We planned a trip to the Ajodhya Hills in Purulia this year with much enthusiasm. Starting from Satragachi, we covered a five hours journey in Rupashi Bangla Express, as the train rushed past vast stretches of sugarcane fields till we were in Purulia around afternoon. Ajodhya (the warrior-God), was the name given to Lord Shiva.
There are many interesting myths associated with it around the locality. Reaching the hills, we were put up in a government hotel. After enjoy some refreshments, we began exploring the place. Our driver-cum-guide shared many stories about Ajodhya. On the first day, we started our sight-seeing with the spellbinding dam, peculiar in shape located there.
After having taken a look, we moved to the Durgabari dam, which was known to be natural, abounding in heavy boulders. According to myths, the Hindu Goddess Durga, used to take a bath here.This spot was considered sacred as devotees collected water and covered a long distance of five kilometers by feet to pour the holy water on the idol in a Shiva Temple, renowned in the place. But now many businessmen are showing commercial interest over the spot. Our first day tour came to an end with the setting sun.
The next morning we went to a hermitage, situated just behind our lodge, which devotees claim is the birthplace of Lord Shiva. It resembled more of a mud hut, with dried husks for roof. Many tourists claimed to have seen poisonous snakes guarding the hut.
An idol of Goddess Durga, holding an ever-lighted pot, dwells in it. The pot is claimed to have kept the place illuminated for 40 long years with the support of cow dung as fuel and the offerings of milk and ghee by devotees. There is a ‘Yogini Cave’ located deeper inside the forests beyond man’s reach.
The cave has several mythological stories attached to it that triggered a lot of curiousity. However, we could not visit the place due to of inconvenience of vehicles. Myth has it that after Sati’s (another form of Goddess Durga) death, her soul settled inside this cave before she was reborn as Parvati and reunited in matrimony with Lord Shiva.
To guard her from her enemy Shukra, the guru of the ‘Asuras’ (monsters), who would often come to harm her in the disguise of snakes, Lord Shiva would always be present before the cave in the disguise of a ‘Mayur’ (peacock). Due to this incident, the mountain got its name ‘Mayur Pahar’.
At noon, crossing a small but river, and descending few precarious steps, we found ourselves partly before the magnificent tall Bamni-Falls. This falls is a part of the river Mandakini whose origin is known to be from Shiva’s head. The government can make it easier for the tourists to visit the spot by installing proper steps with railings for easy accessibility. Introducing ropeways for a bird’s eye view will also be a mesmerising experience.
After enjoying the mesmerising water fall, we went to the Charida village, best known for one of the most prominent culture of Bengal, the ‘Chhau’ dance.
Vibrant masks were seen being manufactured for the dances. The next day, we started for Deulghata Temple, considered as one of the rich heritage sites of Purulia district. After visiting the place, we started for the famous Chinnamasta Temple in Jharkhand, which is a journey of 102kms.
In this ancient temple, ‘tantriks’ are often spotted. The structure of the temple is said to have been constructed by the divine craftsman Lord Vishwakarma.
The two rivers, namely the Damodar and Bhairavi meet near this temple. However, the area is in a mess and lacks maintenance. With this our short trip came to end. In the evening we boarded the Chakradharpur-Howrah Express, for our journey back and Purulia bid us a sweet adieu as we had a kind of dessert known as ‘Nikuti’, a speciality of the place.
Coordinator, Class X, Kalyani University Experimental High School