Gangolihat in the Pithoragarh region of Kumaon in Uttarakhand is a town of unspoiled beauty and sacred antiquity. Surprisingly, it is relatively unknown to the outside world. Maybe because its charm is eclipsed by the more popular tourist towns of Almora, Ranikhet, and Munsiyari. Luckily, we acquainted this charming town on our return journey from Munsiyari to Almora. We had no expectations of encountering anything that could surpass the sublime beauty of Munsiyari but the stopover at Gangolihat jolted us out of our misconception.
The town is steeped in mystical charm and natural beauty which can be attributed to its geographical location. It sits atop a mountain garlanded by rivers Saryu and Ramganga.
The present-day name is an aberration of Gangawali; Gang means river and Awali means garland in the local dialect. Gangawali later became Gangoli and acquired haat due to its location along the ancient trade route. Historically, it was ruled by the Chand rulers in the 13th century. They were great patrons of art and learning. They built many temples, naulas and established a centre of learning, Gangavihar, for Buddhists following the destruction of Nalanda.
Deva Bhumi abounds with numerous mythological tales of gods, goddesses, and legends of the mighty Pandavas. We came across Patalbhuvaneshwar, a limestone cave, located about 14 km from Gangolihat.
The Pandavas reportedly began their heavenly journey from this cave as mentioned in the Skanda Purana. The cave was first discovered by Adi Shankaracharya during his sojourn in the Himalayas. He dedicated the cave to lord Shiva and enshrined the Shiva lingam.
The 160-metres long and 90 metres deep cave temple is looked after by Bhandari priests. The entrance is through a narrow opening and as one climbs into the cave, a stunning display of the Hindu pantheon meets our gaze inside the cave which is surprisingly vast. The images imprinted on the walls of the cave appear to be divine creations.
Atheists may dismiss this and cite it as a prime example of stalactites and stalagmites formations. But the vivid and precise depictions of numerous mythological deities: Sheshnag, Brahmkamal, Hamsa, Kalpavrishka, the thousand-legged elephant Airavat, Kamadhenu compels us to ignore the scientific explanation. We lean towards the magical mystical connection and offer our prayers to the divine and head out to a beautiful day breaking out.
After a hearty breakfast, we visited the two ancient temples barely 500 meters away from the cave shrine. The two temples; one for Devi Chamunda and the other for Shiva are built in Vallabhi and Nagara style. Some years ago, a bronze idol was stolen and subsequently, all the idols from the area were placed in a temporary shelter in the temple.
The ASI has converted a corridor as a museum and one gets to see Chamunda, Lakulisa, Vishnu, Surya, Ganesha seated on blocks and caged minus the offerings of devotees.
Next, we visited the temple discovered by my son. Over the scenic drive, he had regaled us with tales about the valour of Kumaon, Garhwal and Gurkha regiments and in passing had mentioned about a temple that is maintained by the Kumaon Regiment. It was indeed strange to read about the secular armed forces of the country managing a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali. The soldiers of the Kumaon Regiment have immense faith in Ma Kali who is believed to have saved a contingent of Kumaon regiment soldiers when
their ship was battered by a storm at sea. It is believed that Ma Kali heard their cries for help and miraculously saved them. Since then, the battle cry
of the Kumaon Regiment has been Jai Ma Kali, with the firm belief that the demon slayer Goddess Kali is protecting them.
Nestling in a sacred grove of Deodar trees, the temple looks plain and austere. The red shikhara marks the divinity of the spot where Goddess
Durga took the form of Mahakali and killed the demon Shumbh.
The temple was consecrated by Adi Shankaracharya as a Mahakali Shakti Peetha. A perpetual holy fire burns in front of the three feet high fierce-looking lion riding four-armed Kali carved in black stone. The present-day temple was constructed by Jangam Baba and although of modest proportions, it has beautiful sculptures of four-armed Vishnu, Ganesha, and a splendid specimen of exquisite carving of the region, a 1.25 feet high Uma Maheshwara!
Goddess Kali is held in deep reverence by the locals. We had visited the temple on a Poornima day when the entire village had assembled to offer their prayers.
The air was filled with the joyful cries of children running around, tinkling bangles of women preparing food and gentle reprimands of men keeping an eye over hot bubbling cauldrons.
This playful, divine carnival staged by mortals at the behest of Ma Kali remains etched in our memory as a slice of pure Kumaoni life nurtured for thousands of years in the foothills of the majestic Himalayas, the erstwhile Deva Bhumi where the mortals are in joyful communication with the Gods at every corner and in every cave.