There are many Folklore that thrives in hilly and mountainous regions. Mountains are traditionally seen as sacred, magical dwellings for gods or spirits and their dense, echoing, and often treacherous woods turn natural sounds into terrifying tales of "mimics" or spirits. I heard of all these but on my recent visit I saw people faith and belief at many place which has now turned into holy shrine. One such shrine that I visited is Bidda Baba. A sacred place for the local situated in the lap of Himalayas.
A temple is built for the baba which is referred as saint. People visit these places offer their respect and prayers. It was a sudden plan that turns into a welcome visit to the temple. These temple were not so popular in other parts of India, but as soon as you reach the region, you will get to listen many vibes of the place. I was surprised to hear about the temple and people faith on the diety in the form.of baba that were worshipped. The temple is located in a picturesque location, above the hills. A huge iron gate is installed to welcome the visitors that will take you inside the main temple complex.
There is a vast open space in front of the temple that were used for parking. I heard that on some special occasion there is a huge rush of vehicle in the open spaces. Standing at the entrance the frontal is quite mesmirizing.
Opposite to the beautiful view is the temple structure. There are few shops selling the generic stuffs used for offering.
The local folklore says that as a 6 months old he miraculously spoke to predict the downfall of tyrants who had already killed his family before he himself was killed. He is worshipped as a divine, miraculous child who sacrificed his life to challenge injustice. The site is known for having a long, months-long waiting list for Bhandara (community kitchen), highlighting deep devotion. There is a separate space for organising the community kitchen which is few step ahead of the temple complex.
Photography is not allowed inside the temple. But visiting the temple complex gives me good amount of satisfaction. There is different Peace and silence that prevails inside the temple. It was enough to highlight the sacredness of the place.
In good faith - Peace!!
