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तेथे कर माझे जुळती !

वसंत - विषुवा नंतरचा पहिलाच दिवस २१ मार्च २०१२. सूर्य अस्तास गेलेला. एका तडफडणाऱ्या  राजर्षीची प्राणज्योत अनंतात विलीन झाली. कारवारचे सुपुत्र शरद नागेश सलगर कालावश झाले.

कारवार तालुक्यातील सदाशिवगड ह्या छोट्याश्या गावातील मुख्याध्यापकांच्या कुटुंबात ७ जानेवारी १९४१ रोजी त्यांचा जन्म झाला. सात अपत्यांपैकी एक असल्यामुळे, आपल्या गुणवत्तेच्या जोरावर लक्ष्मीची उणीव सरस्वतीने भरून काढत त्यांनी मुंबईत पदार्पण केले. मुंबईत जीवाचे पाणी करून घरापासून  ११  वर्षे लांब राहून त्यांनी B. Com, LLB, CA पर्यंत मजल मारीत  त्यांनी फर्ग्युसन व एस्सो सारख्या कंपन्यामध्ये नोकरी करून लग्नानंतर  झेप घेतली ती सरळ आफ्रिकेकडे.

महत्वाकान्क्षी वृत्ती, मनमिळाऊ स्वभाव, अविरत अथक प्रयत्न करण्याची सवय आणि प्रसन्न उदार मनाने माणसे जोडण्याची आवड ह्या कर्तृत्वगुणामुळे त्यांची कीर्ती आणि यश सतत वृध्धींगत होत गेले.

कोकणात जन्मलेल्या आणि कोंकणी माणसात वाढलेल्या ह्या अष्टपैलू व्यक्तीने  मराठी, गुजराथी, कन्नड, पंजाबी, हिंदी ह्या भाषा अश्या काय आत्मसात  केल्या कि 'सलगर' हे आडनांव भारतातील कुठल्या प्रांतात प्रचलित आहे याचे भल्या भल्यांना कोडे पडावे. इंग्रजी तर इंग्रजाला पण  लाजविणारी अन वक्तृत्वाची वैजयंती तासनतास मुग्ध करीत ठेवणारी.

सफल कारकीर्दीच्या झपाट्यामध्ये त्यांनी क्रीडाक्षेत्रातील आपली आवड पण तळहातावर जपली अन जोपासली. "गोल्फ" सारख्या गोऱ्यांच्या महागड्या साधन संपन्न खेळामध्ये सरशी वर सरशी मिळवत त्यांनी कित्येक पदके व सन्मान पटकावले, जीवाभावाचे मित्र जोडले व यशाचा मार्ग सुकर केला . क्रिकेट सामना ऐकण्या-पहाण्याची संधी कधी गमावली नाही, अन विश्वचषक फुटबॉल साठी चक्क दक्षिण आफ्रिकेची वारी केली.

ज्या उद्योगक समूहाने त्यांना पाठपुरावा करून वर आणल त्या समूहाला तर त्यांनी भरभरून कित्येक पट फायदा करून देत परतफेड केलीच, पण त्याहून अधिक म्हणजे ज्या टांझानिया सारख्या छोट्या देशाच्या भूमीने त्यांना दिग्विजयाची संधी दिली त्या देशाच्या बांधवांसाठी त्यांनी अनेक उपक्रम राबविले. त्यांच्या Confederation of  Industries  चे  नेतृत्व करून देशाला वाणिज्य/व्यापार क्षेत्रात अग्रेसर केले. काणकूणच्या जागतिक व्यासपीठावर त्यांच्या शिष्ट मंडळाचे नेतृत्व करीत भारतीय अस्मितेची ग्वाही दशदिशांना दिली.

एवढ सगळ करत असतांना त्यांनी  जगातील सर्व प्रकारच्या शाकाहारी तसेच मांसाहारी व्यंजनांचा आस्वाद घेण्याचा आपला व्यासंग जोपासला. ह्या कल्पवृक्षाची छाया तर त्यांच्या कुटुंबियांना मिळालीच, परंतु समाजकार्यासाठी पण त्यांनी उदार  हातांनी मदत केली. चांगल्या कार्यासाठी स्वतः तर हातभार लावलाच, पण ईतर अनेकांना प्रोत्साहित करत कामाला वेग दिला.

नायजेरिया मध्ये वास्तव्य असतांना अनेक नायजेरिया वासियांनी त्यांना चीफ म्हणजे नायक ही पदवी स्वीकारण्यासाठी गळ घातली होती. पण त्यांनी ती स्वीकारली नाही. आफ्रिकेच्या ह्या अनभिषिक्त राजकुमाराला अश्या खिताबांची काय गरज होती ?

