Kundan Lal Saigal and his associations with Shimla

Kundan Lal Saigal and his associations with Shimla :

KL Saigal

Born on 11 April 1904, a great singer, stage actor, film personality, and harmonium player, KL Saigal came to Simla in 1928 from Jammu. He had enthralling voice and a deep interest in singing. It was National ADC (Amateur Dramatic Club), Phagli, Simla which provided Saigal the chance opportunity to perform in a play ‘Puran Bakht’. This was a long play of six hour duration with two intervals. Its lead role actor and singer fell ill suddenly with diarrhea. The management went into panic till someone suggested the name of young Saigal who was having good voice. Since Saigal was a regular visitor to watch the play every night and every show he knew the lines and the songs of the play by heart. He was an instant hit with the audience and the play was a huge success. 

While performing on the stage of Gaiety Theatre he was noticed by Harishchandra Bali, the classic music wizard. Saigal was taken to Calcutta by him and introduced with RC Boral, the father of film music. There he was hired by BR Sircar’s studio ‘New Theatre’ for singing. 

Thacker, Spink & Co.

While in Simla he stayed at Kodumal Building, Bharari. He served as a typewriter salesman in Remington Rand Typewriter Company from 1928 to 1931. The marketing of Remington Typewriter was done by Thacker, Spink & Co., a famous company which published books, posters and photographs of Simla. The company also maintained a photographic studio in the building near Combermere bridge. The place and old studio is now occupied by Bindra Studio. 

Back of Bindra Studio

He often would perform at National Amateur Dramatic Club, Phagli and Gaiety Theatre. He played the role of a eunuch in one of the plays at the Gaiety and sung, “Saiyyan morey laaye re bataashe ki jori.” The song became very popular with locals. Sir Rajendra Singhji Dev Bahadur, Maharaja of Jhalawar was so impressed by KL Saigal that he was gifted with very costly suit purchased from ‘Ranken and Company-Tailors and Drapers,’ on the Mall, Simla. 

Bindra Studio earlier housed Thacker Spink & Co.

Saigal often visited the house of Master Madan and Madan’s elder brother Mohan. Saigal would play his harmonium during long singing sessions at their residence. He left Simla in 1931 for Kolkata.

His role of Devdas in 1935 made him the first superstar of Indian film Industry. He re-visited Simla in 1936 and a Charity Show was organized at Kali Bari Hall in his honor. As a gratitude for respect and love shown to him by the people of Simla, he sang songs from Yahoodi ki Larki, Puran Bhagat, Devdas etc leaving one and all amazed. This time he stayed at Grand Hotel. 

 

Kodumal Building, Bharari, Shimla

Back of Kodumal Building

He died on 18th January 1947 at the age of 42 at Jalandhar.

Padhai Kali Mata Temple of Shimla

 Padhai Mata

New Padhai Mata temple complex

 The temple of Kali Mata Padhai is situated on a rugged stony hilly terrain with densely grown cedar trees. This is four and half kilometres from Shimla.  From main town Shimla either you can decide to walk on foot or take buses or taxis from Lakkar Bazar or Auckland tunnel. There are several pedestrian approach roads to reach the temple. One is through Elysium, Auckland, Longwood, Bharari old bazaar. Walk up hill from Bharari bazaar, take left pedestrian forest path about 500 mts and reach the temple. Second option is to take pucka road on the left from Auckland tunnel and reach Dudhli. From Dudhli it is again about 500 mts uphill forest area but enjoyable walk to the temple. Another  option is, if you are going through own vehicle or taxi, to drive about one kilometer from Dudhli, but little short of Kamyana, you will find a board indicating uphill turn to right which is about 500 mts again. You will find another board to your left where you can park your car and walk a little distance of about 50 mts trail to the temple. A walk of about an hour is certainly the best option if you want to enjoy the forest rich in flora and cedar.

