Ancient Bhadarwah
was a sovereign and prosperous state. It had its own colorful and flourishing
civilization. Its famous cities were Durga Nagar and Udho Nagar which perished
under the red hot material of the volcano that erupted on the nearby Kailash Mountain . A new city of Bhadravart came up, which is
presently known as Bhadrot. It is said that a university with capacity
of lodging and boarding for about one thousand students existed exactly where
present Bhadarwah university campus has been set up.
Raja Lakshmi Dev’s,
dynasty ruled Bhadarwah up to sixteenth generations and then Nagas took over.
Historically, Nagas as a race are not serpents, but a totem, a title or a
sub-caste named after many animals in Jammu and Kashmir
and elsewhere in India .
In the epic literature they have been described as the posterity of Rishi
Kashyapa and Kadru, one of his wives, and in mythology they have been sketched
both as humans as well as snakes. According to Harivamsa Purana, Nagraj Vasuki
is the Naga sovereign and immortal Naga, having the largest number of
worshippers in India . Nagas were strong worshippers of Shiva and
ruled many parts of India .
The origin of their ruling dynasty is attributed to Navnagas and there were
other prominent ruling Nagas also. Naga dynasty rulers shifted their capital to
Bhadarwah proper called Nagar. Bhardarwah became part of Jammu and Kashmir State , under Dogra rule, in 1821AD.
Bhadarwah is known
as ‘Chotta Kashmir’. God has bestowed on Bhadarwah unparalleled charm and
fragrance. To the east of the town, on the bank of river Neru, is an ancient
Shiva temple, situated at the mouth of a huge cave. According to Vasuki Puran, when
Pandavas performed the Ashumegh Yajna,
the ‘Sham Karan’ horse that would graze upon the meadows in the surroundings of
holy ‘Sonabain’ was taken from Sawan the then king of Bhadarwah. It is
generally said, that Pandavas during their exile took shelter in Bhadarkashi,
presently known as Bhadarwah. One day they disappeared suddenly. It is believed, that they disappeared through this long cave to
some unknown place because that was the day their Agyatvas, living in hidden position, started.
The temple has a tomb like construction
and long stone slabs have been used in it. Here Ganga
abruptly falls on the Lingam and then disappears. It is a natural phenomenon. The Shiv-Ling of this temple is of huge size and made of black
marble. The domb of the temple is made of stones in a circular shape. A
stream of pure water flows from inside of the temple and drops on the Shiv-Ling
day and night. Then this water flows to
a “Bawali” (Pond) where Sadhus, and devotees take bath. The
water of the Bawali is cold in summer
and warm in winter. Since the stream of water comes into the temple in a mysterious way, the water of this stream is considered as sacred
as the water of the Ganga , so it is called
Gupt Ganga. Inside the temple, there is a footprint of Bhimsen, one of
Pandav brothers, on a rock. This ancient Shiva
temple is greatly revered by Hindus of the state and is a famous historical
pilgrimage centre.
This article gives valuable information about history of Bhadrwah and there historical temples which is mostly unknown for other Indians
ReplyDelete