अश्या ह्या भव्य दिव्य आयुष्यावर बोलण्यासाठी शब्दच अपुरे पडतात, ओठामधून एकच उद्गार निघतात .........
 -----  तेथे कर माझे जुळती ! 

An unforgettable evening

NIVTI FORT

After a sumptuous lunch of Kalwas, prawns, mackerel and other small fish, we started towards Kille-Nivti or Nivti fort. The so called Nivti fort is not really a fort but an outpost on the southern side of Sindhudurg fort, alerting and protecting it from attack of marauders from the southern seas. James Rennel describes Nivti port as;

“Nivti port, in the village of Kochra, six and a half miles south of Malvan and eight north of Vengurla, stands at the mouth of a small creek in rather a striking bay. Rennell (1788) suggested that Nivti was Ptolemy's (150) Nitra and Pliny's (77) Nitrias, ' where the pirates cruised for the Roman ships….”

NIVTI MOBAR

The drive was through a tortuous road winding up and down through a ravishingly beautiful countryside. We passed the Nivti village and climbed up to a view-point, opening to us an entire panorama of beaches, sea and shoreline. From this height we could see down below,

DUNGOBA

Nivti Mobar and Nivti Beach cuddling up in a horse-shoe shape. The hill on the opposite side behind the Nivti beach was so thickly wooded that we could not see any light falling on ground below the green jungle. It was so thick with the vegetation consisting of trees, shrubs and creepers that one has to crawl on all fours to reach the top. We learned that this hill is called “Dungoba”, one of the famous Devrais of Konkan region. There is a small temple on its top, of Lord Dungoba, protector of plant life. It is an express taboo, let alone cut but even touch and harm the plant kingdom here. This is what Shrikant Ingalhallikar, an ardent nature lover and author of "Flowers of Sahyadri" has to say;

  "This may be the only coastal 'Devrai' and perhaps the only one that has rare mangrove plants. Trees seen at the upstream end of the fresh water are the precious 'Sundari' mangrove trees or Heritiera littoralis. This is the only record on the western coast of the celebrated trees of the Sunderbans of eastern India. Around 50 full grown trees with heavily buttressed roots can be seen. They are known by the locals as 'Samudra Kandol' very aptly (Sterculiaceae) because Sterculia villosa which grows uphill is known as Kandol. Heritieras here have been flowering in July and fruiting in latter part of the year. All the trees in Dungoba sacred forest are protected by the locals. May God Dungoba bless the forest for the ensuing centuries"

We parked our vehicle at the highest motor able point and climbed down to hike up rest of the distance. With a short but steep climb up a stony and bushy foot trail, we reached the top of the Nivti fort Buruj.
To say that the view from here is breathtaking is a sheer understatement.

On the right, one can see the long and pristine Bhogwe beach disappearing up to the Karli River. Beyond Karli there was a clear view of Devbaug, Sindhudurg fort and Malvan coastline. This place is so high with a sheer cliff plummeting down below that we could see kites and sea-gulls flying directly below us. Looking down the coconut tree tops along the beach, we had a highly romantic “Google Earth Bird Ey

e View” in 3D reality soaking in all our senses.
On the left was the view of Nivti beach, Nivti-Medha beach, Khavne backwaters, Vayangani beach, Vengurla lands end point with a Lighthouse on its top and the outline of Terekhol fort in Redi at distance. We could see many ships anchored at sea near Redi for loading and exporting Iron and Manganese ores.
On the far horizon, towards west we could see the faint outline of Vengurla Rocks or Burnt Island with its Lighthouse (कोचरयाचे दीपगृह).

VENGURLA ROCK LIGHTHOUSE

Vengurla Rock Lighthouse is about 8 km north from Vengurla port and is approached, during fair seasons only by a mechanized boat. Steps have been cut in the rock for climbing up from landing point.The coastal region from Vengurla  to Nivti fort has several high rise rocks inside the sea. The Vengurla rock or Burnt Island consists of a group of rocks rising 20 to 50 m above sea level.

MINIATURE BEACH

But what lay down below in front of us was simply sprung out of mystical adventure stories. Protected by the jagged rocks in the sea below Nivti fort, was a small miniature beach, tailor-made for secret flirting expeditions of some billionaire Casanova.
As I was engrossed in relishing the beauty of this incredulous beach, I saw some swift and ominous movement in the left corner of my eyes. I was jumping with surprise and glee when I recognized that they were four wild boars, sniffing our presence on the top, rushing up with terrific speed from the beach. They zoomed past within 50 meters from us and vanished inside the thick foliage behind us. We were speechless for a few seconds, realizing the spectacle we have witnessed. Varah Avatar!
Then we settled down to take in the ever enjoyable view of the Red Sun setting down in the expanse of Arabian Sea.

