By Nayak Paudel
Taplejung, Nov. 26: Pathivara Temple, a major shrine of Goddess Durga, lies high up on a hill in Taplejung district making it one of the difficult religious shrines to reach on foot.
While some can walk easily, many face trouble reaching the temple as they have to cover more than 4,000 metres on foot. However, the sheer will and belief in Goddess Pathivara pulls pilgrims till the top making them forget all the hardship.
There is reportedly no certainty regarding when the temple was found but as per the hearsays Goddess Pathivara was worshiped in the place since Satya Yuga, the first of four Yugas. According to Hinduism, the current Yuga is Kali, the last of the four.
The major hearsay regarding the finding of the temple in the Kali Yuga is based upon a story of shepherds and sheep. It is said that when a group of shepherds, who had lots of sheep, were herding sheep in the hill where Pathivara Temple now stands, some of their sheep disappeared. They couldn’t find the lost sheep for days and in the meantime, one of the shepherds also disappeared; he was also nowhere to be found. It was after some days that the lost shepherd appeared; he was said to be expressing the saying of Goddess Pathivara as if he was possessed by the goddess.
"I was incarnated in Satya Yuga and was worshipped on this hill for ages but it all disappeared with the beginning of Kali Yuga following which I also remained in silence, but now I have reappeared. Your lost sheep are safe," said the shepherd who had just returned after being disappeared.
When the shepherds worshipped Goddess Pathivara after the incident, the lost sheep reappeared. From that day, people have been worshipping at Pathivara with full devotion, which grows stronger with the passage of time.
"It is the belief and the sheer will of the devotees that they travel far and walk for hours to reach here. It is difficult to walk for many devotees but once they arrive at the temple, they forget those troubles and are filled with joy," Tika Ram Paudel, main priest at Pathivara Temple told The Rising Nepal.
According to the devotees who had arrived at the temple for the first time, they were pretty much exhausted while they were walking upward but were happy when they reached the top.
"My family members had told me that the walking would make me tired and it did but when I reached the temple it was far more beautiful than I was thinking of. More than beautiful scenery of the Himalayas and Hills, getting a chance to worship Goddess Pathivara was more of a satisfaction. It was the temple which pulled me up," said Abhishekh Gautam, a student from Jhapa who had come to the temple with his friends.
Similarly, an old couple in their mid-70s from Sankhuwasabha who were walking the steps towards the temple also shared the thought that it was the faith in Pathivara and their wish to worship that was giving them energy to walk up.
Meanwhile, the devotees and locals admit that the path to the temple has turned much easier over the years as vehicles reach Kaflepati, also known as Sanofedi. It is from Kaflepati that the devotees walk for 4,000 metres up the hill to reach Pathivara Temple.
"When I first visited the temple about eight years ago, I walked from Phungling Bazaar itself. But now the road has reached up to Kaflepati despite being poor for a convenient ride," said Arjun Rai, a youth from Morang who had arrived at the temple for the third time on Monday.
According to Arjun, he, however, found a large decline in the number of devotees at the temple compared to the past. The number of devotees arriving at the temple is higher in between March to November which is regarded as the season for devotees. This year, the season ended without many devotees due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There were some devotees from the nearby districts, who kept on arriving even during the strict lockdown but the recent major season saw far fewer devotees than the previous years," said Paudel.