Posts tagged Sudh Mahadev

Mantalai,Situated a few kilometers further away from Sudh Mahadev, Mantalai is surrounded by lush deodar forests, at an altitude of over 2000 metres.

It is believed that Lord Shiva had got married to the Goddess Parvati here.

Legend goes like this,One day while’ Mata Parvati’ was passing through these dense forests, demon ‘Sudhant’s’ evil eyes fell on her and he chased her. To Her utter agony,

‘Mata Parvati’ cried terribly, “Oh Lord Shiva, save me from the cruel hands of the demon.” ‘Lord Shiva “ who was in his deep meditation and sensing the helping voice emanate His anger and got infuriated and let loose his tridant (trishul) which instantly decapped demon’s head who in turn cried agonistically, “Lord Shiva”, “Lord Shiva”.
Hearing his deplorable voice, the lord realized that He has killed his own worshipper and He, therefore, came to ‘Sudhant’ and promised to bring him back to his life. But in the arbitrary prayed overwhelmingly and said, “Oh my lord, I am fortunate enough to have been, killed piously”. Lord Shiva thus gave His divinity at that place and so the name of the sacred shrine thence forth called as ‘Sudhmahadev’.

Lord Shiva married to the Goddess Parvati in the region of Mantalai. There are  number of Shiv temples abound the region. The Sudh Mahadev Temple lies close to the town of Mantalai. The ancient place of worship is said to be 2800 years old. Pilgrims flock in the region in the full moon night in the month of August. Wading through the River Devika that flow by the temple, the pilgrims enter the Sudh Mahadev Temple to offer their prayers to the black marbled Shivling in the temple. The temple is eight kilometers away from the town of Mantalai and the Gauri Kund Spring. The spring is sacred to the Hindu devotees, as it is believed that the Goddess Parvati would bathe in the waters of the spring before offering her prayers to the Lord Shiva.
Insides of the temple is beauteous and enthralling with black idol of ‘Lord Shiva’ and ‘Mata Parvati’ mounted on ‘Nandigan’ and this idol has been excavated from insides of Mantalai. The Lord’s tridant is well in existence which is reported of 16th -17th century back. The broken trident is in three pieces sanctimoniously embedded within the complex of the temple and the top part of Trishul is having a height around eight feet or so.

India’s one of the great Yoga teacher,Dhirendra Brahmachari had tried his best,when he was alive  to establish a Yoga centre in Mantalai which is now in deep shambles at present,As he is no more alive. He was born in Bihar in 1924 in District Madhubani,village – Dhanushi Chanpura. He left home in the age of 13 and went to Varansi . He died in controversial circumstances in an aircrash in the 1994.

He was a charishmatic yoga teacher who befriended the Nehru-Gandhi Family. He was also the personal tutor of Indira Gandhi. It was rumored that he had an affair with Indira gandhi, In 1982-83, during the tenure of Indira Gandhi, Brahmachari ran an immensely popular weekly yoga program on Doordarshan.

Dhirendra Brahmachari used to run  an arms factory in Jammu. He owned his own personal aircraft and was into major money laundering.  His Ashram in Mantalai, Udhampur, was closed after his death and is still not open. He developed this place as a center for yoga several steps were taken.But his dreams remain dreams not only for him but for the whole state.

There is no plausible explanation either why the infrastructure raised by the late Dhirendra Brahmachari at Mantalai should remain unutilised. It includes a building for a hotel and one goshala. The Government should consider executing a scheme for exploiting these resources through public-private partnership. We have a rare natural bounty in our vicinity. Nothing should be left undone to make the most of it.

Now Swami Ramdev have shown some interest in developing this beautiful place.  Dhirendra Brahmachari’s death in a plane crash stopped the development of the ashram. A few days ago when Swami Ramdev arrived here in Jammu.The local people requests him to  develop this dream project of Late Dhirendra Brahmachari and  Swami Ramdev have accepted the proposal rather I should say proposal put by locals. Now this dream project will soon comes to reality If everything goes fine. The ashram is spread in almost 1600 canals. Ramdev  said that the Center for Yoga and no place can be better than Mantalai.Lets hope for the best and our biased govt. shows some interest in this and helps Swami Ramdev to develop this place as a Yoga Centre.

Signing Out,