कुठे बुडाला पलीकडे तो सोन्याचा गोळा 

Temples: Trustees of Culture, Museums of Evolution, Fountains of Spirituality, Marvels of Architecture Part 3

कलेश्वर नेरूर

Next on our itinerary was the temple of Kaleshwar situated at Nerur , one or two kilometers away. Lord Kaleshwar (meaning the God of Arts), is an incarnation of Shiva and is the village deity or “Gram Devata” of Nerur. It is believed to be the oldest shrine in this part, having varying claims to its age from 1500 BC to 1200 AD. There is a legend associated about its discovery by a Brahmin, who observed his cow emptying her udder full of milk at this very spot, day after day. The Shivling so discovered after excavation at this spot, is placed on a square shaped platform called

as “Shalunka” in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. It is noticed that the water offered on top of the Shivling does not gather on the platform and it is said to be a mystery as to where the water seeps down.
The temple is very spacious with a large entrance hall. Its ceiling is has colorful decorations made out of paper forms, which amplifies its grandeur and adds pulsating atmosphere of vibrant dance floor.

 The enormity of this temple’s campus becomes evident when one visits the smaller temples around. Next to Kaleshwar is a temple dedicated to Brahma,

the propagator of all the life on earth and one of the Hindu Trinity of gods. It is the believed that this is the only known temple of God Brahma, after the well-known temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan. The tall idol of Brahmanath has a radiating face and is accompanied by many smaller idols.
The most striking temple is at the corn

er of the compound, God Ravalnath temple. According to Hindu mythology, Ravalnath is an incarnation of Shiva and commander of the army of Goddess Durga, who defeated the demon Kolhasur. All other idols of Ravalnath I have seen have blazing fiery eyes, tense determined look and all sinews straining with VeerRasa, befitting the image of commander at war. This six feet idol is different. The face is relaxed and there is a sanguine satisfied look in the eyes. There is a wide grin, with baring his teeth, as if to smirk at a conquered foe. This one is MUST SEE for students and devotees of Hindu idols. Beside the Ravalnath idol, there is an ancient carving, which rightfully belongs to a museum.

Temples: Trustees of Culture, Museums of Evolution, Fountains of Spirituality, Marvels of Architecture Part 2

Laxminarayan of Walawal

A downward journey from the temple of the fiery goddess of Chendvan, through the green rainforest of Konkan, took us to the famous Laxminarayan temple of Walawal. This temple dates back to early 14th century and is built in a classic Hemandpanthi style of temple architecture. It is said that this east facing temple is constructed by Suryabhan & Chandrabhan Prabhu-Desai brothers. Although the temple was built in 14^th century, the beautiful black stone idol is of Chalukya period

in the 8^th century. It is a fine example of sculpture of this period and a precious treasure of national heritage. The idol of Laxminarayan (Lord Vishnu) has a majestic look in its eyes and its forehead is decorated by a symbol with three horizontal stripes in vermilion (normally associated with the devotees of Shiva). The idol is flanked by Garuda (The king of the eagles from heaven) and Vasuki (The king of the serpents from the netherworld).
There is another black stone sculpted idol of Lord Vishnu in Maharashtra, the deity revered by millions, the idol of lord Vithoba at Pandharpur. There are many similarities in these two idols. Experts say that both idols are of 8^th century and of similar black sandstone. Both these temples are closely related by traditions of millenniums. It is a holy pilgrimage to carry a garland of Tulsi from Laxminarayan temple to Vithoba temple and carry back the blessed black powder from Vithoba temple to Laxminarayan temple. However, the residents of Walawal village were prohibited from visiting Pandharpur in olden times, as they were afraid of mishap if they tried. Walawal, therefore, is known as the Pandharpur of the south.

The door of the palanquin shaped sanctum sanctorum is artistically decorated with a carving of Lord Vishnu reclining on Shesh-Nag. The central hall or Sab

hamandap is adorned with intricate wood carvings and its ceiling is made of many wonderfully painted wooden panels, unfolding the various scenes from Dashavataras (The ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu as protector of the earth). The entrance hall is very spacious and has colorful paper decorations hanging from the ceiling (which are renewed every year).  It also has big bell, purchased from earlier Portuguese neighbors.
We were pleasantly surprised to meet another troupe of Shimga revelers in the entrance hall. They had a single male dancer, dressed up as a woman.

The first time visitor may easily miss it, but the lake behind the temple is a refreshing sight. It is said that, on a full moon night, one can see the stars reflected in its placid clear water. One can witness a rare spectacle of the Sun setting in the west and at the same time the Moon rising in the east.

Temples: Trustees of Culture, Museums of Evolution, Fountains of Spirituality, Marvels of Architecture.Part 4

SAI DARBAR

SAI DARBAR

With Sun blazing on the top, exhausted and thirsty by the heat, we then moved towards “The Very First Saibaba Temple in the World” called as Sai-Darbar, located at Kapil Gaon in Nerur, near Kudal Railway Station. Just one look at the premises and our exhaustion evaporated like a drop of water on a red hot iron.

