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Shriniwas Joshi
I recently visited the Hatu peak. At 11,152 feet, it is one of the highest peaks in Shimla district, and is about 8 km from Narkanda. Those who find it difficult to trek 6 km uphill find solace that a car goes right up to the top. The uphill drive on a narrow road is the job of an experienced driver. My driver, Mahinder, told me that when he carried tourists to the peak, they shouted and shivered whenever the taxi tackled blind curves on the road, but I found it enjoyable seeing my car passing through conifer, oak, maple, aesculus, hazel and holly trees lining on both sides of the road. It was greenery on all sides and a sort of hush all around. I hummed the lines of Coleridge,
“Tis calm indeed! So
calm, that it disturbs/
And vexes meditation
with its strange/
And extreme silentness”.
The top provides one a 360-degree vista. The far-off snow-clad trance-Himalayan ranges and the valley below in which houses with orchards are dotted invigorates one. Old houses with slate roofs have gone and coloured tin-roofs have taken their place and from above these look like doll-houses neatly placed here and there. This also shows the richness of the area, which the apple revolution has brought about. When on the top, I was reminded of Jahangir who had said of Kashmir: “Agar Firdaws bar oy-I zamin ast, hamin ast-u hamin ast-u hamin ast” (If there is paradise on the earth, it is this, it is this, it is this). Hatu is definitely paradise on the earth. A gang that had come from Delhi had announced openly, “Inhale all the rich air of Hatu and exhale all the pollution of Delhi”. Ashesh writes from Delhi, “The Hatu peak is one of the best places near Shimla where you can enjoy nature and the top view away from the cacophony of the city. The peak offers great views, including that of alpine meadows and of several wild flowers”.
I had seen yellow wild flowers in rows after rows there which break the monotony of the green on the earth. Ganjoo, a Kashmiri settled in Delhi, had trekked the path from Narkanda to Hatu. His observation was, “Uphill drains out your juice and needs more than a dozen stopovers but downhill is pretty easy as we hardly stopped anywhere”.
Hateshwari mandir
There is a temple of Hatu Mata or Hateshwari, which is a form of Kali, that holds great religious significance for locals. The answer to my question to the locals about the year of its construction was the same that the temple was constructed during the period of the Mahabharata. On the first Sunday of Jyestha (May-June), a fair is held here that is attended by thousands of people. I was pleased to see that the temple has been rejuvenated and its originality has been maintained. Exquisite folksy woodwork is attractive. The craftsmen, who did the work, deserve three cheers as they negated the hearsay that the craftsmen working on wood were not available now.
Caves where Pandavas stayed
Adding to the peak’s historical and cultural significance is a small cave formation that sits right next to the temple, where the Pandavas believed to have stayed for a few days during ‘Agyaat Vaas’.
Temple’s Mandodari link
Though the old people of the area whom I contacted were in unison that the temple at Hatu was of Kali, yet a few believed that the temple belonged to Mandodari, wife of Ravana. Mandodari was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and had tried to persuade Ravana not to fight against Lord Rama. Mandodari belonged to Mandsaur, a city in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. The Namdeo Vaishnav Samaj of Mandsaur believed that since Mandodari was a native of the town, Ravana was respected as their son-in-law. Ravana is known there as one who was a firm devotee of Lord Shiva and had the knowledge of all the Vedas. Burning his effigy there is considered a sign of disrespect and so never done in Mandsaur. Instead, a 35-feet tall idol of Ravana is worshipped there.
Venerable ‘Panchkanyas’
It is also a fact that people may hate Ravana for his arrogance and call him a demon king but nobody speaks ill of Mandodari. She is one of the ‘Panchkanyas’, also known as the five virgins. The names of these ‘Panchkanyas’ when recited dispel sins. They are Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Tara and Mandodari. Ahalya, Tara and Mandodari are from the epic Ramayana while Draupadi and Kunti are from the Mahabharata. The ‘Panchkanyas’ are venerated as ideal women and chaste wives. It is said that he who recites or chants the holy names of the ‘Panchkanyas’ has all his sins washed away. There is a shloka in Sanskrit, “Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Tara, Mandodari tatha/ Panchkanyaa smaren nityam mahaa paatak naashnam”.
This mantra not only destroys one’s previous sins but stops one from doing further sins. Hence, the Mandodari temple at the Hatu peak.
Tailpiece
Take back memories from the Hatu peak but leave your footprints there.
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