K. Kumar
Shankh Pal is the spiritual deity of the Lander region; a temple dedicated to this deity is located at the highest point on the Shankh Pal ridge.
Situated at an altitude of 2,897 metres, the temple is just a few hours’ walk away from Sanasar. Locals maintain that the original temple was over 400 years old and that no mortar was used to build the temple. However, looking at the stone idols lying around the temple, it is believed that the original temple was much older. The original temple has since then been replaced by a temple that is bigger and grander. However, this new temple still maintains its rustic charm with its pleasant proportions and the use of local rock in its construction.
Every year on Sawan Dashmi, a festival is observed at the temple which draws thousands of people from surrounding villages and from places as far off as Ramban.
Shankh Pal is one of the best camping grounds around Kud- Patnitop. It is pristine, secluded and provides a spectacular view in every direction.
The sunrise is a sight to behold as the sun emerges through the early morning mist and lights up the Himalayas in shades of pink and orange. On a clear night, the sky is lit up by countless stars which are rivalled by the twinkling lights of Udhampur city in the Southwest.
Local folklore maintains that the Indian Air Force wanted to build an encampment near this temple sometime ago. To this end, a reconnaissance party was dispatched to scout the area.
The members of this party would camp at Shankh Pal for the night, but everyone would wake up at a completely different place in the morning. This happened a couple of times and the reconnaissance party was soon convinced that the “Devato” was unwilling to have an installation built near his abode.
This air force installation was later built at Nathatop.
Local Customs and beliefs: “Naa Doop Naa Patti; Shankhpal Devta Sabsay Khatri”. It is the belief of local people that Raja Shankhpal is the most powerful one; he doesn’t like the offerings of incense and flowers.
They offer Ghur (Jaggery) and kheer to the deity. It is believed that Raja Shankhpal Ji is fond of white colour sweets.
An annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Raja Shankhpal Ji near 10th Tithi of Ashaad Month of Vikrami Samvat after Amavasya (preferably Sunday or Thursday) is conducted in the month of July. In this Yatra, the devotees from all over the villages of Ramban like Chanderkot, Pernote, Bhatni, Batote, Chenani and Landhar (Udhampur district) take procession of their devtas up to the Shrine of Raja Shankhpal Ji with Chhadies (maces). The devotees sacrifice a goat or a sheep at the Shankhpal Naag devta Pindi and offer Chattar or Tikka on the occasion. It is believed that these devtas from the various villages meet at the Shrine and bless the devotees on this occasion. On other days, every Thursday or Sunday people come to pay homage at the temple.
Reference in Hindu Texts: Shankha are associated with water, Nagas are often named after the Shankha. The references of Nagas in the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa Purana (written by Jinasena) and the Bhagavat Purana include names like Shankha, Mahashankha, Shankhapala and Shankachuda.
The name Shankhpal is referred to in Navnag Stotram. The names of nine Naga Devatas are Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padmanabh, Kambal, Shankhpal, Dhrutrashtra, Takshaka and Kalia. This powerful mantra of the nine nagas is mostly chanted by Naga followers on Nag Panchami, Naga Chaturthi and Shashti days. It is also said that he who recites these names in morning and evening is immune to snake bites and prospers wherever he goes.
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