Tundal Devi is a temple that is always associated with the trust and faith of the devotees with its mythological significance and interesting stories. Even the great gods Brahma, Bishnu, and Shiva are meditated upon, this Tundal Devi is considered to be the goddess of the entire Handigaun.
Form of the Temple
Built in the pagoda style, this three-storied artistic temple has a stone as a special pith, along with the stone there are statues of Vrahmayani and Astamatrika. On the right side of this path, there are Krishna, Kamdhenu, Narayan, Shwetbhairava, Ganesha, Chamunda, Shiva, Mahakali, Nandi, and three heroes, while on the upper side there are idols of Nateshwari, Ganesha, Kumari, Vrahmayani, Indreni, Chamunda, Mahakali, Akash Bhairab, Singhani and Vyadhrini. There are no daily worshiping rituals in this temple but Karmacharya Pujari Khalak performs puja on the day of Shukla Paksha Chaturdashi every month. Tundal Devi is worshiped in sequence from Chaitra Shukla Ashtami to Baisakh Krishna Ashtami every year.
History of the Temple
The inscribed stone on the stairs of this temple can be taken as proof that this temple was established in the pre-Lichchavi period.
Legend
Among astamatrika, this Tundaldevi is the fourth form. Every matrika has its color, whereas the color of Tundaldevi is green. So, the goddess of this temple is known as the green goddess. In the Newari language, this goddess is also known as “ Waaun Khwaa Ajima” as well. This goddess is commonly referred to as Bhaisnavi goddess since she is thought to be the form of lord Bhisnu’s feminine energy.
The interesting part of this temple is the legend (which is associated with Lord Ram) behind the name of Tundal Devi who is also known as Vaishnavi Devi. According to the old residents, during the Dwapara Yuga, when Ram and Lakshman came to the Tundal Devi area during time of hunting, an old mother gave them sugarcane to eat when they were tired and sat under a tree there. After eating the sugarcane, when Ram looked for that old mother, she disappeared, and then he realized that the mother who gave him sugarcane was an avatar of the goddess. So, he named the place “Tuna de” where “Tuna” means eating sugarcane and “De” means goddess in the Newari language. With time, the name of this place changed to Tod-devi, now this temple is known as Tundal Devi. People believed that this temple was built in the same location where the old mother (a form of the goddess) gave sugarcane to Ram and Lakshman, and she is now worshiped as Tundal Devi.
A journey to find jewels
The most famous Jatra among the many Jatras held in this Tundal Devi temple is the “Jewel Search Jatra”. According to the popular legend, Tundal Devi, Mahalakshmi, Nuwakot Bhairabi, and Manamaiju Devi were swimming in the pond of Tangal and when all of them were coming out of the pond, Tundal Devi realized that her jewelry was lost, so she entered the pond again to search for it and Nuwakot Devi and Manamaizu Devi, whose homes were far away, returned to their respective homes as it was already late evening but Lakshmi Devi, who lived nearby, was sitting outside the pond to protect her sister. Later, after finding her jewelry, Tundal Devi was unable to return to her home because it was late and unsafe to go home alone, so she stayed in the nearby Handigaun Dabali. According to this statement, even today, the residents of this place are continuing the pilgrimage to find jewelry as a Jatra.
This Jatra is held every year on Chaitra Shukla Ashtami of Chaitra month. On this day, the idols of Tundal Devi from Baluwatar and Mahalakshmi in Naxal are placed in chariots. When these chariots come through the road of ancient Handigaun. In the meantime, it is parked at a place which is covered with red mud in front of the house to allow the people to worship the goddess. Then, the chariot is taken to the jewel pond and Tundal Devi’s chariot is taken inside the pond to search for the jewel, while Manekhat is kept outside the pond to guard it. After making three rounds through Tundal Devi’s chariot pool, the jewel is considered to have been found and is taken out. After that, in the joy of finding the jewelry, offerings are sent to Nuwakot Bhagwati and Manamaiju temples and Manekhat circumambulates the chariot of Tundal Devi thrice and returned in Naxal, then Tundal Devi is brought to the oldest Dabali in Handigaun.
