K D Maini
Swami Budha Amarnath Temple is situated in between the main belt of Pir Panchal range at Rajpura Mandi which is 25 kilometers on the north east of Poonch city. This sacred place is located on the confluence of two gushing streams namely Nallah Gagri and Pulsta Nadi. This place is surrounded by snow bound lofty peaks, thick belt of fir forests (in the eastern side), lush green pastures and crystal clear streams and nallahs. The climate of this attractive and charming spot is very pleasant and cool. At present Swami Budha Amarnath temple is connected by a motorable road and it is 244 kilometers from Jammu.
The temple has been constructed with one big stone. There are four doors in the temple on the northern, southern, eastern and western sides which indicates that the doors of this shrine are open for all the four varnas. There is a natural Shivlinga of white stone (Chakmak) inside the temple. A number of ancient idols collected from nearby villages are also installed in the premises of the temple where there were four holy springs near the temple in the past. At present the water of three springs has been diverted to fourth one which is on the southern side of the temple. The water of these springs is considered holy from religious point of view. The pilgrims first take bath in this spring and then enter the temple for prayers.
Thousands of pilgrims with great devotion come to this place from various parts of the country every year. The main religious function is held on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan which is known as Mela Swami Budha Amarnath festival. Three days before the Mela, a religious congregation is held at Dashnami Akhara Poonch for havan and pooja of Chari Mubarakh. The procession of Chari Mubarakh starts from Akhara. A guard of honour from Police contingent is paid to Chari Mubarakh at the gate of the Akhara. The Swami Ji is carried in a palki by the devotees, along with the sacred mace. Thousands of devotees and hundreds of Sadhus accompany the procession which leads towards Swami Budha Amarnath on foot. The main halt is at Chandak, (the name of the Chandaka Devi) where lunch is served to the yartis. While on the way from Poonch to Mandi, a number of stalls are erected for welcoming the Charri Mubarakh and yatries. At Chandak, light drinks are served by a prominent Muslim of Chandak to yatries. The procession reaches Rajpura on the same day in the afternoon where it is received by the local people, sadhus and workers of the Trust. After guard of honour by the BSF contingents at the gate of Swami Budha Amarnath, the Charri Mubarakh is taken to the main shrine.
This holy place has great religious importance. It is said that at this very place Lord Shiva had started narrating the Amar Katha to Parvati Ji which ended at Swami Amarnath located near Pahalgam Kashmir. This temple is considered older than the Swami Amarnath Ji of Kashmir. This is why the shrine is known as Swami Budha Amarnath. It is believed that one must visit this sacred place before performing the yatra of Amarnath Kashmir.
A number of legends are famous in and around Poonch city regarding the existence of this ancient temple. As per one legend, Mahatma Pulsta (the grand father of Kind Ravana of Sri Lanka) meditated at this very place for a pretty long time. He was a devotee of Lord Shiva. There are a number of references in Neel Mat Puran about Pulsat Rishi. As per these references, Pulsat was also an artist and sculptor.
The legend goes that Pulsat meditated with such a devotion at Rajpura Mandi that Lord Shiva had given him a Darshan at this very place. In memory of Darshana the of Lord Shiva, Rishi Pulsat constructed the temple of Shiva and erected a lingum there. Since the Pulsat was a great Rishi, a sculptor and very popular among the habitants of this area, therefore, after his death the people converted this small temple into a shrine. Later on this shrine took the name was named Swami Budha Amarnath. Even now a number of idols of ancient time are available in this area. It is possible that these idols may have been erected by Pulsat Rishi.
There is a historical background of this area also. Swami Budha Amarnath temple is hardly one kilometer north of Mandi which remained the place of great importance for traders of Kashmir and rest of India upto 1452 AD. From this very place the high mountains of Panchal range starts and it was not possible for the Punjabi traders to cross over these mountains along with their loaded horses and camels. On the other hand, Kashmiri traders were not in a position to accommodate themselves in the hot climatic conditions of Punjab. Therefore, the traders of both sides would assemble at this very spot for exchange of their goods for centuries together. It is said that these stalls were near temple of Swami Budha Amarnath and they were residing in the Sarai constructed there. By this way, the temple of Swami Budha Amarnath also remained the centre of worship for centuries. But in one cloud burst the temple came under a heavy landslide and so it disappeared from the surface.
Legend goes that a saint was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. He was worshipping in a cave in the Himalayan range. By realizing his devotion, Lord Shiva once came to him dream and told him that his prayer has been completed and accepted by him. Now he must come out from the cave and Lord Shiva directed the devotee to go to the present Rajpura Mandi and asked him to excavate his temple which was embedded in the earth. Next morning, the Sadhu started travelling towards Rajpura. After removing the top soil, the top of the old temple came out from the earth. When Raja of Poonch came to know about the temple at Rajpura, he sent his soldiers for further excavation. By this way, the ancient temple along with four holy springs was excavated from the earth. Then the Raja also visited along with his courtiers and public and this place again became the centre of worship.
During the reign of Dogra Raja Moti Singh, (1850 to 1918 AD), this temple was renovated. In summer season, the Rajas of Poonch principality used to shift to Rajpura for sometime and therefore, there remained great hustle bustle around the temple during the stay of Raja in this area. Raja and Rani were paying frequent visits to this holy shrine. In this very period, the yatra of Charri Mubarakh was started. In the past the sacred mace (Charri Mubarakh) was being carried from Dashnami Akhara Tetrinote presently in Pak occupation and also from Shivalaya Khakhanaban. But when the Dashnami Akhara was renovated by Dogra Rajas and it became a seat of Rajguru, then it was decided to start the procession of Charri Mubarakh from Dashnami Akhara Poonch in which Raja of Poonch participated.
Recently a yatri sarai has been constructed by the Trust for pilgrims near the temple where 600 to 1000 pilgrims can be accommodated at a time. Free langer (meal) has also been started by Swami Budha Amarnath trust where pilgrims can have lunch, dinner and breakfast free of cost for three days. A master plan of Rs. 45.00 lakh for redesigning and reconstruction of Swami Budha temple and complex was prepared during 1991. It comprises of the construction of new temple, Sarai, prekarama, bathing tank and bathing ghats etc. for the convenience of the pilgrims. The construction of 60 feet high new temple and prekarma has been completed which has given a new shape and look to this spot.
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