Mandakini Kund of Gautameshwar Mahadev Paapmochan Teertha temple.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
There is plenty of ‘holy water’ across India. Hindus believe that taking a dip in holy water discharge them of all the sins they have committed in their life.
Usually, temples associated with holy water provide devotees with all the necessary facilities to carry out the act. But the devotees taking a bath at ‘Mandakini Kund of Gautameshwar Mahadev Paapmochan Teertha’, a Shiva temple in Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan, get something else too: a certificate that qualifies them as free from all sins.
According to a report in The Times of India, the temple offers a `paapmukti’ certificate to devotees at a cost of Rupees 11. Rs. 10 is charged for `dosh-nivaran’ (removal of obstacles) and Rupee 1 is for the certificate.
“People ostracized in their villages come here to take a dip and go back with `paap-mukti’ certificates,” priest Nandkishore Sharma told The Times of India.
“For centuries, it has been a famous pilgrimage held in great reverence, especially by the tribal community. Lakhs of devotees gather here for ‘Gautameshwar fair held in May,” he added.
A prominent pilgrim center in Rajasthan, ‘Gautameshwar Mahadev Paapmochan Teertha’ is known as the `Haridwar of tribals.’ The temple authorities have also kept the record of all the people who have got a certificate since independence.
The custom is associated with a legend saying that a sage ‘Gautam Rishi’ was discharged from a curse for causing the death of an animal when he took a bath in the ‘Kund’.
“When people do farming, they inadvertently kill insects and other creatures, damage eggs of birds and reptiles. This fills them with guilt. They come here with a heavy heart, but go back relieved,” another priest Kanhaiyalal Sharma was quoted as saying by The Times.