Will the Legendary ‘Tanot Mata’ Help Us Solve ‘Neighbourhood Crises’? The Bigger Question is Will History Repeat Itself All Over Again?
India, the land of spiritualism, mythology and fables, shelters umpteen shrines and religious sites with miraculous legends behind their existence. Atheists may disregard our divine heritage, but believers ardently repeat these temple tales again and again. We don’t know about other shrines, but the fabled Tanot Mata temple, located 95 miles from the ‘Golden City‘ Jaisalmer has witnessed some real action in past! With Rajasthan CM flying from Udaipur to Jaisalmer recently, the temple has made it to tabloids again. Like other natives of the desert land, Raje believes offering prayers during Navratra will bring strength, prosperity and glory to the nation. Is this belief in God rational? Let’s find out.
Tales Surrounding Tanot Mata Temple
Tanot Mata, the re-embodiment of divine goddess Hinglaj Mata or Karni Mata is believed to have reincarnated in Rajasthan. Her temple, unlike other ornate Shaktipeeths in India is a small, plain white cemented structure adorned with Hindu flags on top, guarded by Lord Shiva in the form of Bhairao Nath.
Situated near Thar Desert, the holy sanctuary shares close proximity with Pakistan. Though it was built a thousand years back, it gained immense popularity after the Indo-Pak war of 1965 at Longewala Border.
Myth says Pakistani soldiers specifically targeted the village surrounding this area. When things went out of hand, terrorized villagers and a few soldiers took shelter inside the temple. When the village was bombarded with 300 bombs, 45 explosives landed within the temple premises. Despite mass destruction outside, the temple remained unscathed. None of the bombs exploded inside and the inhabitants survived without a scratch. According to villagers, Mata came to rescue her devotees in times of need.
We don’t know if it’s the belief of villagers or God’s special grace, but people definitely survived. Old Indian saying ‘the victory of good over evil’ accurately fits in this scenario. The war was militarily inconclusive with each side holding a territory belonging to the other, but this episode became a part of the few selected ‘miracle stories of war’.
Since then, the BSF (Border Security Force) took ever temple security and management. Today, it remains a well-worshipped shrine under Indian Army’s care. Soldiers regularly perform aarti and hawans in the temple. The authorities have even built a museum containing unexploded bombs and snippets from historic war.
CM Raje Revives Old Myths With ‘Puja’ and ‘Hawans’ at Tanot Mata’s Darbar
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje visited Tanot village on Thursday, October 6, to boost the morale of armed forces working near the Jaiselmer-Pak border. Earlier the CM had visited Udaipur to inaugurate Rajasthan’s brand new centre for tourism training alongside a 3-day meeting with state officials to reflect over current progress in state. During her short stay at Tanot village, Raje remembered the martyrs of previous war and prayed for peace, safety and prosperity of her nation.
The elaborate pooja started with chanting, hawan and Vedic rituals performed by 21 learned Pandits. CM participated in the rituals with important officials of Rajasthan state. The trip ended with CM inspecting border security and personally visiting soldiers to express her gratitude towards them. Concurrently, she monitored the proceedings of neighbouring villages like Barmer, Bikaner, Sri Ganga Nagar etc. and chalked out security plans with BSF officers.
With this short trip, Rajasthan Government killed two birds with one stone. The CM not only thanked the soldiers and strengthened border security, but also sought blessings from Tanot Mata in the existing warlike scenario between India and Pakistan. Should war occur, will the powerful divine Goddess come to our rescue again? We’re definitely keeping our fingers crossed on that one!
