Sindh’s Sadh Belo Temple
“Har Har Maha Dev, Har Har Maha Dev, Baba Bankhandi Maharaj ki Jai, Jhullay Lal ki Jai,” The right bank of the River Indus, opposite the Hindu temple Sadh Belo, was buzzing with these chants of devotees who had arrived from different parts of Sindh to attend the 159th death anniversary of Baba Bankhandi Maharaj. Sadh Belo is situated in a hilly area in the middle of the River Indus near Sukkur. The death anniversary events will continue for three days, from June 14 to June 16.
Keerti Kumari, an 11-year-old girl, was so excited to visit the holy temple she tried to jump in a boat, which was taking the devotees to the temple. Unfortunately, she landed in water, which was fortunately shallow, and was immediately rescued by some people waiting for another boat. Keerti, along with her parents and siblings, had arrived from Jacobabad to attend the death anniversary events. When asked why she was so excited she replied, “I love visiting this temple because my mother often visits it to pray for her wishes to come true. When Keerti was asked what her biggest wish was, she answered, “Nothing special for me; I only want my father to get rid of his ailment and start earning more money to support the family.”
Keerti’s father Bheman Das, in his late fifties, is seriously emaciated because of his health issues. After introducing himself, he said that for the last thirteen years, he was suffering from a strange ailment. He added, “Whenever I happen to visit Sadh Belo, I feel new energy emerging from within, and therefore, my wife and I often visit the temple.”
Kishan Lal, a resident of Shikarpur, had come with his friends to attend the anniversary. He said, “I have been visiting the temple with my parents since I was just two or three years old, and now I am thirty-five.” He says that every success that he has achieved in his life so far is due to the blessing of Baba Bankhandi Maharaj.
Nand Lal, another devotee, looked very happy and had brought two cauldrons of cooked food to distribute among devotees. As soon as he approached the boat along with four men carrying the cauldrons, he chanted, “Baba Bankhandi Maharaj ki Jai, Baba Bankhandi Maharaj ki Jai”. Before embarking the boat, Nand Lal, with a big smile on his face, said to me, “With the kirpa (blessing) of Baba Bankhandi Maharaj I have earned much more than I expected from my dry dates business, and that is why I have brought two cauldrons of food to distribute among the devotees.” He told me that in his business of dry dates, his earning doubled this year due to, what he claims, the blessing of Baba Bankhandi Maharaj.
While I was talking to Nand Lal, I saw a group of women arrive at the camp office to purchase two-way boat tickets, Rs 20 for adults, Rs 10 for children. Om Parkash, who was selling tickets, told me, “Normally, there are two motorized boats stationed at this place for pick and drop of the devotees. Due to extraordinary attendance this year, we have hired around twenty-five motorized boats for pick-and-drop purposes.” Prakash added that devotees coming from other districts often choose to stay for three days at the temple where they are provided with free food and water. According to him, many well-off Hindus arrange cooked food for the devotees during the anniversary, and some people provide sweetened milk and juices to get blessings from Baba Bankhandi Maharaj.
Talking about the security arrangements, Prakash informed me that a heavy contingent of police has been deployed in and around the temple and at the camp to avert any untoward incident. Divers are also made available at the temple and near the camp to handle any emergency. According to him, only once an over-occupied boat was overturned, resulting in the death of two persons, while the remaining were rescued.
Om Parkash, going through the history of Sadh Belo, said, “The place, where today the Sadh Belo temple stands was known as ‘Menak Parbat’; this name is also mentioned in Rig Veda, one of the four holy texts of Hinduism.” On the question that since Baba Bankhandi Maharaj was not married, why people visit his temple with their prayers for marriage and children, Prakash smiled, “Baba is a Shaktimaan (powerful) and can grant wishes to the people. Holy souls like Baba Bankhandi Maharaj, with the blessing of Eshwar upon them, can bless people with their powers. I personally know many people in this city who have been blessed by Baba, and they visit the temple almost every Friday to pay homage to him. Once I contracted a strange ailment and I thought I was about to die, but I kept visiting the temple every Friday, and very soon, I not only got rid of the ailment, but became more energetic than before. Every visitor has a story to tell about the power of of Baba Bankhandi Maharaj’s blessings, and that is why they regularly visit the temple to keep in touch with Baba’s spirituality.”
President of Hindu Panchayat Mukhi Eshwar Lal narrated the history of the Sadh Belo temple to me. It is located on an island that was previously known as Menak Parbat. According to him, Baba Bankhandi Maharaj, who by birth hailed from Nepal, came to the site in 1823 at the age of fifteen. Baba Bankhandi Maharaj belonged to the Udaseen school of thought; personalities belonging to that particular school of thought never get married. Baba lived alone on Menak Parbat and died at the age of sixty. The construction of the temple was initiated by Sant Harnam Das, Maharaja’s eighth gaddi nasheen, in 1899.
Lal explained that after the death of the tenth gaddi nasheen in Haridwar, India, Swami Vish Darsh Jee Maharaj has been elected as the new successor. A very stringent process is followed to elect the new gaddi nasheen; as he is supposed to have nothing to do with the mortal world, he must be honest, dedicated and celibate (udaseen).
The Sadh Belo Parbandhak Committee is responsible for pilgrims’ lodging and food, which is a free service provided during the three-day event. More than thirty thousand pilgrims can be accommodated in the temple. Men and women are allotted separate space under the open sky, but the ones who wish to live with their families are given a room. In all, there are eighty rooms in the temple, which are allotted to the devotees on first-come-first-serve basis.
The temple is spread over nine acres, houses separate places of worship for men and women, a library with books on religion and Hindu mythology, segregated bhandars (dining rooms), and a huge garden. The administration has also preserved the living quarters of Maharaj and his disciples.
Talking about the visitors, Lal said that devotees from all over Sindh, and also India, converge at the temple during the three-day anniversary. “Even Muslims come to visit the temple, but unlike Hindus, Muslims are required to get themselves registered at the camp, established at the right bank of the Indus, to avoid any complications.”