Mata Chandi Shrines – End of an Imbroglio

It is an irrefutable fact that it was Thakur Kulbir Singh Jamwal who rediscovered hitherto obscure Chandi Mata Shrine at Machail Paddar during his posting in 1976 and established it as one of the most visited pilgrimage centres of Jammu and Kashmir.

BY: DHARAM KANT DOGRA

On 25th February 2022, a Division Bench of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court comprising of Hon’ble Chief Justice Mr. Pankaj Mithal and Hon’ble Judge Mr. Justice Rajnesh Oswal in a landmark judgment in PIL No. 24 of 2018 titled ‘Mr. Ajay Kumar Sharma Vs State and Others’ ordered/instructed to entrust the management of Chandi Mata Temple Machel, Chandi Mata Temple Chinote and Machail Yatra to one of the existing Shrine Boards of the U.T. The PIL was filed by Mr. Ajay Kumar Sharma, an advocate belonging to Kishtwar, praying for entrusting the management of Machail Shrine and Yatra to a Board. At the time of the hearing of the PIL, Thakur Sahib as sole trustee of ‘Sarv Shakti Shri Chandi Mata Ji Mandir Chinote Trust.’ voluntarily prayed through his counsel to form a separate Shrine Board for the Chinot Mata Temple Bhadarwah.

Anticipating the possibility of unscrupulous persons joining hands to involve the Sanstha in scams and frauds in future, Thakur Sahib was convinced of the desirability of the constitution of a Shrine Board for Machail Mata Temple and Machail Yatra on the lines of ‘Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board’ and ‘Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board’ and he started efforts to this end.  As early as 2010, Thakur Sahib had approached the Governor of State to form a Shrine board for the effective management of Machail Mata Shrine. At his request, Mr. Naresh Gupta, the then M.L.C. had introduced a  Private Member Bill in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council in the year 2010-2011 for the constitution of a Management Board for Machail Mata Shrine, which was considered and passed. The said bill was sent to the Legislative Assembly and was tabled for passing, but couldn’t be passed for one reason or the other.

It is an irrefutable fact that it was Thakur Kulbir Singh Jamwal who rediscovered hitherto obscure Chandi Mata Shrine at Machail Paddar during his posting in 1976 and established it as one of the most visited pilgrimage centres of Jammu and Kashmir. It was he, who started an annual Charhi  Yatra from Chinote Bhadarwah to Machail Temple in 1985 and made it one of the most popular and well-attended yatras of Jammu and Kashmir during his tenure as Patron-in-Chief of ‘Sarv Shakti Sevak Sanstha’. It was again Thakur Sahib, who conceived, planned, supervised and got a magnificent Chandi Mata Temple Complex, spread over 12.5 kanals of land constructed in Chinote Bhadarwah as sole trustee of ‘Sarv Shakti Shri Chandi Mata Ji Mandir Chinote Trust.’  This was done against all odds, in times of militancy and without asking for donations from anybody but through voluntary donations only.

In immediate response to the court order, Thakur Kulbir Singh Ji, as Sole Trustee of Sarv Shakti Shri Chandi Mata Ji Temple Chinote Trust, requested the Advocate General vide letter dated 02-03-2022 to appoint some senior officials of the Government for taking over the complete charge of all assets, properties as well as accounts of the Trust including the management of the shrine. He also communicated that he or any member of his family doesn’t wish to be associated with the affairs of Chinote Temple any further. He had already quit his post as Patron-in-Chief of ‘Sarv Shakti Sevak Sanstha’ which managed both the Machail Temple and Yatra in 2013. He selflessly devoted the whole of his life to the cause of Mata Chandi and in serving the devotees of Mata. His recent decision to hand over the well-maintained Chinote Temple Complex to the Shrine board is an act of extreme sacrifice (Tyaag) befitting our seers and spiritual masters.

His wish for complete disassociation from the management of the Temple/Yatra seems to stem from the hurt caused by the shameful episode of disrespect and disruption of holy Charhi Yatra by disgruntled and corrupt elements involved in the notorious ‘Cement Scam’ on 22nd August 2018. On this day, several yatris including ladies were beaten mercilessly inside the Chandi Mata temple complex at Machail culminating in the suspension of Yatra. Even the Charhi Mubarak /Holy Trishul could not be brought back to the Chandi Mata temple Chinote as was the tradition. 

It is interesting to note that after this episode, due to one reason or the other, yatra from Jammu or any other place to Machail could not be held.  In August 2019, the government stopped the yatra prior to the abrogation of Article 370, while in 2020 and 2021,  the yatra was not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The devotees of Chandi Mata ascribe it to the displeasure of Mata over the disrespect of the Charhi Mubarak and ill-treatment meted out to the yatris.