Soaking in the Spiritual Vibes @ the Kasar Devi Temple.
Kasar Devi temple is famous for being one of the places on the earth under the influence of the Van Allen Belt, which according to research by NASA is a powerful electromagnetic field of immense positive energy created by cosmic rays and solar wind. The other two places are Machu Pichu in Peru and Stonehenge in England, both ancient spiritual sites. This unique distinction of Kasar Devi has attracted sages, mystics and yogis thru the ages and visitors today can experience the positive energy and serenity which has remained undisturbed. While the basic rock temple carved out of a cave has been around for some 2,000 years, its present structure was given shape in 1948 by the Birla family. It gained popularity after renowned Indian Spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda meditated and lived here in the 1890s. He mentioned the healing powers of this beautiful place elaborately in his book after which it became recognized and popular with people all around the world.
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| Brief History of Kasar Devi Temple |
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| Signboard on the way... |
We stayed at the Kasaar Jungle Resort which was very close to the temple almost touching the feet of the temple ( 5 mins walking distance). Though the Kasar Devi temple visit was part of a larger itinerary and the tour was pretty hectic, I managed to spend some early mornings (@ around 5:30 am) here in silent meditation and you can clearly feel the positive vibes of the place. The temple, the rock where Swamiji meditated, the sunrise, the chirping of the Himalayan birds, the 360 degree views of the pine, oak and deodar trees, the backdrop of the Himalayan mountain ranges, the greenery, the silence and energy of this place all adds up to the magic of this place. Also managed to team up with some of my co travellers and took an early morning walk over the Crank's Ridge or Hippie Hill as it is popularly called which is spread over the picturesque Himalayan foothills and covered with pine trees all around and is just outside the temple.
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A superlative Himalayan meditative experience
in the midst of a calm and serene sunrise at Kasar Devi |
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The Himalayan Ranges obscured by the
Morning Mist adding to the Mystic Vibes
with a 360 degree view of the Pine and
Deodar trees in the background |
As they say Where Shakti is, Shiva is and vice versa and so the temple has two parts. One is the Main Devi temple, and the other is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main shrine of the Devi is inside a cave-like formation. The Idol of the Devi here has a sweet and gentle face and sitting in that space feels like surrounding oneself with a soft, harmonious presence. After spending a couple of hours soaking in the silence and energy of this place, it was nice watching the priest troop in at around 7:30 am and start making preparations for conducting the morning Aarti which was quite elaborate. As I had a full day of hectic travel ahead of me, could not wait to see the Aarti but got the customary Red Tilak applied on my forehead by the priest feeling spiritually charged for the day. Next to the Shiva temple is a small Bhairava temple too.
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Another view from the
Kasar Devi Temple top |
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View of the Shiva Temple
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The Magnetism of this place has attracted many famous writers, artists, spiritual leaders across the world for many centuries. Apart from Swami Vivekanand, the place has also been visited by other famous personalities such as the American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan, British singer Cat Stevens amongst others. The noted American poet Allen Ginsberg is also known to have travelled here for a peaceful and spiritual time on top of the Kasar Devi temple.
The American psychologist Timothy Leary who was fired from Harvard University for promoting the usage of psilocybin, a form of psychedelic drug to graduate students visited Kasar Devi as he firmly believed that the holy hilltop had some form of special cosmic energy. Energy has been known to be the key reason behind the medicinal powers of Kasar Devi. This form of energy has only been found in two other places. The first was Machu-Pichu in Peru and the other Stonehenge in England.
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A serene Morning walk
at the Hippie Hill |
The majestic air that seeps into the valley has also been visited by one of the greatest minds of the west, Ernst Lothar Hoffman. Later known as Lama Anagarika Govinda, he was a Buddhist monk and an annotator of Buddhist inscriptions. He and his wife Li Gotami an Indian poet and writer stayed at Evans-Wentz’ house in Kasar Devi for a brief period. Walter Evans-Wentz, an American anthropologist was a student and a preacher of Tibetan Buddhism who also stayed in Kasar Devi for some time. During the stay of Lama Anagarika Govind and his wife they organized a Tibetian refugee center and a monastery. Kasar Devi was also visited by Sri Madhava Ashish who was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 1992 for his contribution in the field of environmental education. Other people such as Tiziano Terzani, the Italian writer whose most famous writing is ‘The End is My Beginning’also spent some time here. After being detected with cancer, he spent many years here meditating, and recording his experience in his writings while residing in a small hut in Kasar Devi. English writer, D.H. Lawrence, the author of ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ also spent two years here seeking creative inspiration.
Though one can see many visitors streaming in and out throughout the day to make offerings and pray, there are also many times when its completely silent and empty of people. Being summer time (May) the sun rises here by 5:30 am or so and I went for medidation at 5:30 am with hardly any people around and sitting in the silence around this place, one can clearly feel the presence of a strong and vibrant energy. It is a perfect getaway for both backpackers and spiritual seekers alike - budget friendly, accessible, harldy any crowd, good people and to top it all a mesmerizing Himalayan landscape.
I can just end this write-up by saying the following : I was fortuitous in getting an opportunity to have the Kasar Devi meditative experience and It turned out to be a Superlative Himalayan Meditative Experience for me. A Heartfelt Gratitude to the Universe for the same.
