“Whoever cannot find a temple in his heart, the same can never find his heart in any temple.”
Mikhail Naimy
Mandhata Parikrama Part-2, Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh, India
Our journey from Omkareshwar is not a religious ritual alone. It connects us to nature. As I passed each 100-metre milestone, there was a new sight to savour, new flowers and trees to admire and excitement for the next point of interest.
Walking ahead of Kedareshwara temple, the stone steps lead downwards and deeper into the island. After a distance, you hear the next stop of the Parikrama first and see it later. At a narrow projection in the west of the Mandhata, is the Kaveri and the Narmada confluence. Don’t confuse it with its famed namesake in the south, Cauvery. This tributary of the Narmada is just 40 kilometres long, it originates near Kaveshwar on the Parimatra Mountain.
Another name for this holy place is Erondi Sangam, in the honour of Goddess Erondi. The Puranas extol the virtues of a bath at the confluence, as it destroys guilt. To become the leader of Yakshas (nature-spirits), Kubera (the god of wealth) performed severe penance to Shiva at this spot.
Smooth rounded stones found around the banks of Narmada cover the path to the Sangam. The place is slippery, more so during monsoons. While taking a dip, take care of your camera.
Rinn Mukteshwar (the god who frees you from debt)
After a dip at the holy Sangam (confluence), pilgrims go to Rinn Mukteshwar. A temple for freedom from debts of all kinds! A unique offering of Bengal Gram to this form of Shiva makes a person debt-free.
Legend talks about the Pandava brothers (from Mahabharata) offering gold to absolve themselves from the arrears of their ancestors. So had King Harishchandra by offering the pulses.
According to Hindu Astrology, planet Jupiter rules this place. You can please Him by offering yellow objects such as gold, turmeric, saffron, and Bengal Gram. Pilgrims come here to seek relief from long-standing liability by performing Peeli pooja (worship using yellow-coloured objects).
Within the premises are temples of Lord Rama and his consort, Sita.
Dharmaraj Dwar (Gateway)
A relaxed while later, up an incline, I reached the first of the three gateways. Dedicated to Dharmaraj (king of righteousness) Yudhishthir, the eldest of the Pandava brothers, it exists since the 13th century. It was once the main entrance to the city on the island. Now, small villages and temples have sprung up here. Some are an assortment of old idols. A new one, dedicated to Goddess Narmada, has an idol of her seated on her vaahana (vehicle), a freshwater crocodile.
As a Hindi saying goes, you can’t feel spiritual while hungry. That took me to a very interesting tea stall en route. The poet teamaker satiated the need for a hot drink flavoured with a pious couplet linking his brew with god.
