2010.12.11: Jai Mata Di

A monkey stole my flowers… I stepped in mule dung not once, but at least a hundred times; a few strange men offered me candy. And it was worth it. Today my sister and I went up to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. This is one of the most revered places in India and it’s a cave in mountain. It’s where a manifestation of the Divine Mother has meditated for about nine months. It’s there that a man was beheaded with such a force that his head flew for about two kilometers through the air. Every day an average of twenty-two thousand pilgrims undertake a twenty-six kilometer hike, some barefooted, to make a wish at the shrine.

Legend has it every wish made at the presence of the Divine Mother in the cave will be granted. This, of course, raises the question why so few people in India have won the lottery. Well, legend also has it no one can decide oneself to go to this place. Only after hearing the Call of Mata, a calling from the Divine Mother herself, one will be able to complete the pilgrimage. Her presence in the cave will also take care that “moskh”, enlightenment — the purpose of life — guides your wish. I know this to be true, I had thought about a very selfish wish beforehand and had strangely forgotten all about it when I was supposed to make it.

This undoubtedly was because I’m not a Hindu. Also, I was still busy contemplating about all I had encountered during my climb. My sister and I had started at half past seven in the morning and could've either travelled by helicopter or mule, or on foot. We did the latter but grew worried when it appeared we had entered a family entertainment park. Shops were all over the place. Some sold pilgrim paraphernalia or toys and cloths; others offered photo moments or a haircut. There were of course also many cafeterias and a few travel agents. It seemed as if the path to enlightenment had been materialized.

However the higher we came, the fewer shops we encountered. The roads became less crowded and the temperature went down. All had become more serene. More pilgrims were mumbling, or shouting, “Jai Mata Di”. Unfortunately it’s still unclear to me what the precise meaning is. People either didn’t understand me, or explained that the meaning was so intense it was untranslatable. A rough translation could be: “praise to the Mother”. The fun thing was that it also served as a greeting; many times we got a 'Jai Mata Di' thrown at us and we returned most, sometimes to great excitement of the receivers and then we would exchange Jai Mata Di a few more times.

Our day was marvelous. Even despite the most unwanted attention of the many mule porters, who at times practically blocked our and got physical. In total we walked more than thirty-two kilometers, climbed well over a thousand stairs and went from 740 meter above sea level to about 2000 and back. More important: we witnessed many devoted pilgrims complete their calling and had some wonderful conversations and lessons about India and being a Hindu. There were some splendid views and I received two lucky coins. The coins are special because legend has it, that once I'll put them in wallet and don't take them out, my purse will always be filled with money... Some legends are better then others.

Now the warm sun, underneath which we climbed the mountain, is long gone. I look out of my hotel room's window and see an the illuminated the path to the shrine circling up the mountain. Even at night people will climb the roads, tread the stairs and chant: "Jai Mata Di!" and "Jai Mata Di" is what I whisper in return. I’m left with a genuine feeling of happiness and gratitude for this day.

What more could one wish for?


P.S.: The candy was delicious.

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