FIRST IDOL

Most popular and secular as well as religious saint of India, Saibaba returned to his eternal abode in 1918. One of his ardent devotee, Madye-Bua who resident of this place and who had spent many years with Saibaba in Shirdi, immediately took up on himself to construct a temple in the honor of his Guru.
The temple was opened to public in 1922, in a small 10 feet by 10 feet hut, with installation of a idol of Saibaba sculpted by a local sculptor Baburao Sarang, by putting in all his art and soul.

NEW IDOL

This idol was later on replaced by a new one, still more life-like, made by the original sculptor’s son Shyam Sarang. The statue is so amazingly life-like, we can actually see the arteries and veins on Saibaba’s hand, as if throbbing with flowing blood. The sparkling life-like eyes make one feel as if we are in the august presence of the saint himself.

MADYE BUA

The temple has a small collection of some exquisite art pieces in the adjoining room. One can see the older idol of Saibaba, many paintings including that of Madye-Bua, a beautiful sitting idol of lord Dattatreya, many other artefacts.





http://wikimapia.org/3784822/Sai-Darbar-India-039-s-First-Sai-Mandir

Temples: Trustees of Culture, Museums of Evolution, Fountains of Spirituality, Marvels of Architecture. Part 1

पाट । हुमरमळा । चेंदवण ।

We started off in Suzuki Eco, from Parule towards Kudal and in five minutes reached the Pat Mauli temple, at the junction of roads leading to Kudal and Vengurla. 

In front of this temple, there is a big beautiful lake fully covered with charming lotus flowers, with petals of carmine red color, radiating outwards. They were looking like a huge parade of troops in Red Square offering their salute to the Sun God, who was halfway up the horizon.

View Larger Map It was very difficult to make out the water as almost its entire surface was covered the dark green leaves. White cranes, interspersed in-between were appearing like white lilies woven in to the red-white-green quilt. Hundreds of coots were trying to navigate between the Lotus leaves.

This lake is believed to be under protection of Goddess Mauli, whose temple is nearby. People believe that anybody plucking the lotus flowers or killing the birds will attract the wrath of the goddess and come to great harm. You may call this as blind faith, but I suspect this type of dictums have arisen from the great wisdom of our ancestors, who believed in environmental protection.

The temple is neat and clean, like many other temples in the region. A portrait Shri Narayanrao Patkar of Dombivli adorns one of its walls.

We took the left road at the junction towards Kudal and stopped at the Rameshwar temple in Humarmala. Having paid our respect to the ancient Shivalinga, we were appreciating the well preserved ancient wooden carvings (No photography allowed inside!), a local troupe of 10-15 persons entered the outer hall with a lot of din. They were dressed in various flashy attires of kings, queens, demons, warriors, wild animals and spooky ghosts. Their faces were painted with bright colors and decorated with various mottos. They were chanting in local language, leading to explosions of laughter from the crowd gathered and all their chants ended with loud “शबय। शबय। शबय।“

From the full moon day of Holi till the next new moon day, the village folks of southern Konkan celebrate a festival called Shimga or Shimgotsav. As the day of Holi comes after the winter crop season and farming folk are resting after tenuous farming and harvesting, this festival was designed by our ancestors for fun and frolics, and also to give expression to the hidden talents of the young generation in dance, drama, music, costume designing and other such art forms. It is the Halloween of Konkan!

View Larger MapThis troupe was sporting the characters of God Shiva, demon king Ravana and other mythological figures. They performed a small skit, albeit with musical accompaniment, in the main hall of the temple. The performance brought wide ear to ear smiles to all and made our day uniquely memorable.

Leaving the main tar road, we took a small country road towards left in to hills of Walawal. We rested for while in a small deserted Ganesh temple, soaking in and marvelling at the botanical treasure laid bare for us along the way and resumed our upward journey towards Chendvan village. Situated at the top a hill on the border of Chendvan and Walawal villages, is the famous temple Chendvan-Mauli. The goddess is the revered Gramdevata of both these villages, who is known to bless her devotees and alleviate their suffering. 



View Larger Map
Temple is wide and good looking, adjoining a small cliff. The four feet tall stone idol with blazing eyes has ten hands carrying artifacts and weapons like conch, wheel, mace, trident, sword etc. Facing the goddess in a small alcove is the idol of her elder son, seated on a horse, holding spears and arrows to crush the invaders. He is holding the twelve commandments of rules and is rearing to go at the command of the goddess. On a clear day standing outside this temple, one can see the village of Walawal down below, nestled in greenery and the waters of river Karli beyond.