This is a question forwarded to me :
These links are about Dhari Devi. This author says unless the idol is put back in position and appeased, death and destruction will continue throughout India.
We have heard about guardian deities throughout our life .. (ellai amman etc). But the chief priest of the temple himself doesn’t speak about this ! His quote below…
Don't blame the gods says the priest of the Dhari Devi temple, blame man he insists. Head priest BP Pande said, "Man has constructed these dams, we are to blame, don't blame the gods. We harmed nature, now this is nature's retaliation."
http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/seekers/faith-and-rituals/the-cause-of-kedarnath-destruction-dhari-devis-wrath
http://www.speakingtree.in/ramesh.nsw/profile
What is Sastra Nethralaya’s view ? Some people are asking in the blog, why are the saints and sadhus keeping quiet about this. And why is the temple priest himself doesn’t seem to favor this view ?
I hope Sastra Nethralaya has not restricted its scope to only Vedanta !
Firstly, if it is shastra then there is always scope for shastranethralaya to discuss it. This we have made clear in our very first post here and in the forum too.
About Dhari Devi. As we know this is a small temple in the banks of alaknanda river, a little further on the route to rudra prayag (conflusion), a little further of Srinagar. It is though not a big temple in size, but is a famous temple. People flock this temple for child, which it is very famous for among others. The most important thing is this is the Gaurdian Deity, as the questioner asks. The whole of this portion of hill is considered as Kedar Khanda (part of the Kedar), and this deity is the deity for this part of the hills.
This may sound strange for many, who have not been introduced to the idea of the deities. But, this is a very common thing in the hills, a little more than that of the other parts of india, this beleif is more strong here. And, they are not mistaken in this. There is an annual meeting of these deities in uttarkashi, during the month of January. And on every kumbha mela held at Hardwar, they have a special day for bath too. On this day like the jhulus (parade) of the sadhus on the secial occasion these deities go on a jhulus.
Let us see some interesting details about this annual meeting of the deities. The deities, their travelling counter-part (urchava murthi), will be requested on the day of the beginning of the journey, and only after the deities give their ascent they will move (MOVE), really (will understand from the later passages). After this they will be carried from their respective places on a dole (pallak, palanquin). The entourage consists of a priest, the musicians and some extra players for sharing / carrying the dole. During this travel, it is not the people who decide where to stop, but the deity itself. It will be strange to hear this drama, when the deity decides to stop in a village, the weight of the dole becomes heavy, unbearable for the people carrying it. Still, if they pursue on their way, the dole will start to rotate in a 360 degree, making it difficult for the people carrying. For a person, who is born and brought-up in a city, and not a village of south india, where these kind of things are famous, it is difficult to believe, unless one has a direct experience..
Incidentally, the area where virakth ashram is, there is a temple of a devi, little further (around a k.m.), which is the guardian deity for that part of rishikesh. And, everyday this deity goes to Ganga, on the road front of Virakth ashram, in the early morning, around 3 am. This was witnessed by me once, when I didn’t know about this, when I asked the neighbors who are pahadis (hill tribe), they informed about this event.
In the hills, you can see the fear and respect they show for these deities.
They are stubborn deities. If they are angry, there is nothing strange, they are there to protect the hill flock. And if there is a danger for it, and therefore fot them, it will act in ways which are strange to conceive.
But, how can God be so rude ?, fearing, this backlash, the priest and the others prefer not to respond in this angle. But, they are not Gods, they are menial deities, whose only job is to take care of the people in its jurisdiction. For this, it may go to any extreme.
Then why should it kill its own people, which it should protect ? it is the law of karma which is taking place. The place in and around these holy paces, the hill folks have become very greedy, though it can be argued it is their way of sustenance etc., they were selling alcohols etc. and making the place unholy.
But why kill the devotees ? the demand supply chanin is in work here. The devotees, who turn up to these temples are just mostly selfish tourists (this may sound rude), with some devotion.
Then the question turns to the real devotees, for them what more great can happen, than leaving / laying their lives in the abode of Lord.
Why speak about this north, even on the Chennai – banglore highway, there is a temple which is in the center of the road, which had to be removed, but since the engineers, contractors and the others had recurrent problems, while trying to remove this they left it in the center of the road.
