn-seller wore dark glasses to protect his eyes from the heat of smoldering coals, probably having borrowed the idea from a welding shop.
The sights and sounds of the market, though typical of any temple town, have some unique charms to offer. They would satisfy any westerner looking for oriental exotica.
A Sadhu in open-eyed meditation.
A wall of coconuts on sale.
Idols smeared with tons of vermillion.
Mother Cow ready to bless her followers in exchange of an offering of grass (though she doesn’t seem to like the situation much)
A Shivalingam, complete with the snake guardian and a running Ganga, buried under flowers.
An unidentifiable deity adorned with coins.
Semi-precious charm stones for sale.
A tree laden with ritual offerings of coconuts and symbolic garments for the Goddess.
A Shwetambar Jain temple in the market is more appealing to the aesthetic than the main one on top.
We glided down to the base in cable car and drove down the winding road.
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The next part of the trip consisted of going around the old Islamic ruins of Champaner which are a World Heritage Site. The aforementioned step-well was also part of these. Besides, there are a number of mosques, temples and forts. We, of course, could not see most of these places for shortage of time.
On way down, one gets a spectacular view of Champaner town, with all the historic sites therein clearly visible.
We saw the ‘Shehr mosque’ and the ‘Friday Mosque’. The structures included some very obvious Hindu architectural motifs. I am not sure if the mosques were built over demolished temples or the Hindu influence was consciously incorporated during construction. The “secular” ASI, predictably, has refrained from mentioning this aspect at all in its boards.
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We also saw a site called “Saat Kamman (Seven Arches)” which appeared to be somewhat neglected. It was deserted and was overrun with wild bushes. Its historic significance was not mentioned anywhere.
The ASI signage to this place has been dwarfed by a hand-painted indicator to a Hanuman temple.
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The site-seeing in Champaner involves a bit of a walking and can be physically demanding, especially for those not used to such activity.
Before leaving the place, we decided to take a drive to the other end and came across another lake. On banks of it was a heritage building called Kabutarkhana (translated by ASI as “Pavillion”).
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It was 3 pm by the time we hit the return path along the same expressway. Lunch was in order and this watering hole happened to be just where we wanted it!
Chalat Musafir 