There are a few temples in the area of Rishikesh that are especially loved by Shree Maa and Swamiji. They almost always visit them whenever they come to Rishikesh, and even when they don’t, they send other devotees to these temples on their behalf with their blessings.

The favorite temples in the Rishikesh area are the Daksheswara Mahadeva Temple in the city of Kankhal, Rishi Kund/Ram Mandir near Triveni Ghat, Durga/Hanuman Mandir near Peeple Ghat, Tapkeshwara in Dheradun, Chandi Mandir in Haridwar, and Nilakanth Mahadeva in the nearby Himalayas. We highly recommend you visit these temples should you take a pilgrimage to Rishikesh.

Of these, I would like to share with you our visit to the Daksheswara Mahadeva Temple. This famous temple, located in the city of Kankhal, just outside of Haridwar, is the location of Daksha’s Yajna.

The story goes that the egotistical Daksha, one of the sons of Lord Brahma, attempted to perform a Yajna long ago. But things went awry when Daksha Prajapati insulted his divine daughter Sati Devi and her husband Lord Shiva by not extending an invitation for Lord Shiva to attend the Yajna.

As a result of this insult, Sati Devi, consumed her body in the fire of Her tapasya and a distraught Lord Shiva destroyed the Yajna.

The parts of Sati’s physical body eventually became the Shakti Peethas.

There is no greater storyteller than Swamiji, and you may enjoy listening to him tell this fascinating story of Daksha’s Yajna in his own words: Daksha’s Yajna Video Excerpt.

On the morning we were to depart for Daksheswara, Shree Maa, in the spirit of never-ending devotion, awoke especially early to perform her Puja and chant the Rudrashtadhyayi.

Following Her puja, She assembled delicious sandwiches and other savory snacks which we were to carry with us on the road. We were leaving bright and early that morning, at 6:00 am, and she wanted to make sure everyone had something to eat along the way.

Swami Ramkripaluji had generously offered one of his disciples to be our driver, though it left him without much help for needed tasks at his own ashram. This act of giving, this loving sacrifice, did not go unnoticed. Shree Maa, Swamiji, and the rest of us, were immensely grateful.

This fine driver navigated us seamlessly to the temple, as he gently weaved the car back and forth in a few of the rough areas to avoid the “big bumps” which can jolt the body a bit.

There was a quite stillness in the car that early morning, as if we all were eagerly awaiting the golden opportunity to worship in such a significant temple.

Upon arrival at the temple, we were warmly greeted by the priests, who easily recognized Shree Maa and Swamiji from past visits.

It is like a special kinship is formed at the temples we visit every year, and the priests in this particular temple were overjoyed to see us again and to know that we had come to perform worship.

They gave us the customary blessing of a tilak, which is a mark on the forehead. We were happy that in this temple, the mark was in the shape of the three lines which Lord Shiva wears on his forehead. The three lines represent that His mind is beyond all the three gunas.

Shree Maa performed a short puja, offering light, incense, flower garland, and flowers to the murtis near the havan kund.

When Shree Maa offered the cloth in worship, She accidentally placed the cloth in such a way that it covered the front and back of the small murti, rather than covering his two sides as intended. Upon noticing, the humble priest stood up from his seat and gently turned the cloth to face the proper direction. Shree Maa smiled and giggled when she realized what had happened.

When the puja was complete, we all gathered inside the main temple to recite the Chandi Path. In this location there is a lot of foot traffic, as devotees walk in and out, but we always manage to find a place to sit.

Shree Maa and Swamiji have a favorite location for their worship in this temple — they always tuck themselves on a wall that has a signature yantra displayed in the background. This allows them to face the deities in worship, and though devotees continuously walk by, they have trained their minds to focus and concentrate, so they don’t even notice.

The Chandi Path was complete in a little over two hours, at which time Swamiji stood up, gathered an offering of cloth and dakshina, and made his way over to the head priest.

In his most energetic voice, Swamiji made an offering from his heart while chanting the sacred mantras. Interestingly, while Swamiji was chanting the mantras, this divine priest simultaneously was putting the blessing of a tilak on Swamiji’s forehead.

Having completed our beautiful puja, and after experiencing the vibrational bliss created from our Chandi Path recitation, it was now time to enter the main mandir where Mahadeva resides in the form of a Shiva Lingam.

This part of the temple is just a few short steps away, and as we entered, we paid our respects to the beautiful white marble Nandi, who obediently overlooks the Shiva Lingam.

There is enough room for about 20 people to gather around the lingam, and a pujari is always in attendance offering continual puja. Shree Maa and Swamiji managed to get close enough to be able to make their own offerings and chant the mantras in our tradition.

The pujari was so delighted to hear our chanting, and to witness our worship, that he offered us a box of sweets. This wonderful prasad had been offered to Lord Shiva by another devotee, and the priest, in turn, offered it to us.

Our worship at Daksheswara Mahadeva Temple was now complete. As we slowly strolled back to our car, I reflected back to early morning, which now seemed like ages ago.

In contemplation, it is easy to recognize the beauty of giving which is so naturally expressed by the people of India.

From the early morning sandwiches that Shree Maa made, to the impeccable service of our driver offered by Swamiji Ramkripaluji, to the sharing of joy, love, and a Tilak from the temple priests, to our own offerings at the temple, and finally to the sweets offered by the Pujari – it is apparent that the art of giving actually lives!

It lives in the hearts of the people in India and in Her holy temples.

Imagine what we could create if we made a sankalpa (committment, vow) to be a mirror of India, and to reflect Her “giving nature” in all we do.

I can think of no greater way to say “thank you” for the privilege to be in the company of such a divine global satsangha.

Pranam!

Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji!