Goddess Kottari Devi Is Bibi Nani for Muslims In Balochistan - Edited Excerpts From Shakti: 51 Sacred Peethas Of The Goddess
By Alka Pande
19 January
2021
Lyari
Tehsil is the remote hilly area of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, about 250
km northwest of Karachi, 19 km inland from the Arabian Sea, and 130 km west of
the mouth of the Indus. It is within the narrow gorges of Lyari’s rocky terrain
that the ancient temple dedicated to Kottari Devi, the Hinglaj Mata temple, is
located.
Before the
independence of India, the Partition struggle and the subsequent formation of
Pakistan in the year 1947, the region which constitutes modern-day Pakistan had
a large Hindu and Sikh population inhabiting it. After Partition, this number
fell to about 3 million because of the migration of nearly 6 million Hindus and
Sikhs to the newly formed India. Of these, nearly 2.3 million were Hindus,
largely concentrated in the district of Tharparkar (Thar) within Sindh
province.
It is these
people who form the largest contingent of pilgrims visiting Kottari Devi
annually. While Kottari Devi is worshipped by all from different classes,
communities and walks of life, many of the visiting pilgrims to this temple are
bonded labourers and farm workers. The attire of these people living in the
rural settlements of Pakistan, in what is a treacherous and punishing
mountainous desert landscape, is strikingly colourful and bright. The women are
dressed in their finest heavily embroidered clothes with bangles stacked on
their arms as they come to pay their respects to Kottari Devi. For the Thari
children, many of whom are employed as bonded labour from a young age, this is
a once-in-a-year fun expedition and a time to see the world beyond what they
know.
Hinglaj Mata Temple in Balochistan,
Pakistan | Creative Commons/Abrar Alam Khan
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A Goddess For All Faiths
The
pilgrim’s journey to Hinglaj Mata temple serves as a purpose of bringing people
from all walks of life together; it is a meeting point for doing community work
in the name of the Goddess. The opening up of a large-scale community kitchen
for the purpose of Seva or the practice of selfless service, brings together
pilgrims. Each year, hundreds of volunteers come together for this devotional
purpose. In the kitchens, vast quantities of food such wheat rotis, rice
dishes, sattvic vegetables and lentil soups are cooked for thousands of
pilgrims each day.
Historically,
few could make the gruelling journey across the Makran desert to Hinglaj, where
part of Devi Sati’s head is believed to have fallen. When they finally arrive
at the destination, it is as though they have arrived within an oasis of faith,
a sanctuary and a place of rest from the troubles of the world.
Uniquely
enough, Kottari Devi at the Hinglaj temple belongs not only to the Hindus and
Sikhs of the region, but is equally popular among the local Muslims living in
the area, who both revere and protect Hinglaj Mata. The locals know her as Bibi
Nani (maternal grandmother), and the temple is considered as the Nani temple.
Bibi Nani may very well be the Goddess Nana, who appeared on Kushan coins and
was widely worshipped across both West and Central Asia. The local Muslims, in
fact, join in on the pilgrimage and call it the ‘Nani ki Haj’.
The Legends Of The Hinglaj Mata Temple
There are
many legends and stories that surround the Hinglaj Mata temple. One among them
explains how the place received its name. The story talks about two princes,
Hingol and Sundar, who were from the Tatar Mongol clan, living sometime in the
Treta Yuga. They spent their days tormenting people due to their thirst for
strife. To free the people from the tyrants, Lord Ganesha, the Devi’s younger
son, killed Sundar, whose death drove Hingol mad with a thirst for vengeance.
The terror among the people grew even greater and in their desperation they
appealed to the Devi, the Great Goddess and Divine Mother, to put an end to
their suffering.
The Devi,
unable to see her devotees in pain, descended on to the battlefield. After
warring with Hingol, she lured and trapped him in a cave, where she brought an
end to his unrelenting ego and his life. In his last moments, with the clarity
of one whose ego has been completely destroyed, Prince Hingol prayed to the
Devi, requesting her to name the cave – the place which was bound to become a
sanctified place of her worship – after him, so that he may always be
associated with her. Since then the cave where the idol of Kottari Devi is
worshipped is called Hinglaj Devi temple.
Another
legend of the Hinglaj temple testifies to its ancient roots in the Dwapara
Yuga. It is said that when Parashuram was on his killing spree, bringing an end
to all kshatriyas who were maddened and corrupted by power, Ratnasena, the king
of Sindh, arrived at the ashram of Rishi Dadhichi with his children, seeking
shelter. Mistakenly, Ratnasena, in this time of exile, stepped outside the
premises of the ashram and was instantly killed; his sons though remained safe
within the boundaries.
On entering
Rishi Dadhichi’s ashram in search of King Ratnasena’s sons, Parashuram[N1] found that there were only Brahmins
in the Asharam; the Kshatriya sons were given protection in the guise of
Brahmins by Hinglaj Mata and from then on, were known as Brahmakshatriyas or
warrior-priests. One of the sons of Ratnasena, Jayasena, returned to Sindh
eventually to rule the kingdom, armed with a protective Hinglaj Mata mantra
given to him by Rishi Dadhichi.
Inside the
sanctum of the Hinglaj cave, the Devi’s idol is not one that is man-made,
rather it is a small shapeless stone worshipped as Kottari Devi. The stone is
smeared with sindoor or vermilion. Pilgrims who come to worship come bearing
traditional red banners of the Devi, wearing the distinctive red and gold
scarves covering their heads. With the newly built Makran Coastal highway, what
was once a long and treacherous journey was made a mere four-hour drive from
Karachi. Every year 25,000 to 30,000 pilgrims come to the temple to pay their
respects, some come in private cars and buses, a few on two-wheelers and
cycles, and the most austere of devotees make the journey on foot, all to be
graced by the deity, the Divine Mother, who is known to end the ego and bless
those who come to her with enlightenment.
Shakti: 51 Sacred Peethas of the Goddess
Excerpted with permission from Shakti:
51 Sacred Peethas of the Goddess, Alka Pande, Rupa Publications.
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Original Headline: In Pakistan’s Balochistan
province, looking for the goddess Kottari Devi and finding Bibi Nani
Source: The Scroll.In
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/goddess-kottari-devi-bibi-nani/d/124104