MYTH and history permeate the very air around Chitrakoot, the pilgrim town that was the inspiration for Tulsi's Ramayana and a stopover for the exiled Lord Rama. Sadly, today Chitrakoot itself seems to be banished from the tourist map of the country.
Its not for want of potential. Khajuraho's 60-km proximity has left an unmistakable influence on many of Chitrakoot's temples. As in the Shiva temple at Barha Kothra, five km off the Allahabad highway and comfortably distant from district headquarters Karvi. The Khajuraho imprint is evident in its elaborate carvings and in the 12-ft high platform its built on. The layer of stone upon stone has not known any binding material.
The temples named after Lord Baneshwar, a Shiva incarnate worshipped by Vanasur, the demon king of the forest region. Barha Kothra itself is considered the abode of Vanasur's godmother Kothra. Legend has it that Vanasur singly played a number of instruments as Shiva danced the Tandav. Gratified, the lord promised to come closer to his village. He's there, eight km from Bara Kothra, amidst thick forests in a cave housing a cluster of Shivalingas.
Rishiyan or the abode of the sages, as the place is known, is where Vedic hermits have for centuries been lost in meditation. It was also frequented by the famous Deora Baba from 1875 to 1880, as is mentioned in the book on him. He even enquired about the mango tree he had planted outside the cave when I met him at the last Kumbh mela in 1989, says Satya Narain Gupta, a senior journalist in Karvi.
It's an arduous four-km trek to Rishiyan, along a rickety, rocky terrain leading away from the village. That's a slight deterrent, more dangerous are the dacoits said to frequent this region. Station officer of Mau, Aditya Kumar Dwivedi, admits that known dacoits like Rampa and Dadua have been here.
Despite the difficulties, tourism minister Kalraj Misra is excited about tourism prospects in Chitrakoot. Says he: This will surely be our government's prime project. His favourite is the twin waterfall discovered only recently by district magistrate Jagannath Singh on the Manikpur-Satna highway, 60 km from Chitrakoot. Christened the Shabri falls, they're drying up because the Madhya Pradesh government has constructed a dam on its water source. Laments Singh: They (MP) have robbed it of its beauty. But Misra has decided to take up the issue with the MP government. If it doesn't work, well construct our own dam to provide a catchment area for this majestic fall, says he.
Back in Chitrakoot, Khajuraho echoes can be found yet again in Ganesh Bagh, whose pink sandstone structure stands as a replica of the famous Kandariya Mahadeva temple. This temple too is built on a high solid masonry platform and is rich in many ornamental mouldings and paintings. A layer of grime conceals the art presently, but remove it and the colours begin to sparkle.
On Chitrakoot's famous ghats stands the Balaji temple, that could have been like any other temple were it not for its unusual historical backdrop. Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, known for plundering temples, failed to destroy the idol of Balaji housed in this temple despite repeated attempts. Then several of his soldiers fell ill and were treated by the very priest who worshipped this idol. As a mark of respect Aurangzeb told his deputy to build a huge temple dedicated to the priest's lord. And that's how the 243-year-old temple came to be.
Its property was lost after the abolition of zamindari, but the beautiful jharokhas and the ornate, carved doorways hold testimony to the Mughal tradition.The temple priest still looks after the garbha griha that houses the main deities, lack of funds makes it impossible for him to do any more.
The monumental neglect is what the government will have to remove if it hopes to make Chitrakoot a tourist success. Poor road connections, communications and lack of proper lodging indicate that efforts have to start from scratch. Security is another consideration the authorities need to look into in this dacoit-prone region. Says Singh: We've already started moving in these directions.
For if the efforts bear fruit, Chitrakoot's exile may definitely be over.
