| Temples & Legends Of Bengal |
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| Temples & Legends Of
India |
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THE TEMPLES IN BIRBHUM |
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At last, the
unhappy Bhairav arrived at Kasi, where his prayers were partly effectual. The head dropped
off, but a wound remained and refused to heal. Distracted with pain Bhairav began his
wanderings anew, and they ended not till he had reached Bakreswar and bathed in the spring
which bears his name. Here he also plunged his tortured limb in the Pap Hara
(sindestroyer), as that portion of the river Bakreswar, which lies eastward of the spring,
is styled. These repeated ablutions were effectual in removing the pain and scars.
The legend of Khar Kundu is that in the Satya Yuga the ocean was drunk dry by the same
Maharshi Agasta and only got back its waters after a prolonged course of bathing and
ablutions to Siva on the banks of this spring. An annual mela is held at Bakreswar. It
commences on the day preceding the Sivarathri in Phalgun (February or March) and lasts for
about a week. The mela is very popular particularly for the lower classes of Birbhum and
the surrounding districts. Bath in the Pap Hara River and participation in the festivities
and a visit to the temples precedes or follows buying goods that are offered for sale. The
stoneware’s of Pattakona in Burdwan, vessels of brass and bell metal, mats, piece
goods, plantains from Katwa and consumer's goods from Calcutta have a
good turnover. A temporary city of thirty or forty thousand inhabitants replaces the
villages of pilgrimage. |
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