A trip to Kayavarohana

Last night before going off to sleep I hoped and prayed with all my heart for heavens not to pour the next day.After canceling and postponing for what seems like an eternity I had finally decided to go to Kayavarohan (Karvan) for my first documention trip and noway did I want the plan to get cancelled again. My prayers had been generously answered, there was no rain and on top of that it was a bright and beautiful day. Had an early breakfast and left for the station armed with my camera and notebooks. After a half an hour wait I managed to get into a bus which would directly take me to Kayavarohan once inside I got talking to the elderly couple who were waiting with me. Interestingly the husband knew quite some about the temple and was extremely glad that someone was working on the particular site. They had to get off the bus before me and we parted with a cheerful ‘aavjo’ and his words ‘you are doing a good job...

Since I was visiting the site for the first time I was anxious not to miss the stop. The old woman sitting next to me who must have been in her eighties finally asked me where I was going. Interestingly she would pull my arm whenever I was about to get up to ask the conductor…still remember her kind and assuring face…’haji vaar che…hu tamne kahish’ I had no choice but to sit with an disarming smile. She kept her word …just few seconds before reaching the temple she told me to stand in front otherwise it would be difficult to get out of the crowded bus.

Contrary to what I had expected I came across a well maintained temple gate flanked with all kinds of shops. Inside to my utter surprise there was standing a late temple structure with amazingly well maintained lawns and fountain. Didn’t look like a site at all. The temple has been construced in 1971 but the idol inside is ancient and the iconography of the temple is what I was interested in. I took a general round and to my chagrin saw a ‘no photography’ board. After the usual darshan I realized that there were all kinds of yogic postures displayed on the walls along with various mantras and mahatmayas. The walls of both garbhagriha and mandapa were completely covered with writings…shivmahimnastotram, rudrashtakam etc. haven’t come across any temple like this before…dpwnstairs I was amazed to find whole pasupata sutra written on the walls…clear in red ink…it was a shame that I couldn’t click photographs. I decided to try my luck and went to the main office. Fortunately enough I was able to meet the trustee who was pretty helpful and guess what not only did he let me click the photographs, but he also asked one of the volunteers to go with me. He also supplied me generously with some extremely useful literature about the history of the temple.Generosity didn’t end there he asked me to have lunch at the campus itself once my work was over. I told him I wanted to see the other temples in the village too and he gave me a long list. After clicking all the desired photographs I thanked him profusely and made some notes.

Once outside I started inquiring about the archeological museum displaying all the rare finds from the site. After walking for some 15 minutes I reached to an isolated rather dull loking building which a panwala confirmed was the museum.Though there was a man standing there I could see the heavy lock on the gote…I inquired bhai museum aaje bandh che?

Na behn, koi aavtu nathi aetle lock marya che…tame jovo to kholoon

He did open the gate with reluctance and right in the outset told me not to click any photographs. The collection was beautiful though most of it was broken. I particularly liked a little less than lifesize sculpture of kala bairava. The ematiated form and the violent posture lend an eerie feeling to the image.

I was pretty tired and could do with some icecream and also thought of asking the locals for some information about the temples. The shopkeeper lady told me that bhagwan rajarajesvar temple was deep inside the village and there was the other sivalinga I was looking for.Actually the broken temple I was looking for had been renovated hence no one could tell me where the broken temple is. So I took her leave and set afoot again. Meanwhile I kept asking people for the direction and knowing my wonderful sense of direction was mentally making a note of landmarks. I passed through various lanes bylanes darwazas to reach my destination. The temple has been renovated so there is nothong interesting about the structure but I did find the sivalinga I was looking for.After clicking photographs I talked to the caretaker madhuben and her grandson. On my way back I clicked some photographs of the village and reached the village bus stop.I was told I had just missed a bus to baroda and the next would take some time to come. I took a minibus more like a chakda to por, the nearest town from where I was told I will easily get a bus to baroda. Once in the bus I started reading the literature that I had got in the temple. Got so engrossed in reading that realize when we reached baroda.

As soon as I got down the bus I rushed to the hostel and after having a ‘solid naashta’ crashed onmy bed.