A tale of two temples
By Randeep Wadehra & Amarnath Wadehra

THE Shiva temple atop a hill in Chandimandir is a source of divine solace to many a disturbed soul. The serenity that one experiences by panoramic view atop the hill is inexpressible. One has to experience it to believe it. Since it has not yet been commercialised, the idyllic surroundings are just what the tormented city dweller needs to rejuvenate his despondent spirits. But, for how long will the place remain safe from the march of civilisation?

Swami Rajeshwar Dayal Giri, the temple priest, claims that Shiva temple is a few thousand years old. The swami, who is a graduate from KU came in 1962 to Chandigarh to take part in a swimming competition. He came in contact with Swami Narayan Giri and sought his blessings for doing well in his studies. In 1966, he again met Narayan Giri, this time to seek his blessings for rising in politics. This time, however, he was initiated into the Giri sect, instead! In 1972, in deference to his Guru Narayan Giri’s wishes, Rajeshwar Dayal became an ascetic and came over to look after the shrine.

The swami says that decades back the locals believed that there was a Shiva temple on the hill-top, but the police and forest officials did not allow people to gain access to the area. The site was covered with bushes, stones and dust, yet the locals firmly believed in the temple’s existence. Consequently, a suit was filed to get access to the site. Under the court’s orders, the place was dug up and, much to the chagrin of government officials, ancient statues of Lord Shiva were excavated from the site. The police, however, allegedly took away the statues by force and hid them.

They also appealed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the lower court’s orders. During the proceedings, however the statues were recovered. The High Court upheld the verdict that there was sufficient evidence to prove the existence of a temple there.

The swami has filed a suit for defilement of the statues, which is still sub judice. With the help of public contributions, a small Shiva temple was constructed atop the hill. A Hanuman temple too has come up at the bottom of the hill. Here, langar is organised daily. A pucca path has been laid from the Hanuman temple to the Shiva temple.

There is an interesting story about the origin of the Hanuman temple. There was a root of a Banyan tree at the site. Devotees would adorn it with sindoor, with a firm belief that the act would help them gain their cherished boons. It is believed that when Lakshmana fell unconscious and Hanuman went to the Himalayas to fetch the sanjeevani booti, he had momentarily stopped here on the way back, thus sanctifying the place. It is also believed that the Pandava princes did tapasya here. Lord Shiva appeared before them and told them to build a Chandi temple at the site. Hence, the place came to be known as Chandimandir.

The road to these temples is kutcha. There is a regular stream of devotees to these temples. On Shivaratri, devotees come in thousands to seek the blessings of Shiva. The committee looking after the two temples plans to develop the place into a full-fledged teerth-sthal. Personally, one would prefer the place to retain its sublime tranquillity.