Devotees throng Lord Shiva temple atop Bhuvan Hills in Silchar

Special Correspondent

SILCHAR: The temple of Lord Shiva atop the picturesque Bhuvan hills of Cachar bordering Manipur and Mizoram, 50 km from here, becomes the center of worship for thousands of devotees on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri, locally called Bhuban Mela. Since Friday, there have been beeline of devotees and visitors from different parts of Barak Valley and beyond its borders to this site.

Many have a dip in the pond nearby to clean themselves and wear a new dress before entering the sanctum sanctorum. Many prefer to spend the night under the open sky.

Some take time off to descend down 2 km to visit the Rongmei Naga temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Some just for the sake of adventure, move along a north to go down the mysterious cave covered under mist and fog. On the huge rock is the altar of a deity worshipped by the Nagas who come here once a year on the occasion of their holy festival. A few rocky steps right of the cave is believed to take to a dark pitched opening, but none dares to move. It is said the cave used to be a place of meditation for saints and sages in the past. In fact, Bhuvan Hills is abounding with legends that need exploratory studies by research workers.

On the foothills is held a fair in which all sorts of eatables and eateries are available, besides sundry items, much to the needs of the visitors. The district administration of Cachar has taken all necessary measures to make the pilgrimage trouble-free with medical, drinking water, toilet facilities and conditioning of the hilly road. BC Nath, former ADC and presently coordinator of NRC, on the advice of DC Barnali Sharma, visited the shrine to see for himself the arrangements for the comfort of the pilgrims.

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