| Char Dham Yatra – towards Badrinath, Day 49 |


Brahma dev told all the Gods that only Lord Shiva’s son to be, could slay the demon Tarkasur. Hearing this, the Gods began to propitiate Lord Shiva. However, they could not awaken Him from His penance despite their prayers. Lord Indra Dev then turned to Kamadev, giving him the task of bringing Lord Shiva’s penance to an end, so that His marriage with Devi Parvati could be solemnized and the son born out of their wedlock could eventually slay the demon Tarkasur. Kamadev shot his arrows of lust at Lord Shiva and broke His penance. Lord Shiva, infuriated by this, hurled His Trident at Kamadev to kill him. The Trident, thus got lodged at the spot where the Gopinath temple is situated today. The temple was built here for this reason.

King Sagar ruled this region and in present times, there is a village named Sagar near Gopeshwar, that was named after the king. According to the locals here, a strange incident recurred here in those times; of that of a cow coming to this spot everyday and milk flowing out of her teats by itself. The king got to know of this one day and he along with his soldiers followed the cow to this spot to witness the phenomenon for himself. The king was taken aback upon seeing that the milk from the cow’s udder flowed out of its own accord, upon the Shiv Ling nearby. Having witnessed this sacred incident, the King built the temple here.

Temple Darshan

The glory and greatness of this temple of Lord Gopinath is very special. Seekers and devotees throng this temple in large numbers everyday, for the Lord’s darshan. The Shivling along with the idols of Bhairav and Parashuram are enthroned here. The temple’s grandeur can be gauged from its architecture and construction. The Shivling is present inside the Sanctum Sanctorum. There is a tank by the name ‘Vaitarani’ at a short distance from the temple, bathing in which has its own special significance. All the devout seekers consider themselves as blessed and fulfilled, by having Darshan of this place. When Lord Shiva had hurled His trident to kill Kamadev, the Trishul had lodged itself at this very spot. The metal of that Trishul is present at this spot even to this day. Although the exact composition of the metals used in the trident is not known, it has been found to consist of an amalgam of eight different metals. There has been no impact whatsoever on this Trishul, of the varying climatic conditions across seasons. This in itself is a matter of great surprise, in current times. No human can even shake this Trident. If however, a true devotee touches the Trident even with just a finger, the Trident begins to vibrate.

This temple is of great importance also due to the fact that Lord Kedarnath’s main facial portion in the form of Rudranath Ji’s idol, is brought & installed here during the winter season. Lord Rudranath Ji’s idol is worshipped over here in a grand ceremony, every day.

(To be continued …)