Let me take you on a quest today, I don't have a map but I just have a hint. Let me tell you properly that one of my friends visited a very ancient cave where idols of some Hindu gods and goddesses have been installed. No one knows who installed these idols on the mountain by the river. Today, my friend and I are going to find this secret and this mysterious place. This is the same friend who accompanied me on the last trip. We visited Kartik Swami, Tungnath temple and Chandrashila temple in peak winters.
Sahasdhara temple is just 11 km from Dehradun and somewhere on the banks of Sahastradhara river, there is an unknown cave. We leave home on a scooter, right now winters are at their peak in the Himalayas but despite winters, we are carrying swimming clothes in our bag so that along with the mind, the body can also be shocked. We leave on the scooter at 2 pm, go to a petrol pump 800 meters away and get the scooter's tank filled. It will probably take 25 minutes to reach our destination which is 11 km from here, there is a hilly path of about 4 km ahead where the scooter will have to be driven slowly.
After parking our scooter at 2 o'clock, we have to walk on foot to find the secret cave. Nowadays it is winter so there are almost no tourists at this place, otherwise in summers it is so crowded that there is no place to put a foot. To escape the heat of Dehradun, people come here to bathe and have a lot of fun. Here sulphur and sulfur-rich water comes out from a temple located nearby, hence Sahastradhara is famous.
This place is also famous for religious reasons because it is believed that Rishi Dronacharya did penance here in Drona Cave, there is also a Shiva temple nearby where devotees cure their extreme diseases by taking darshan of God and bathing in sulphur and sulfur-rich water. Yes, there is a belief here that any skin disease is cured by bathing in the water here. I don't know for how many years I have been coming here and bathing and I don't know what types of batteries I might have used while bathing here.
Walking along the banks of the Sahastradhara river, we go quite far, after reaching about 500 meters the path of the river is getting narrower but there is no trace of the secret cave. Nothing is known by talking to the people around. By the way, let me tell you that this information was given to us by a local old man, he told that I had gone to Sahastradhara where in the darkness of the night I reached a small cave-like temple situated below the mountain.
According to the old man, the secret temple is a little above the river and is situated among the trees. Now he did not tell how far it is, on which side of the river it is and asking the coordinates would have been a big fool because such an old man did not even have a mobile. When we spent about one and a half hours searching, then I got disappointed and thought of swimming in the river and without wasting much time I had entered the river.
Even though the winters are in full swing, the body has become very warm due to the sweat shed during the search operation, so now I don't feel cold while bathing in the water. These days there is very little water in the river and the ponds built here have not been maintained by the local people, which is done every year before the summer. After maintenance, such ponds become a little deeper and bigger, then comes the real fun of swimming.
After swimming in the river for 30 minutes, when I start feeling cold, I come out and change my clothes, I tell my friend that let's try once on the right bank of the river, who knows we might find a hidden cave-like temple. Showing no interest in what I say, Sara says that leave it, let's go home because it is very difficult to find a small cave in such a large area, moreover I have no interest in seeing that cave.
I can understand her disappointment, I send her ahead saying that you go ahead, I will come in just 15 minutes. She did not like what I said but did not say much and started walking towards the scooter. I started running on the right bank of the river to find her before she left. When I went up on a narrow trail between the bushes, I thought that she would not be here either but as soon as I took two more steps forward, what do I see.
The secret cave-like temple is in front of my eyes, it is located right below the mountain, there is dense forest around as the old man had said and here are some idols of Hindu gods and goddesses. I was very happy to find this place, I wish Sara was also here but no one is there, now I know about this place, so next time I will definitely bring her here. The cave is not very big but yes, if there are no idols here, then 2-3 people can easily stay in it.
Inside the cave is the idol of Hindu God Shiva behind whom Goddess Kali is installed, on the left side is the idol of Goddess Saraswati while behind the wall of the cave is the idol of Gorakhnath stuck. There is a bell in front of the idol of Shiva and when we come to the mouth of the cave, we see the idols of Hanuman, Devi Kali, Shanidev and another Hanuman from left to right. In total there are 11 idols installed here. I am surprised that who must have installed these idols at this place.
Suddenly I think of Sara who must have reached the parking by now, I want to reach her as soon as possible and give her this good news that I have found a hidden cave-like temple. I start descending fast thinking that she will praise me but it did not happen because she is hungry and she has to go home quickly. I stop my emotions thinking that once I reach home she will eat food and then she will take interest in my search.
We come back 11 km on the scooter and eat food after coming home after which Sara also sees the photo and also says that next time I will also go to see this cave-like temple. Now I am happy like a small child as if I have got the reward for my search. So friends, this was today's journey in which we searched for a secret cave-like temple. I hope you liked this blog.
Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi and I have used Google Translator to translate the Hindi text in English. All the photos have been clicked by me from POCO F1 and edited in lightroom, post thumbnail created in adobe photoshop.