Unique tradition lost in history

This was the feature published in Hindustan Times on March 27, 2007 in the Indore edition. We had carried the story days before the authorities were set to start impounding Narmada waters for the Omkareshwar Hydel project in Madhya Pradesh. Here is part two of the two part series.

UNIQUE TRADITION WILL BE HISTORY SOON

Come April, when the 520-MW Omkareshwar project of Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation (NHDC) is expected to be functional, not only would the mersmerising waterfall at Dharaji be submerged under the project reservoir, it will also submerge a tradition unique to the Narmada banks.

Dharaji (Dist Dewas) March 26: Mansingh Devda is one of the two brothers famous for retrieving Baanling from the vortex - known as Dhawdi Kund - formed due to speeding water gushing down the nearly 50 feet roaring waterfall at this pilgrim spot on the banks of Narmada. But, it will soon be a thing of the past.

Sitting in his spartan hut playing with his youngest child, Mansingh is probably mulling that his son would not be able to continue with Bhagwan ki seva (worship of the Lord) like he and six generations before him, as the whole area would be submerged under the reservoir of the Omkareshwar dam sometime in April.

But he has no regrets. "This was destined. Long ago, a mahatma had predicted that we would be able to carry out this work (bringing out the Baanlings from underwater) only for seven generations. Mine is the seventh generation," Mansingh told Hindustan Times.

Mythology has it that demon Banasur, wanting to invoke Lord Shiva, prepared and worshipped one crore Shivlings at Dharaji. He immersed all of them in the Narmada after the Lord was pleased and hence the Shivlings are known as Baanling. Speciality of the Baanling, according to scriptures, is that it does not require any kind of pranpratishtha (installation rituals) and one can directly worship it.

Prod the 40-something Korku Thakur and he recalls a tale, short on reason but strong on faith. The head of the family six generations ago was fed up with animals destroying his crop every night. Once he decided to keep a vigil and saw to his amusement five cows in his farm. He caught hold of one of them by the tail, deciding to follow so as to reach the owner. The cow ran towards water and jumped straight into the Dhawadi Kund, the farmer in tow.

The cow reached a sage in a cave behind the waterfall. The saintly figure offered to compensate his loss. Not sure of what to ask, the farmer asked an assured fish catch daily and that every stone he retrieves from the place be treated as Lord Shiva (har kankar shankar ho). Pleased with his simplicity, the sage assured him a single fish every day round the year and also the boon to retrieve Baanling from the Kund for seven generations. 

Since then the family tradition has continued. And even though they could have charged a humoungous price for the precious Baanling, neither Mansingh nor his brother ask for money and instead accept whatever the devotees give. On an average, Mansingh and his brother take out about 15,000 Baanlings annually from the Kund. The Baanlings are either oval or perfect round and the size varies from a few inches to a few feet tall (some as big as 8-10 feet). "People come from all over India asking for it."

Mansingh claims he has neither been given compensation nor any notice about the status of his kuchcha house when water starts rising early next month. Ask him how he feels about not being able to bring out Baanlings in the future, Mansingh points to the river and sighs in his philosophical best, "Woh jaanti hai sab. (Narmada knows it all). If Dharaji was predicted to vanish, nothing can stop it."

(Concluded).