I strongly believe that there is a time when the Lord truly calls you, and at that time you should drop everything and rush to seek blessings of the Lord Almighty. I was simply going about my day when suddenly my friend turned up and asked me to accompany her to the holy shrine of Mahabgadh Mahadev. I had been trying to visit this temple for a long time, but somehow something always used to come up. Yet, this time, the opportunity to go was right at my doorstep and I realised this was God calling for me.

I swiftly agreed and packed up my bag to finally go to Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand and sway in the winds of devotion

The Journey

The trek to Mahabgadh is marred with a few difficulties. There are no hotels or guest houses to stay at, one has to stay with a villager who is kind enough to give you shelter. One can also only trek from 6 am to 4:30 pm, since after that the roads get covered with wild animals. While these problems were quite challenging, nothing was going to stop me from visiting this holy shrine.

As we embarked on this thrilling journey, we couldn’t control our excitement. Upon reaching I was enthralled by the vibrancy that stood in front of me. The whole place was covered with brightly coloured flowers and huge trees.

The trek to the lovely town of Mahabgadh is absolutely stunning. The trail is covered with lush green grass, and intimidating trees.

I and my friend started our trek as soon as we could. As I started walking I realised how slippery the path was. There are roots coming out from trees, and rock is strewn everywhere. Most of the times I was on my hands rather than my feet to get a good grip. The hike is made pleasant due to the overwhelmingly beautiful surroundings, the cool weather and the determination of several other pilgrims who were walking beside me. There holt chants and sheer devotion made me want to give my best.

mahabgarh-mahadev-temple-Source: Picdeer

Mahabgadh / Mahabgarh

We finally reached Mahabgadh after five hours. Even though the trek typical takes three hours, I and my friend were too caught up with trying to capture every scene on our digital screens, that it took us longer than it normally does.

Upon reaching we instantly made our way to the temple. We followed a horde of pilgrims who were radiating an acute sense of spirituality.

As we reached the temple, I was spellbound to see the view around the temple. The location of the temple is so special. It is surrounded by breathtaking views of the snow covered the Himalayas. This gives the temple more of an aura than it already has.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is supposed to be the favourite Gadh of Maharishi Kashyap(Marichi).

The temple was relatively empty and only the pilgrims were offering their heartfelt prayers. I and my friend managed to strike up a conversation with the temple priest Radhe Lal Kukreti. He enlightened us about the various myths and legends that define this temple.

He said that a family that doesn’t have a male child, worships Lord Shiva throughout the month of Shravan. If their prayers are answered and they are blessed with a male child, then it is mandatory for them to trek up to this shrine with their child and pray for his well beings and good health.

This place is also said to be the motherland of King Bharat, the son of Shakuntala and Dushyant.

The temple is especially crowded during Shivratri when huge numbers of pilgrims come to offer their devotion to the Lord. The place vibrates with a strange spiritual energy that every human being standing inside the temple can feel.

We exited the temple after offering our prayer and seeking blessings. We also decided to trod on to the highest peak in our area. There was another temple there, and that place seemed to be heaven on earth.

Town View Pauri Garhwalsource: Devbhoomi Uttarakhand

The Boiling Ecosystem

This place is not only heavenly because of the holy shrine, but also for the biodiversity that surrounds this place. The temple itself provides a magnificent panoramic view of the mighty Himalayas that look grander than usual. There are different rivers flowing in all directions, and wild animals roam freely. There are also a lot of birds in the area and is a great spot for bird watching. This place is nature showing off its best collection. All of this heightens the allure and the aura of the Mahabgadh Mahadev Temple that sits atop the hills quietly witnessing this boiling pot of diverse ecosystem. As I and my friend tried to name the different birds flying above me, I realised that the devotion and spirituality are not just inside the temple walls but also outside of it. The whole place is blessed with a divine spell, that makes it so mystical.

Sinchita is a student, who has always dabbled with a bit of writing here and there. She has always made herself look into things in a different way than others, which has allowed her to explore certain feelings and emotions which many cannot. She is a bold writer and believes in the saying, 'a pen is mightier than the sword'. She strongly believes that the writing should be so compelling that the writer feels that they are on a journey they read through the article. The writing must make the reader feel something, otherwise it pointless

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