A UP village the place Holika Dahan has been absent for hundreds of years

The rationale? The villagers consider that Lord Shiva himself resides within the historic temple on the coronary heart of the village and even roams inside its boundaries. Lighting the Holika hearth, they concern, would warmth the bottom and scorch the ft of the deity.

This perception has been handed down for generations, shaping a novel cultural and spiritual apply that continues to this present day.

“Our ancestors upheld this custom with unwavering religion, and we’ll proceed to comply with of their footsteps,” says Gram Pradhan Aadesh Kumar, reinforcing the deep-rooted devotion of the villagers.

Situated 50 km from Saharanpur metropolis, the village of Barsi within the Nanota area is house to a exceptional Mahabharata-era temple devoted to Lord Shiva.

In response to native legends, this temple was constructed in a single day by Duryodhana in the course of the Nice Battle. When Bheema, one of many Pandavas, noticed it the following morning, he struck its fundamental entrance together with his mace, turning it westward. This makes it the one Shiva temple within the nation dealing with west.

Contained in the temple, a naturally manifested Shivling has drawn 1000’s of devotees annually, particularly throughout Mahashivratri and different non secular events.

Legends additional narrate that in the course of the Mahabharata struggle, Lord Krishna handed via this village on his strategy to Kurukshetra. Mesmerised by its magnificence, he’s stated to have in contrast it to Brij, the sacred land of Lord Krishna’s personal childhood. Since then, the village has been often known as Barsi.

The assumption that Lord Shiva nonetheless roams this village has led to a deeply held conviction amongst its folks Holika Dahan, the ritual burning of Holika, may trigger hurt to the deity.

In contrast to different villages the place the bonfire symbolises the triumph of excellent over evil and is an important a part of Holi festivities, Barsi has willingly given up this practice.

As an alternative, residents journey to close by villages to take part in Holika Dahan whereas celebrating the competition of colors with devotion and pleasure in their very own village.

“Nobody right here needs to threat Lord Shiva’s presence being disturbed,” says Ravi Saini, a resident of the village. “This custom has been adopted for five,000 years, and it’ll proceed for generations to return.”

Regardless of its small inhabitants of simply 1,700, Barsi has earned recognition for its distinctive customs. The village temple will not be solely a religious centre for the locals but additionally attracts devotees from throughout Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

The temple’s priest Narendra Giri stated, “1000’s of pilgrims go to throughout Mahashivratri, providing milk, water, and Bel leaves to the Shivling. Newlywed {couples} search Lord Shiva’s blessings, providing conventional prasad, together with ber , pumpkins and jaggery.”

At the same time as instances change and generations cross, the folks of Barsi stay steadfast of their perception.

“Our devotion to Lord Shiva is absolute,” reiterates village head Aadesh Kumar. “It was this religion that led our ancestors to surrender Holika Dahan, and this custom will stay unbroken.”

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