Pre-Baisakhi surge at Churdhar in defiance of official advice, closed doors greet pilgrims

Pankaj Sharma

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Nahan, March 29

Situated at an altitude of 11,965 feet above sea level, the Churdhar temple is on the highest peak of Sirmaur district, and the outer Himalayan region.

A centre of faith for millions of devotees, the temple saw devotees reaching in large numbers to pay obeisance to Lord Shirgul Mahadev due to relatively less snowfall this year.

Carrying the holy palanquin of the local deity — Kulishtha — several villagers of Kando (Shillai) village reached the temple to perform religious rituals yesterday. The villagers, however, faced difficulties in fulfilling their obligations because the temple doors had been closed by the district administration. After this, the Sharda Monastery Ashram, Churdhar, assisted the villagers at the temple.

Mahant Swami Kamalanand said due to less snowfall this year, devotees were flocking to the temple in large numbers even before the auspicious occasion of Baisakhi, when the temple usually sees an uptick in footfall.

As days approach their end, temperatures drop below 0°C. Upon reaching Chudhar, pilgrims usually face many challenges due to lack of facilities like accommodation and food.

Those who reach the temple during the day are often sent back. But where can the administration send those who reach the temple at night? In an effort to respect the faith of the pilgrims, temporary accommodation and food is being provided to the pilgrims by the ashram on personal initiative despite limited resources.

An appeal has been made to the administration to ensure that some priests and other staff are deployed in the temple before Baisakhi, as the temple is witnessing a more-than-usual footfall of tourists for this time of the year. As the pilgrims often light fires to beat the cold, the risk of a fire-related accident looms over the surrounding wooden buildings — including the temple infrastructure.

On many occasions, Swami Kamalanand had to personally intervene to prevent such a mishap.

If the temple doors cannot be opened before Baisakhi and deployment of priests and other staff is also not possible, then it should be strictly ensured that no pilgrim arrives to the temple before the doors are opened, he urged to the administration. He also advised pilgrims to follow the instructions of the district administration, and not to risk their journey amid snow-covered walkways.

Despite limited resources due to heavy snowfall, the ashram is trying to respect the faith of the pilgrims by providing prasad and shelter. At present, it is not possible to deliver essential supplies like ration to the ashram due to the snow-covered pedestrian walkways and mule road.

At present, accommodation and food facilities are not available at the temple. Since the temperature often drops below -5°C at night, the administration has requested pilgrims to not undertake the Churdhar Yatra until the services of the temple committee and Chureshwar seva samiti are started.