‘BSF priests’ man legendary temples
JAISALMER: Barely 30 kilometres from the Indo-Pak border in Jaisalmer district, a motley group of devotees gathers at the courtyard of Ghantiyali Mata temple on the occasion of Navratri as dhoti-clad BSF jawan Dinesh Sharma recites Sanskrit shlokas, praying for his countrymen’s safety.
Nestled at the heart of the Thar desert, Ghantiyali Mata and Tanot Mata are the two sistergoddesses locals regard as protectors of the Indo-Pak border. Legends about the temples protecting Indian settlements from cross-border skirmishes often resonate amongst the folklore.
“Pakistani soldiers entered the temple during the war of 1965 and broke some of the idols. As a consequence, not a single one of them survived. Most of them died after fighting amongst each other because the goddess had cursed them,” said jawan RP Sharma from Madhya Pradesh, pointing towards an assortment of desecrated idols kept at the temple compound.
“People come here from far and wide to worship the goddess during Navratri. However, this year the crowd is comparatively less because many are hesitant owing to the tension between India and Pakistan. We are trying to assure them that there’s no danger here and the BSF is fully prepared for any situation,” said Shambhu Nath Sarkar, another BSF jawan.
The administration of the two temples comprise BSF jawans posted from all over the country.
Currently, ten BSF personnel are posted in the temple who guard the gates and distribute Prasad to devotees in turns.
Tanot Mata temple has on display gun shells fired by Pakistani army during the war of 1971 inside a glass cabinet. “I have come from Pali district to seek blessings from the mata. I believe that as long as the two goddesses are guarding the border, we are safe from Pakistani intrusion,” said devotee Ladu Ram. People say Pakistan fired a substantial chunk of their ammunition at the temple but couldn’t damage a single brick of it.
VILLAGERS DRAW PARALLELS WITH 1971 WAR
Memories of the 1971 IndoPak war is fresh in the mind of 75-year-old Sartan Singh of village Renao, 10 kilometers from the Ghantiyali Mata temple.
“Our village had to be evacuated and we walked with our