The call of the Mountains – part 2

Aditi Ghosh

At the entry of Kinnaur district, police collect your details including an emergency contact number. Is it any signal for potential danger ahead? Coming from an emergency response background, cannot avoid this thought. We two being each other’s emergency contacts, I found myself unprepared for another emergency contact. There is also a temple in the vicinity, it is a ritual for drivers to seek blessings there. All these give me an eerie feeling- maybe I am just overthinking! I also bowed my head unknowingly to the almighty.

It says that the sunrise at Kinner Kailash is no ordinary sunrise. This represents awakening- the light of divinity. Could not see the sunrise this morning due to rain and cloud cover, but mightly Kailash Kinnaur range so close to me continues to give me a divine aura.

There is a legend on sunrise at Kinner Kailash. After a great penance, the deadly demon Bhasmasur received a boon from Lord Shiva that he could turn any person into ashes by touching his head. But Bhasmasur tried to turn Lord Shiva into ashes as he wanted to possess his wife, Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva could have easily killed Bhasmasur immediately by opening his third eye, but that would have also led to mass destruction. Lord Shiva finally came to Kinner Kailash where he meditated and found a way to control the devastation that could happen when he opened his third eye. And it is here that he eventually killed Bhasmasur by opening his third eye (with controlled aggression).

On this Mahalaya day, this local folklores create a different dimension in my mind and consciousness. I guess we all need to learn to ‘control’ ourselves whereas we spent our energy trying to control others.

The writer is a globe traveller