Chapter 18 - 'Bageshwar Dham'

This chapter is about a place where science has no answer—'Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’.

I had completed the entire 'Ramayan Yatra' except for 'Chitrakoot Dham'. I had no prior plans, but I suddenly felt a divine calling and decided to leave for ‘Chitrakoot Dham’ over the weekend. It was approximately 750 km away from my house. My plan was simple: drive to Chitrakoot Dham on day one, explore all the temples on day two, and begin my return journey on the third day. It was the month of ‘Sawan’, a time when many devotees of ‘Lord Shiva’ go on the ‘Kanwar Yatra’, and most roads remain closed.

When I was about to reach ‘Chitrakoot Dham’, I saw a hoarding for ‘Khajuraho’ on the highway. ‘Khajuraho’ was approximately 130 km away from ‘Chitrakoot Dham’. 

After reaching ‘Chitrakoot Dham’, I hired a taxi for local darshan. I asked the driver about the feasibility of covering ‘Khajuraho’, but he said, "Sir, it won't be possible. By the time you reach ‘Khajuraho’, the temples will be closed."

I thought I should just stick to my original plan. But God had a different plan for me.

I covered a few places on Day 1 and asked the taxi driver to come back the next day at 8:00 AM. Surprisingly, he came early at 5:00 AM. I was awake, but I wasn't ready. We ended up leaving the hotel at 6:15 AM. He mentioned that we would finish everything by approximately 1:00 PM. I thought to myself that after finishing all the darshans, I would just rest in my hotel room.

By God’s grace, however, I finished all the local darshans by 9:00 AM.

I decided to make the trip to ‘Khajuraho’ after all. I went back to the hotel and left in my car by 9:30 AM. I reached at ‘Khajuraho’ by 1:00 PM.

I had no specific plan; I just wanted to visit the main temple complex. I parked my car and started walking toward the main temple.

Suddenly, an auto-rickshaw pulled up next to me, and the driver offered me a lift to the main ‘Khajuraho’ temple. When I offered him money, he refused to take it. I asked him what other places I could visit, and I ended up hiring him for local sightseeing. He suggested dropping me off at the main ‘Khajuraho’ temple at the very end, and I agreed.

By then, I was hungry. Since I prefer Jain food (Satvik Bhojan), I asked him where I could get a good meal, and he recommended a place. After visiting a few nearby temples, he took me to a Jain temple with a food hall inside, where I enjoyed a delicious Jain lunch. After lunch, we visited a few more temples.

Suddenly, he told me about the ‘Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’ temple. I had heard about the place before, but I didn't know where it was located. He suggested we visit it since it was only about 25 km from ‘Khajuraho’. Even though I still hadn't visited the main temples of ‘Khajuraho’, I agreed to go.

He took me to ‘Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’. Since I had limited time, I tried to get a VIP darshan, but there was no such provision. I joined the general queue, which was very crowded due to the weekend.

While standing in line, I saw four or five people who appeared to be possessed by Ghosts. It felt unreal; I could see a different energy speaking through them. One person was jumping so high that it seemed physically impossible for a normal human being.

I truly realized the divine power of that place. I had an incredible darshan and then walked behind the temple, where there is an idol of ‘PretRaj Sarkar’ and a tree bound by metal chains. There, I saw several hundred people who were possessed by Ghosts. It was unbelievable.

After finishing my darshan at ‘Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’, I started my return journey to ‘Khajuraho’, reaching around 5:00 PM. The auto-rickshaw driver dropped me off at a ‘Lord Shiva’ temple. I had darshan there, but it wasn't the main ‘Khajuraho’ temple complex. I became a little upset, because I felt that now I would not be able to visit the main 'Khajuraho Temple'.

I thought about heading back since I still had to drive to ‘Chitrakoot Dham’ before it got too late. However, I decided to give it one last try.

The moment I made up my mind, another person appeared—an official heritage guide for ‘Khajuraho’.

He helped me get a ticket, took me inside the main temple, and shared fascinating insights into our ancient culture. I probably had the best time of my trip with him. ‘Khajuraho’ was beyond anything I had imagined.

After completing my final darshan in ‘Khajuraho’, I set off for ‘Chitrakoot Dham’. It was dark by then, and I had to drive through the ‘Panna Tiger Reserve’.  I felt a little scared traveling alone on a mountain road at night. It ran through a dense forest with a river right beside it. But by God’s blessings, nothing went wrong, and I reached my hotel safely.

The next morning, I woke up, got ready, and went to visit the remaining temples in ‘Chitrakoot Dham’. It was the most auspicious moment of my life as I finally completed my 'Ramayan Yatra'.

When I finally left ‘Chitrakoot Dham’ to head home, the roads were blocked at a few places due to the 'Kanwar Yatra', but I reached home safely.

Throughout this trip, I received help from several strangers—they truly felt like angels sent by God. In fact, I forgot to mention that earlier in the trip, my car got stuck in a narrow alley because Google Maps gave me wrong directions. I felt completely helpless for a moment, but local residents came to help like God's angels.

This entire trip was truly blessed by ‘Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’. He planned everything for me.

जय बालाजी।