Temple among cedar trees

 

Once you reach the top of the hill, where Padhai temple is situated, you will definitely forget all your exertions and sweat.  The all round views of Shimla, Summerhill, Mashobra, Craignano etc are breathtaking. The temple complex is quietly spread over the length of this beautiful hill top. Beside the main sacrosanct of Siddhida Kali Mata, there are temples dedicated to Siddheshwar Mahadev Shiv, Satya Narayan Bhagwan Vishnu & Lakshmi, Durga, Bhairo, Lord Hanumana and other Hindu deities. 

Shiva temple in complex

The Oak tree and the niche

The temple was renovated in 1988 from the public collection and the offerings from the believers in Padhai Mata. It seems the place was consecrated to goddess Kali in early 19^th century. In 1979 when I visited this place, the temple looked like a simple rustic mud hut, with kucha floor inside, having sculptural bas-reliefs all around it, inside and outside. The motifs were from religious and puranic iconography, depicting various versions and postures of 4 armed (chaturbhuj), 8 armed (ashthabhuja) and even 16 armed Kali in garbhgriha, Narsimha (avtar of Vishnu) killing Hrinyakshipu, the father of Prahlad, Bhairon, Shiva and Vasuki Naag, the celestial serpent. Inside hut, on a raised platform, were bas-relief torso sculptures of Chaturbhuj Vishnu with Vasuki serpent to the left and 16 armed Kali to the right. On the left inside wall was depicted four armed Kali and on the right inside wall were depicted two sculptures of four armed and 8 armed Kali respectively. The whole atmosphere seemed to be charged with awe, wonder, fear and mysticism. All the sculptural bas-reliefs were executed with the mixture of cement and sand by local non-professionals craftsmen.

old temple of Padhai Mata 1979

Idols of Vishnu and Kali inside old temple

Ashthabhuja Kali

Main sacrosanct of old temple

The niche by the side of oak tree

To the North-West of main temple of Padhai mata there is an oak tree, it is said that a cow used to come and offer her milk here. The milk would itself flow from her udders as the offerings. It is here that Mata first appeared in the shape of pindi. The niche is still here where the first worship started. The story goes that some resident living around this place had a dream of Mata in the shape of pindi under a tree and was also ordered in the dream to dig at a place, lying some distance to the North of this, for getting water for the ritual jal-abhishek (water holy-cleanse) of pindi of Mata. The residents did as commanded in the dream and the results was the outcome in the shape of this wonderful and wish fulfilling worshiping place of divine form of celestial feminine power.* 

Now many religious festivals and fair are being celebrated here regularly with all zeal, fervor and dedication. The fair is held here in the days of Sharad Navratras and people throng here from all over Himachal, from far off places of India and even from foreign countries. Maha Shivratri, Ram Navmi and Krishan Janamashtmi are also celebrated here. Every year Sriamad Bhagvatta katha is also being performed here for the benefits of devotees in Navratras. 

(*Based on the information as imparted by Pt. Devinder Sharma and Pt Lalit Mohan.)

Temples and ruins of Kiarkoti

Temples and ruins of Kiarkoti

 (A village of prominence in old Koti State)

Kiarkoti is a small village situated in Mashobra, district Shimla at 1620 m above sea level at coordinates 31°14' N and 77°19' E. From Shimla this village can be approached either through Mashobra, Sidhora then onto Mohanpur road, Manla Homes Resort at Manla, then 2 km from here to Kiar Koti or through Lakkar bazaar, Kamyana, Chedi and from there about 5 km to Kiar Koti.  One can also take a long haul by foot through the Bharari thick cedar forest, taking short cut route to Cheri and then to the ruins of Kiar Koti. From via Mashobra it is about 23 km and via Chedi it is about 17 km. Taking short cut from Bharari will cut short to about 9 km but it is better to take a guide along. Its actual name is Kiar, often also spelt as Kyar by Britishers. Kiarkoti is a thinly populated village but there is a Senior Secondary School here, meeting the educational requirement of the children of the adjoining villages. The village has a post-office branch also. 

