The Most Sacred Hindu Place in Pakistan

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              HINGLAJ :: The Most Sacred Hindu Place in Pakistan

           (where the head of Sati is believed to have fallen)

Hinglaj is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage place in

 Pakistan. It is situated in Balochistan province about 250 km

 north of Karachi city.

Theological origin:

To still the divine dance, Tandava, of Lord Shiva following the

 death of Dakshayani, Lord Vishnu scattered the remains of 

her embodiment over various places of the Indian 

subcontinent. It is said that the head fell at Hingula or Hinglaj

 and is thus considered the most important of the 51 Shakti 

Peeths. At each of the Peeths, Bhairava (a manifestation of

 Shiva) accompanies the relics. The Bhairava at Hinglaj is 

called Bhimalochana, located in Koteshwar, Kutch. The 

Sanskrit texts mention the part as 'Brahmadreya' or vital

 essence. For details, see this.

The mantra or incantation for Devi Hinglaj is attributed to

 Saint Dadhichi, an important saint in Hindu theology. The

 mantra is

 :
ॐ हिंगुले परमहिंगुले अमृतरूपिणि तनुशक्ति

मनः शिवे श्री हिंगुलाय नमः स्वाहा

OM HINGULE PARAM HINGULE AMRUTRUPINI TANU

 SHAKTI

MANAH SHIVE SHREE HINGULAI NAMAH SWAHA

Translation : "Oh Hingula Devi, she who holds nectar in her

 self and is power incarnate. She who is one with Lord Shiva

, to her we pay our respects and make this offering (swaha)."

Yet another incarnation:

ब्रह्मरंध्रम् हिंगुलायाम् भैरवो भीमलोचन:

|
कोट्टरी सा महामाया त्रिगुणा या दिगम्बरी ||

BRAHMARANDHRAM HINGULAAYAAM BHAIRAVO

 VIMALOCHANAH

KOTTARI SAA MAHAAMAAYAA TRIGUNAA YAA

 DIGAMVARI

Translation : "Mahaamaayaa (Queen of Illusions) who

 represents the supreme virtue by reigning over all three

 virtues, has Bhimalochana as her Bhairava, and derides the

 worldly trappings by dancing naked, resides in this cave of

 Hingula that enshrines her sacred head."

Social significance:

Despite the partition and the increasing Islamic stance of the

 Pakistani Government and society, Hinglaj has survived and

 is in fact revered by local Muslims who call it 'Nani ki

 Mandir'.

 Muslims offer red or saffron clothes, incense

, candles and a sweet preparation called 'Sirini' to the deity.

 The Muslims protected sites like Hinglaj which are the last

 vestiges of the Hindu society which once straddled the area.

Hingula means cinnabar (HgS Mercuric Sulphide). It was 

used in ancient India to cure snakebite and other poisonings

 and is still employed in traditional medicine. The Goddess

 Hingula is thus believed to possess powers which can cure

 poisoning and other diseases. The Muslim name 'Nani' is an

 abbreviation of the name of the ancient Goddess "Nanaia"

, whose Persian name is "Anahita".

Pilgrimage:

Although the road linking the port of Gwadar on the Arabian

 Sea with the interior has shortened the pilgrimage a lot, the

 ancient path followed for millennia through the Baluch desert

 is endowed with a unique importance. The very journey on

 foot is considered a penance to purify oneself before

 approaching the deity. An account of such a journey is given

 below.

The pilgrims are led by priests or caretakers of the shrine

 through the desert. They hold a wooden trident in their

 hands. The trident or Trishul is the weapon of Lord Shiva

 and hence is associated with the Sati too. Since they hold

 the trident during the trip, they are called 'Charidaars' (those

 who hold the stick or chadi). The Chadi is draped with

 saffron, red or pink coloured fabrics.

The priests give a saffron cloth to every pilgrim and an oath

 is taken that each would help the other. However they are

 warned not to share their personal stores of water. This act

 is deemed to be a sort of fast and penance necessary for the

 journey.

On the path to the shrine are situated wells which are

 guarded by the local tribesmen. Feuds over water, a scarce

 commodity, is common in the area. The tribesmen are

 offered food consisting primarily of Roti (circular flat disks of

 baked flour) in lieu of water.

Baba Chandrakup:

An important stop during the pilgrimage is the mud volcano

 called 'Chandrakup', mainland Asia's largest mud volcano. It

 is considered holy and is addressed as 'Baba 

Chandrakup'(literally Father Moonwell). The volcano is filled

 with mud, instead of magma, hence the term "mud volcano"

. It is considered to be the abode of demigod Babhaknath. It

 is one of the few sites of active volcanic activity in the Asian

 mainland. The mud is semi fluid and sometimes it spills over

 and aggregates and cools into hillocks which surround the

 site. There are altogether 18 mud volcanoes in the region

.
Pilgrims stay up all night at the base of the volcano making

 Rotis which are offered to the volcano. The activity is

 considered to be very holy. The ingredients, flour, ghee 

(clarified butter), jaggery, sugar are mixed on a cloth which is 

held at all times at four corners by pilgrims. This is done to

 ensure that it never touches the ground. The prepared rotis

 are covered with wood.

At daybreak, the Rotis are carried by the pilgrims and priests

 to the mouth of the crater. A Chadi or Wooden Trident is 

planted near the edge of the crater and offerings of incense

 and cannabis are made along with recitation of 'mantras'.

 The rotis are then tore up and cast into the crater.

After this ritual every pilgrim is asked to confess his sins and

 ask for forgiveness. Anyone who refuses or hesitates to 

confess to his or her sins is ostracised and abandoned by the

 party. After the confession, the party proceeds with the

 permission of 'Baba Chandrakup'.

Reaching the shrine:

The pilgrimage continues for another four to five days after

 leaving Chandrakup. The final stop is a small village with

 wooden houses. It is home to the caretakers of the shrine

 and Baluch tribesmen who revere the deity even though they

 are Muslims. Before entering the shrine, the pilgrims bathe

 in the Hingol River (also called the Aghore River). The shrine

 is situated on the mountain on the other bank of the river.

 The pilgrims bathe and visit the shrine in their wet clothes.

Shrine's mark:

The shrine is recognised by a mark which resembles the sun

 and the moon. This mark is upon a giant boulder at the top

 of the hill containing the cave. It is believed that Lord Ram

 created this mark with the strike of his arrow after his

 penance ended.

Shrine:

The shrine is called 'Mahal', a word of Arabic origin which

 means palace. The natural beauty of the shrine has 

spawned folklore that it was constructed by demigods called

 'Yakshas'. The walls and roof of the cave are encrusted with

 colourful stones and semi-precious veins. The floor is also

 multi hued.

The entrance to the cave is around 50 feet in height. At the

 end of the cave is the sanctum sanctorum, which houses the

 holy relic. It is covered by red clothes and vermilion. There

 are two entrances to the sanctum. One has to crawl into the

 sanctum, take the 'darshan' and leave through the other

 opening. Prasad is distributed to the pilgrims and they return

 after seeing the Milky Way at night.