Temple Tales : Justice Shall be Served

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"See you in (the Highest) Court!"

When I was a young boy growing up in the hills a few decades ago, the scarcity of electronic entertainment used to be a hallmark of the mountain life. This was driven by, in equal measures, the irregularity -- or sometime the weeks long absence -- of electricity and also, the Neanderthal age of portable device development (the most advances portable device available was a radio). Among the various ways this phenomenon affected the hill folks, perhaps the most exciting (for us as children) used to be the evening Kissago (Telling Tales) sessions that the adults had with each other, with the children being given the roles of spectators (or rather listeners).

Invariably, a lot of these stories would involve tales of disputes, even brawls, and sometimes unarmed combat, between two or more parties. And, when the parties could not solve their disagreements any other way, the arguments would end with this dialogue, "If you think you are so right, let's go to Kotgari this very moment, and settle this."

Few of the participants would actually act this ultimate step out, but more often than not, the very mention of Kotgari would instill a sense of impartial jurisprudence in the parties involved, leading to a détente. As a child, I would not understand what or why the magic word did what it did; until recently, when I had the fortune of paying obeisance at the revered Kotgari temple.

A huge pile of petitions -- inscribed on instruments ranging from postcards to stamp papers -- written by several wronged and often frustrated devotees adorns the outer wall of the sanctum sanctorum.

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About four hours drive -- the proverbial last mile of which is not for those with a bad back -- from Pithoragarh (about six from Almora) lies the abode of Goddess Kokila (regionally worshipped as 'Ma Kotgari'). The uniqueness of this Shakti-sthal lies in it being considered the highest court -- a divine one, literally -- that always dispenses justice to the aggrieved parties.

A majestic arch beacons the arrival of the temple. A similar in architecture, but larger arch is located about half a mile away from the temple site.

A short three-foot high arch, inside the main temple entrance leads to the sanctum-santorum (Garbh-griha), where the head priest -- from the Pathak clan of a nearby village -- performs the pooja. The temple traces its history to at least a few hundred years ago, during the reign of the Chand dynasty of Kumaon. This is also corroborated by the fact that for over ten generations, the Pathak families of Dasauli -- a neighbouring village -- have had the rights of priesthood.

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A Snake idol (over 15 feet approximately) in the temple compound.

Carved out of stone and a fine example of masonry, a one-and-a-half stories tall sculpture, dedicated to the Snake God, is located towards the north-east of the main temple. Legend relates this Naga-idol to the era of Mahabharata when the Kaaliya Naga -- defeated by Lord Krishna in his teenage miracles and exiled from the Yamuna -- took refuge here. Evidently, there are a few Naga-Devta temples located within a couple of kilometers' distance. Also, the nearest large town is named Berinag.

There is a freshwater source inside the temple compound. And, despite the water scarcity that the Berinag sub-division -- which is just a stone's throw away -- suffers from, the temple site is literally blessed with plenty of the natural nectar.

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In a nutshell

Location - Near Pankhu Village, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand GPS Coordinates (should be read in conjunction with ground level intelligence) - https://goo.gl/maps/xe21Hq9CwPYUcGU38 Uniqueness - The temple is considered a place of divine justice where even those who are the most wronged and frustrated by the worldly justice system get a fair hearing.

Further Reading

http://travelbonanza.net/kotgari-devi-temple/

https://www.kafaltree.com/kotgari-devi-temple/

https://navinsamachar.com/kotgadi/