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Creating
Symbols of Hope - Hari Parbat at Faridabad
Anangpur
is a small suburban village on the outskirts of
Faridabad. In fact alongwith Mehrauli and Tugluqabad
it constitutes the triangle of historical importance
in the National Capital Region of Delhi. Tugluqabad
was the Centre of Delhi during the reign of Mohd Bin
Tagluq and Mehrauli is believed to be the place
where the first Delhi was created. Anangpur was
founded by Raja Anangpal and the famous King of
Delhi Prithvi Raj Chauhan lived here. Anangpur also
has the distinction of having the first school of
SOS chain in India for orphan children. The creation
of the school in this village has transformed the
life of people living there by bringing modern
education and latest health care to the doorsteps of
villagers.
It is this village
which is now witnessing another transformation these
days. The people of the village are helping in
creating a replica of Hariparbat on one of the
hillocks on the boundary of the village with a
temple of goddess Sharika on the top, as a token of
solidarity with the displaced Kashmiri Pandits.
The entire idea of
developing `Hari Parbat' at Faridabad germinated in
the mind of Sh J. N. Koul, the founder chief of the
SOS schools who is a household name in Anangpur. He,
as the President of Kashmiri Sevak Samaj of
Faridabad and All India Kashmiri Samaj, started many
vocational, educational and self help schemes for
displaced Pandits. Few years back he and his wife
were struck with the urge of creating a temple for
goddess `Sharika' on one of the hillocks adjoining
the Anangpur village. They visualised transforming
the hillock into a replica of Hariparbat so that the
entire area is transformed into a meditational
centre. He broached the idea with the village elders
but a responsive cord was struck only after some
villagers had strange spiritual experiences during
their sleep. As per the common talk in the village
some villagers saw goddess in their dreams extolling
them to construct a temple on the top of the hill.
These experiences inspired the villagers, who to the
last person have been staunch Arya Samajists, to
donate the hillock for creation of a temple for the
goddess Sharika. They appealed to `Papa Ji' (Sh. J.
N. Koul) to immediately start the construction of
the temple. Sh Koul immediately entrusted the job to
the experienced project consultant for SOS village
Sh C. K. Dass.
With the voluntary
help pouring from all sides of the village and
elsewhere Shri C. K. Dass started the work of
constructing steps to the hill top. Initially 60
steps were built from west to the east. And with the
construction of these steps the entire concept of
transforming the hillock into the abode of Sharika
started concretising.
After a year of work
now, a total of 211 steps have been built to reach
the main temple at the top. The temple constructed
at the top has a height of 33 feet from the top of
the hill. As the construction of the `Sanctum
Sanctoram' neared its completion it was felt that
the initial marble deity `Sheran Wali Maa' brought
from Rajasthan was relatively smaller for the size
the temple had assumed. So the project team decided
to instal a bigger deity. One nationaly reknowned
scluptor from Orissa Mr. Maharana was assigned the
task of sculpting the deity. Mr. Maharana happens to
belong to the family of sculptors who built Konark
Temple and is recepient of the President's Award for
sculpture. He sculpted the statue of goddess in the
sand stone of Orissa. And the deity was subsequently
placed in the sanctum sanctorum.
The deity has
remarkable features which are not traditionally seen
in the north Indian statues. The flavour of the
sculpture is mainly of East and South India.
With the completion
of the temple the other main work of `Land Scaping'
of the hillock has begun and it is just a matter of
time when the entire area would be transformed into
a beautiful meditation centre.
For last few years `Hari
Parbat' Anangpur has become a place where `Kashmiri
Pandits' in and around Delhi observe their `Nav Reh'
festivals. Thousands of villagers of Anangpur, as a
true mark of national integeration, join them on the
day and together they rise up to hillock to pay
obeisance to the deity. The creation of `Hari Parbat'
is one more example of the effort of the displaced
community to build symbols in exile to protect their
identity.
However,
significantly this effort has helped transform a
village into tourist spot. `Aap Ne Is Gaaon Mein
Raunak Layee' ... you have brought new light to the
village-say the villagers with pride. Women folk of
the village are happy in particular for two reasons.
One that their `Maan Sheran Wali' has come to their
door step and second that it has helped to introduce
an element of religeosity amongst the village youth
many of whom unfortunately are alcohol addicts. `The
religious atmosphere will certainly help in
improving the habits of our youth', said the village
elders. Experiencing happiness after the creation of
the temple the villagers have come forward to donate
one more hillock to be transformed into temples of
Shiva. `You have created Hari Parbat. Why don't you
create a Shankara Charya Temple here'.
[Courtesy: Kashmir
News Network (KNN). This excerpt appeared in the
Sentinel 15-30 April 1999. Despite many requests,
the updated write up did not become available.
However, the photograph is a recent one, circulated
on Navreh, 2002. The Holy Sri Chakreshwari has been
carved in stone, in the temple dedicated to Maa
Sharika. -Editor-in-Chief]
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