On Mahashivratri, Indian Pilgrims Make A Beeline To This Shiva Cave Temple Atop Bhutan Hills

This holy site is thronged by tens of thousands of devotees annually and legends have it that the deity dwells here in a natural cave.

Jalpaiguri: In a unique gesture of India-Bhutran friendship, the Bhutan government has extended all assistance for the pilgrims from India to pay a visit to the Jayanti Bara Mahakal Dham on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri. A makeshift bamboo bridge has been built for the devotees to reach the Mahakal cave atop a hill. Pilgrims from the Indian side of the international border have been making the best possible use of the bilateral friendship for ages.

This holy site in Bhutan is thronged by tens of thousands of devotees every year and legends have it that the deity dwells here in a natural cave as there is no dedicated temple. Another cave adjacent to it is dwelled by the goddess Kali. Water seepage from the top of the caves forms different structures frequently.

Trekking through the Jayanti River is the only option to reach the pilgrimage site. Indian pilgrims have to first reach Alipurduar from where a road through the forests of the Buxa Tiger Reserve reaches Rajabhatkhawa from where a gate needs to be crossed to reach Jayanti. From Jayanti, the ferocious river, the trekking path starts which meanders through the hills and many fountains punctuated by rough terrains and steep slopes to finally merge with the Mahakal Dham.

Shops have been set uo en route to the Dham. (ETV Bharat)

The West Bengal Forest Department took no risk in the security of pilgrims and tourists by beefing up the patrolling in the Mahakal Dham route. The Alipurduar district administration has deployed additional police to ensure zero lapses in pilgrims' security.

The road to Mahakal Dham is well-marked and there is a safari route along the river from Jayanti. There are fears of landslides and flash floods aside from the jumbo menace around the little Mahakal Dham as they come in herds to drink water from the river.

"Like every year, this year has been no stranger as thousands of devotees have proceeded to the Dham. We have set up health camps in Rajabhatkhawa for them. Keeping the Indo-Bhutan friendship in mind, the committees of the two nations jointly arrange for the infrastructure for pilgrims' convenience," Alipurduar MLA Suman Kanjilal said.

Devotees on the way to Jayanti Bara Mahakal Dham. (ETV Bharat)

"Every year we visit the Jayanti Bara Mahakal to pour water on the phallus of Lord Shiva. We are going this year too. The governments of Bhutan and West Bengal jointly help us by arranging for all amenities. SSB, police and forest department also proactively extend all help," Pran Bishwakarma, a devotee, said.

However, Biswajit Barman from Assam contradicted this. "We have come from Assam to visit the Jayanti Mahakal in Bhutan. But the forest department is not allowing us," he said.