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Netwar - A Weekend Amidst Pine Forests |
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Our destination was Netwar in the Tons Valley where we arrived from Dehra Dun after a grueling nine hours journey by bus, first along the river Yamuna and then along the Tons.
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In the morning when we opened our eyes, we were delighted to be in the midst of pine-clad mountains.
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Unlike in Garhwal, Kinnaur and the Kulu Valley, where the Pandavas (the heroes of the epic Mahabharata) are considered the righteous ones and are shown reverence, in the Tons Valley people are over-awed by the Kauravas the wrong doers, and worship them as gods. In Jakhol, 13 kilometers from sankri is the biggest temple dedicated to Duryodhan, the eldest of the Kauravas and many more exit in Osla, Gangar, and Datmir. The temple of Karna, the first born of Kunti from the Sun God whom she had abandoned at birth and who had become an ally of the Kauravas, is in Netwar, 30 minutes walk away from the road. There are two other gods whom the people in this valley worship. One of them is Mahasu whose temple is in Anol and another is Pokhu, whose temple is in the old village of Netwar at the confluence of the Rupin and supin rivers, which meet at Netwar to form the Tons.
The people of this valley had allied themselves with the Kauravas in the battle of Mahabharata, and in due course they accepted them as gods and raised imposing temples of Duryodhan and Karna. Later on, it seems they began to respect the Pandavas and started to worship then in the temples. During Shankaracharya's times, Shiv Puja came to this valley and shivlings were installed in these temples.
The temple of Karna is situated in the village, Deora. It is a rectangular wood structure with pent roofs lined with slates. On the roof is a wooden umbrella topped with brass finial. The wood beams and columns in front are decorated with carvings of exquisite charm while the temple doors are decorated with relief metal plates that depict birds, animals, reptiles and scenes from the Ramayana. The villagers have nailed on coins wherever space permitted in thanksgiving for their wishes having been fulfilled. In the compound on the right stand six miniature temples, which represent Karna and the five Pandavas. After all they were Karna's brothers. There is also a Shivling, a sculpture of Parvati and one of Nandi Bull in the compound. Although no one objected to my taking photographs, I was warned of impending misfortune.
As we came out of the temple, we saw a potter shaping pitchers. He was not using a wheel. Instead he spread kneaded earth first on the upper half and then on the lower half of a brass pitcher and finally joined them together.
Outside the temple compound are the grounds where a 'festival of ball' takes place annually on Makar Sankranti. The two teams are named Kauravas and Pandavas. The hide of a dead cow is stuffed with stones and earth so that it shapes into a big ball weighing about 8 to 10 kilogrames. The ball represents Ghatotkach, the warrior son of Bhim and Hidimba, (whom he had married after killing her demon brother Hidimba in an encounter in Doongri woods near Manali in the Kulu Valley). Ghatotkach had been killed by Karna in the battle of Mahabharata and the object in naming the ball Ghatotkach and playing with it in the temple of Karna seems to be to humiliate the vanquished. In the evening the ball is worshipped and thrown in the middle of the ground and the players rush to grab it. If the ball falls into the hands of a member of the Kaurava team it is said that the year will be bad, but if it falls into the hands of a member of the Pandava team, it is taken as a sign of prosperity for the entire valley. Meanwhile the village orchestra of drums, cymbals and pipes plays louder and louder and the entire population of the nearby villages assemble to witness the game. The two teams try to take the ball to their side of the ground. The holder does not relent. In that case he is physically pushed from side to side.
The villages which fall under the jurisdiction of Raja Karna are administered by him through his priest. Karna goes about the villages, a beautiful mask draped in colourful clothes and seated in a palanquin, once every year with the residents of Deora accompanying him.
God Mahasu is said to have been invited to this valley from Kashmir to kill the demon Kirbir and to rid the people of his terror. Pokhu Devta's temple is very similar to the temple of Karna in shape, but the inside of the temple bears a depressing look. The sacrificial altar has splashes of dried blood on it. In the inner chamber a Shivling is installed. Pokhul's chamber is behind the Shivling. Pokhu is a deputy of Karna and an attendant of Lord Shiva. He is terrible and unrelenting in punishing his erring followers. Therefore the incidence of theft in this valley is unheard of. The god is not shown to anyone, as his image will create horror. It is for this reason that even the priest, while worshipping him, stands with his back towards him.
From Netwar, Har-Ki-Doon is about 50 kilometers. Sankri, I stopped to have tea at a wayside shop and learnt that Duryodhan Devta was up in Kotgaon, 20 minutes walk away from the road. He had come there to meet Kush Devta, on his way back to Jakhol after a pilgrimage to Kedarnath and Badrinath. I immediately decided to visit Kotgaon and reached the place where the worship was being conducted. God Duryodhan and Kush were seated side by side under a shamiana and were being worshipped by the priests. The entire village had assembled there in a festive mood. Girls and women had come in their colourful best. They wore lots of silver jewellery and sang tuneful songs to a loud orchestra. In the background beautiful snow-clad peaks stood majestically. After about an hour I traced my steps back to the road and reached Sankri. From Sankri another nine kilometers walk took me to Taluka.
Eight years ago, I had come straight to Taluka from Uttarkashi in a jonga as a guest of the Nehru institute of Mountaineering. Then we had stayed in the Forest Rest House. The stay at Taluka and journey to Osla evoked nostalgia. We walked through a beautiful jungle of chestnuts, oaks, rhododendrons and deodars along the Supin where a dozen streams of ice-cold water rolled down the mountains. The path went up, it passed by the route which leads to Datmir. Gangar is half way between Taluka and Osla on the right bank of the Supin and both of them are imposing villages. We spent the night at Seema opposite Osla on the left bank of the river.
The next day we climbed steadily all the way on the right bank of the river across the bridge. The increasing altitude compelled us to take frequent breaks. In the distance we saw the Swargarohini peak over which the Pandavas and Draupadi had climbed to heaven. We passed through a flat area where there were fields and a few houses and then through dense woods of conifer where glaciers rolled down on to the track. In front we saw the big rock mass of Har-Ki-peak. An eight-hour leisurely walk took us to Her-Ki-Doon, the Valley of Gods, amidst snow clad mountains. The Supin river sang melodies and the mountain peak provided a beautiful backdrop. Across the river, over a rock bridge the Swargarohini peaks stood magnificently. Here a beautiful rest house constructed by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam faces the three Swargarohini peaks. The valley has been declared a wildlife sanctuary.
It was nearing sunset. The snow on the top of the peaks blushed pink while they seemed to stand still in an ocean of silver grey. Soon it became dark and very cold. Another spectacle awaited us at night. The peaks shone silver bright as the full moon appeared in the sky.
In the morning a brilliant sunrise greeted us. We walked along the base of the Swargarohini peaks, through flower studded meadows. We drank cold clear water from small streams and many pools along the way. Jamdar Glacier is not far away. And yet another colourful sunset and moonlit night awaited us at the end of the day.
When on the second morning we bade goodbye to this heaven-on-earth, our hearts felt the pangs of separation. On my way back in the evening I went to Osla village. I had photographs and portrait sketches of the people I had met eight years ago and my son had met on his visit last year. The villagers received these with excitement, reminiscing about our last visit. It was a wrench leaving these simple villagers but our weekend trip was over and the return to Delhi inevitable.
Courtesy : Discover India
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