 

Koti State :

Kiar got its suffix -koti from Koti of which this village was a part. Koti was a State whose capital was at Mool Koti. Mool is the prefix meaning the ‘origin.’ Koti was a feudatory state of Keonthal since 1815. Moolkoti (Mulkoti) was the capital place where Raja resided. Kiarkoti was an important part of Koti State. Koti State was bound on the North and East by Bhajji, on the West by Patiala, Simla and Keonthal and on the South by Keonthal. Its area was 44 sq miles and population in 1901 was 7959 only.

Within the boundaries of Koti lay Sanjauli, the then village at the junction of the Hindustan-Tibet Road, with the Simla Mall, the Mashobra ridge, as far as and including Naldehra, Mahasu, Simla Water Works Catchment area, part of Kufri, some of the Kasumpti bungalows and part of the Convent of Jesus and Mary.

History of Koti Ruling family :

The ruling family of Koti was a branch of that of the Rajas of Kotlehar in Kangra. They are said to have been originally Brahman.

Raja Chand, 25^th Raja from Raja Ram Pal of Kotlehr, Kangra made Mulkoti, a village close to Mul Bhajji, as his capital and thus founded the State of Koti. Raja Gopi Chand, the tenth Thakur from Raja Chand, earned much fame and his exploits are celebrated in a long folk epic. He defeated Rana of Keonthal in a fierce fight between Mashobra and Sanjauli and extended his area up to Asni river (Ashwani Khud) and established a post at village Sairi. He also defeated Raja Dalip Singh of Bhajji and Raja Tara Chand of Bilaspur and rendered their combined attacks futile. Battle ensued in the vicinity of Naldehra and ended with the victory of Raja Raja Gopi Chand of Koti. 

In epical folk songs Raja Dalip Singh of Bhajji’s commentary about Raja Gopi Chand runs thus :

Gopi Chand Thakur, howa makha Arjun Bhion,

Lhushi fuik re Deothi, Shali Laio sion.

(To me Gopi Chand Thakur has become like Arjun and Bhimsen,

After plundering and burning my capital Deothi, he has maintained the boundary of Bhajji and koti on the top of the peak Shalli)

The 9^th Thakur from Gopi Chand was Hari Chand, who assisted British in guarding Simla from a possible attack by the Gurkhas stationed at jutogh in 1804. He gave shelter to Europeans, who had left Simla for the security reasons of their families. For these services Thakur Hari Chand was granted the title of Rana. After that Europeans became frequent visitors at Mulkoti and Kiarkoti. 

Ancient Temples at Kiarkoti :

There are some very old temples of historical importance in and around Kiarkoti :--

Kalyanu Devta :

The most important and oldest of them all is situated at a place which is abundant in Deodar (Cedar) trees and appropriately called as Deodhar. All along the old Hindustan-Tibet Road, the tree Deodars is called by the people as ‘Devidar’—the tree of the god—the idols kept in these temples are Deo all through the Himalayan region. ‘Devidar’ and finally ‘Deodar’ tree is considered as very sacred. There was a custom that old trees with large girth were never felled down. Deodhar is about ½ km from Kiarkoti uphill on a ridge towards North. It is a cool place compared to its vicinity. There are only 4 or 5 households with population of less than 30. The temple of Klainu Deo (Kalyanu Devta) stands in all majesty built in Pahari kathkuni or kathkundi style characteristic of Shimla hill temples. Massive blocks of interlocking sleepers of wood and raw stones are used which makes the structure earthquake resistant and it has stood the test of time. Built on a square plinth, a raised thick walled platform of stone is topped by an extended-equally-on-all-sides square sacro-sanctum whose walls are entirely of wooden planks with no window openings or verandah. The wooden roof tapers off in two directions held in place by a central ridge at the top. The sloping roof is topped with grey slates. The lower square walled platform contains a wooden staircase for approaching the sacro-sanctum where mohras (masks of deo) and devtas are kept for worship. Only priests in attendance may enter inside the temple.

