Dr Banarsi Lal
kvkreasi@gmail.com
Reasi district in J&K is considered as the hub of religious places. Every year thousands of devotees across the nation visit this district at Vaishno Devi Shrine, Shiv Khori, Baba Dhansar, Nau Devian,Dera Baba Banda Bahadur, Siad Baba etc. These places are of great religious importance. There are various other religious places also in this district which are not frequently visited by the pilgrims but they can also attract more and more of devotees from far and wide. Reasi is also known for various fairs and festivals. Shiv Khori Mela is an important Mela in Reasi district of J&K which is attended by thousands of devotees from across the nation. Every year three day Shiv Khori Mela is organized at Shiv Khori Shrine on Maha Shivratri. This year the Mela will commence from February 14. The main programme is organized at Ransoo village of Reasi which is the base camp of Shiv Khori. Main cave is around 3.5 Km away from Ransoo village. Whole Ransoo village is decorated in advance so that the visiting pilgrims can experience a pleasant look during the sacred event. Special endeavours are made for cleanliness and beautification of the area. The district administration makes best efforts to assist pilgrims in every location to make their visit smooth and easy. The festival signifies the convergence of Shiva and Shakti as the festival marks the marriage of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvati. Shiv Khori Shrine Board makes rigorous efforts to make this festival even more popular and ensures all facilities to the pilgrims.
Shiv Khori shrine is about 80 km from Katra and most of the pilgrims who pay obeisance at Shri Vaishno Devi Shrine also visit this spot. In order to reach at this place firstly one has to reach Reasi town from where one can easily reach this place by bus or by other vehicles which directly ferries up to Ransoo village. One can also reach this religious place from Jammu via Akhnoor to Bhambla. Track from Ransoo village to Shiv Khori shrine is mountainous. One can hire pony or palki to go up to the shrine from Ransoo. Shiv Khori cave houses a natural Shiv Lingum. This cave is 200 metres long; one metre wide and two to three metres in hight. Around 300 devotees can gather at a time at the entrance of the cave while the inner chamber of the cave is small. The passage from outer to the inner chamber is small; at one spot it divides itself into two parts. One of these is believed to have led to Kashmir where Amarnath cave is located. It is now closed as it is said that some saints who went ahead never returned. In order to reach the sanctum sanctorum, one has to keep low and adjust his/her body according to the shape of the cave. Inside the cave a naturally formed image of Lord Shiva can be seen. The cave also has a number of other natural objects idols which resemble Goddess Parvati, Ganesha and Nandigan. The cave roof is etched with snake formations and water trickles through these formations on Shiv Lingam. Pigeons are also seen here like Baba Amarnath cave.
There are different stories about the discovery of this cave. It is said that a demon named Bhasmasur worshipped Lord Shiva for a long time and was blessed to end the life of anybody and he tried the power on Lord Shiva after which Lord Shiva ran to save himself from the demon and entered this cave which is known as Shiv Khori shrine. After that Lord Vishnu in the guise of Mohini asked the demon to dance with her on her tunes. But when the demon started dancing he put his hand at his head while following Mohini and was burnt. It is said that 33 crores deities live in this holy cave in the shape of Pindis and natural milky water trickles down on them from the top of the cave. Six mouthed Seshnaga and three pronged lance depicting the trident of Lord Shiva are also seen on the roof of the cave. The main portion of the cave roof has round cutting mark which signifies the construction of cave by Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that Shiv Khori cave was discovered by a shepherd who was in search of his missing goat and by chance entered the cave to find his goat. He was astonished by seeing a number of saints inside the cave worshipping Lord Shiva. The saints asked the shepherd not to disclose about the cave to anybody but the shepherd disclosed the matter to a number of people and died. It is believed that a number of saints have been closely associated with this holy cave, who had meditated for decades inside this cave for spiritual attainment.
Few decades ago back only a few people from out of Reasi were knowing about Shiv Khori Shrine but now this place has gained much popularity. The cave has modern power system, facilities of oxygen and exhaust fans, well structured shelter sheds for the pilgrims, toilets and bathroom facilities, water reservoir, proper sanitation, high powered electric transformer, Police security for the pilgrims and a quality dispensary. Different programmes such as Dangal, cultural programmes, Shoba Yatra, display of stalls by different departments etc are also organised during the mela. In order to mitigate the overcrowding problem of the pilgrims, especially, during Maha Shivratri Mela, recently Shrine Board has constructed an exit tunnel. The Shiv Khori Mela is an important annual congregation of pilgrims who gather at this place to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Devotees have bath in the river Devak to purify themselves.
Shiv Khori Mela is a major socio-religious event that brings together many people at Ransoo village where devotees of Lord Shiva forget their caste, creed and language and share an experience of faith with full devotion.
The writer is Chief Scientist & Head of KVK Reasi (SKUAST-J).
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