Land of the Flaming Tongue

[Guest guest]

(8 Jan 2006): On a cold March morning, I step out of the State

Transport bus at the temple town of Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh,

right into a stream of pilgrims on their way to the Temple of the

Flaming Tongue. The pilgrims speak of a legend that is as old as the

mountains themselves.

 

This legend tells us that King Daksha's daughter Sati was madly in

love with Lord Shiva, and, eventually, married him. But, King Daksha

did not give Shiva the respect that he deserved. He held a fire

sacrifice in his kingdom, to which he invited all the gods and his

other sons-in-law – except Lord Shiva. When Sati heard of this, she

tried to appeal to him to honour her husband; but Daksha, in his

anger, hurled more insults at Lord Shiva. Unable to bear her

father's words, Sati threw herself into the sacrificial fire and

died.

 

It is said, when Lord Shiva saw the body of his beloved wife, even

the great God lost control of his senses. He carried her corpse on

his back and wandered across the land, weeping bitterly. The

Universe began to wane.

 

 

Alarmed at the situation, Lord Vishnu secretly followed Shiva, and

shot an arrow from his bow. Each arrow cut off a part of Sati's

body; until, at last, there was no body left on Sh iva's back. At

that point, Shiva regained his composure.

 

The different parts of Sati's body– the legend says– fell in 51

different spots on the subcontinent, which came to be known as the

51 Shakti Pithas (powerful shrines). The shrine at Jwalamukhi is the

spot at which the goddess' tongue is supposed to have fallen. And

even today, devotees believe, the Goddess manifests at Jwalamukhi as

a fiery tongue.

 

When I visit the shrine, it is just after Holi. Within the shrine of

Jwalamukhi, the goddess manifests in the form of an ever-burning,

bright blue flame, framed in a silver sanctorum. The flame at the

centre of the main temple is the biggest and the brightest one.

There are eight others– smaller flames– each designated different

names, which are worshiped at smaller nooks in the temples.

 

These flames have been objects of wonderment over the ages. One

ancient text tells of the Pandavas repairing the dilapidated temple

of the goddess at Jwalamukhi. The seventh century record of the

Chinese traveller Hsieun Tsang tells of his journey to see the

flames.

 

The shrine received a big boost, after Emperor Akbar visited it. How

a Mughal king came to the shrine, is a popular story that is still

recited by the people of these mountains, as if the visit took place

just yesterday.

 

According to the story, a devotee named Dhyanu Bhakt, leading a

thousand other pilgrims, was on his way from the plains of India to

the shrine. As they passed near Delhi, the Mughal soldiers stopped

the procession and took them to Akbar's court. Dhyanu told the

Emperor that they were merely on their way to pay homage at the

shrine of Goddess Jwalamukhi in the mountains. Akbar replied that he

would like to test the power of this goddess.

 

He severed the head of Dhyanu's horse and told him that if the

goddess was so powerful, then she should be able to bring the horse

back to life.

 

Dhyanu and his retinue continued their journey to the shrine,

accompanied by some Mughal soldiers. When he reached Jwalamukhi,

Dhyanu prayed to the goddess– either she was to prove her power to

the haughty Emperor or he would sacrifice his own head to her.

 

On receiving no reply from the goddess, he severed his head from his

shoulders. At that moment, the story goes, the flames leapt up with

renewed power. Dhyanu's head returned to his shoulders – and, in

Akbar's court, the horse miraculously rose to life!

 

The Mughal soldiers, who were accompanying Dhyanu, tried to scorch

the flames in the temple by covering them with their metal shields;

but the fires split the shields wide open.

 

After this, the story continues, Emperor Akbar undertook a

pilgrimage to the shrine himself. He made a chattri (umbrella) of

gold for the goddess and offered it in the temple. But, a spurt of

flames engulfed the chattri; and, in a twinkling of the eye, the

gold turned to a strange, unknown metal. Emperor Akbar, the story

ends, returned to Delhi... a changed man. Ever after that, he was

tolerant of all religions.

 

To this day, his metal chattri is displayed in one corner of the

temple.

 

The scientific explanation for the sacred flames would be that there

are jets of natural gases escaping from under the hill. When these

gases emerge in the air – and are lit by the pujaris – they appear

as the brilliant, blue flames of the temple.

 

That, however, is an explanation for men of science. For ardent

devotees of the goddess, there is only one explanation for the

phenomenon at Jwalamukhi – the goddess is speaking to her children

with her flaming tongue!

 

SOURCE: Deccan Herald, Bangalore. "Land of the flaming tongue.

Manmohan Melville writes of Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh, which

has many interesting legends revolving around it."

URL:

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan82006/sundayherald1124292

00616.asp