In ‘Gazetteer of the Simla Hill States 1910’ the following account of Klainu Deo is furnished by Pundit Tika Ram Joshi, Rajguru of Keonthal and Koti States :

“The origin of the word ‘Klainu’ is from ‘Kulu-fa-anu’ meaning brought from Kulu. In Kulu the god is called ‘Jamnu’ from Sanskrit Jamadagni . It is apparent that the deity is a saint called Dudadhari, from Sanskrit Dudahhari, meaning a vegetarian. Being a saint he never accepts an animal sacrifice”.

There is an interesting story of another devta ‘Dhandi Deo’ linked with this temple. Dhandi Deo is a local deity whose temples are situated at villages Pagog and Kamhala. Both the villages were part of the same Koti State. Dhandi and Gandhi were two brothers living in Pagog village. Dhandi devoted much of his time to the worship of Klainu Deo, so much so that he used to bring milk for Deo every day from Pagog to Deodhar, a distance of about 13 km. He had to walk to and fro around 26 km daily. Klainu Deo was very pleased with him that he accepted him as a deity after Dhandi’s death. From then onwards Dhandi became Deo and his temples were erected at Pagog and at Kamhala villages. 

Commune Hall (Devrah) :

In the immediate vicinity of the temple Klainu Devata at Deodhar, there is a big commune hall called ‘Devrah’ again made of stones and huge sleepers of Deodar wood in kathkuni style. The pillars supporting this structure are carved out of massive wood sleepers. The sloppy roof is in the same style as the temple of Klain Deo covered with grey stone slates. The doors of ‘Devrah’ are opened only for the sittings of Panchayat and only twice a year when nearby devtas also gather here to meet Klainu Deo. At this time the hall is used as a night halt for devtas and their attendants.  Devtas of nearby villages namely Kumhali, Shamlog and Bhattla etc come here in their respective palquins for ritual meetings and dancing. Such meeting takes place twice on the days of Prabodhini (when Vishnu awakens from his slumber) Shukla Ekadasi (Asadha Shukla Ekadasi) and Devotthan/Devshayani (when Vishnu goes to sleep) Shukla Ekadasi (Kartik Shukla Ekadasi). A huge crowd from surrounding areas is gathered to witness the ritual celebrations and a fair is held at Deodhar.

Jagdamba Mata Temple :

At the back of Klainu Deo temple and on one side of Devrah, there is another old temple of Jagdamba Mata. It is an oblong single storey structure in wood, tiles and tin roof. The temple main campus is flanked by two cement sculptures of a lion and a tiger (?) and on the left hand side of the temple stands a real sized sculpture of Bhairon in a cage. The temple does not look as an old one though. Pt Tara Datt Sharma, the attendant priest of this temple told that this temple is being renovated lately. He also told that in olden times Deodhar was a favourite visiting place for British and Europeans.

Shiv temple :

It is an old temple   dedicated  to 

Shiva. Its entrance gate is a quite recent structure in local stone and unfinished though the temple itself is well kept. It is a small structure in stone plastered with lime and surkhi. The arches, pillars, false windows and domes are also made with the same material. The repairs here and there are finished with cement. The external walls of the inner sacro-sanctum are covered by floral frescos and are surrounded on all the four sides by circumambulation path meant for parikarma. The front square pyramidal dome of the temple bears the frieze of a lion and a cow on it. The posterior dome is spherical in shape capped by kalash.

 

 

 

Thakurdwara :

On the North Western side of the Shiv temple stands a structure in local stone and mud that encloses a small Vishnu temple called Thakurdwara. From outside it is difficult to guess that this temple might be dedicated to Vishnu except from the fact that on the wooden lintel of the outside door there is a small wooden idol of Lakshmi nailed onto it.

 

 

Old ruins and remnants :

Towards South East of Shiva temple remnants of old stone buildings can still be seen that once witnessed the native Royalties’ and European’s leisure moments. 

 

European style residential building :

There is also a European style residential building also which is still occupied by the tenants. It is told that the local MLA now owns it.

 Roads :

Condition of road is pathetic. Plying of bike and scooter is also not without risk through the narrow and kaccha roads. However, soon the condition of roads leading to Kiarkoti will be improved.