References
Dinesh Pant, Historian
Bijay Prakash, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No. 5, Ward member, Handigaun
पौराणिक महत्व र रोचक कथाहरुलाई संगालेर भक्तजनहरुको आश्था र विश्वास सँग सधै जोडिने मन्दिर हो, टुँडालदेवी । ब्रम्हा, बिष्णु र शिव तीनै महान देवताहरुले समेत ध्यान गरिने, तीनै लोक धारण गरेर बसेकी यस टुँडालदेवी, पुरै हाँडीगाउँकै देवी मानिन्छ ।
मन्दिरको स्वरुप
प्यागोडा शैलीमा निर्माण गरिएको यस तीन तल्ले कलात्मक मन्दिरमा, विशेष पिठको रुपमा शिला रहेको छ भने, शिला सँगै व्रह्मयणी र अस्टमात्रिकाको मुर्तिहरु पनि छन् । यस पिठको दाँया पट्टी कृष्ण, कामधेनु, नारायण, श्वतभैरव, गणेश, चामुण्डा, शिव , महाकाली, नन्दी र तीन वीरहरू रहेका छन् भने माथि पट्टी नाटेश्वरी, गणेश, कुमारी, व्रह्मयणी, इन्द्रेणी, चामुण्डा, महाकाली, आकाश भैरब, सिंघनी र व्याध्रिनिको मुर्तिहरु रहेका छन् । यस मन्दिरमा दैनिक पुजा भने हुदैँन तर हरेक महिनाको शुक्लपक्ष चतुर्दशीको दिन कर्माचार्य पुजारी खलकद्वारा पुजा आराधना गरिन्छ। हरेक वर्षको चैत्र शुक्ल अष्टमीदेखि वैशाख कृष्ण अष्टमी सम्म टुँडालदेवीको क्रमबद्ध रुपमा जात्रा तथा पुजा गरिन्छ ।
मन्दिरको इतिहास
यस मन्दिरको स्थापना पूर्वलिच्छवीकालमै भएको हो भन्ने प्रमाणको रुपमा, यहि मन्दिरको सिढीमा रहेको लिच्छविकलिन शिलालेखलाई लिन सकिन्छ ।
किम्बदंती
यस टुँडालदेवी, अष्टमातृका भित्रको चौँथो मातृकाको रुप हो, जसमा सात जना देवीहरुको सात थरिको रंग हुन्छ र एक देवीको वर्ण बिना रंगको हुन्छ । जसमध्ये टुँडालदेवीको रंग हरियो हुन्छ। त्यसैले यस मन्दिरको देवीलाई हरियो देवी पनि भन्ने गरिन्छ । नेपाल भाषामा यस देवीलाई “वाँऊ ख्वा” अजिमा भनिन्छ भने बिष्णुको शक्तिको रुप भएकाले, यो देवीलाई वैष्णवी देवीको रुपमा पनि चिनिन्छ ।
वैष्णवी देवीको रुपमा पनि चिनिने यहि टुँडालदेवीको नामकरणको किम्बदंति पनि रोचक रहेको छ, जुन भगवान राम संग सम्बन्धित छ। पुरानो बासिन्दाहरुको भनाइ अनुसार, द्वापर युगमा राम र लक्ष्मण सिकार खेल्ने क्रममा टुँडालदेवी क्षेत्रमा आइपुग्दा थकाइ लागेर त्यहाँकै रुख मुनि बसिरहेको समयमा एक बुढी आमाले उखु खान दिएकी थिइन्। उखु खाइसकेर रामले आमालाई खोज्दा उहाँ अलप हुनुभएको र आफ्नो ध्यान दृष्टिबाट हेर्दा उखु दिने आमा देवीको अवतार भएको थाहा पाएपछि उनले त्यस ठाउँको नाम “तुनदे” राखेका थिए । नेपाल भाषामा “तुन:” भनेको उखु खाने र “दे” भनेको देवी भएकाले यहाँको नाम तुनदे रहन गएको भन्ने जनविस्वास पाइन्छ। समय अन्तरालसंगै यो ठाउँको नाम “तोर ध्य” हुदैँ, अहिले यस मन्दिर टुँडालदेवीको नामले प्रख्यात् भएको छ । जहाँ बुढी आमाको स्वरुप, देवीले राम र लक्ष्मणलाई उखु खान दिनुभएको थियो, त्यहि ठाउँमा मन्दिरको स्थापना गरि, त्यसलाई टुँडालदेवीको रुपमा पुज्दै आएको भन्ने जानकारी पनि पाउन सकिन्छ ।
गहना खोज्ने जात्रा
यस टुँडालदेवी मन्दिरमा हुने धेरै जात्राहरुमध्ये “गहना खोज्ने जात्रा” सबैभन्दा प्रख्यात रहेको छ । प्रचलित किम्बदन्ती अनुसार , टुँडालदेवी, महालक्ष्मी, नुवाकोट भगवती र मनामैजु देवीहरू गहना पोखरीमा पौडी खेलेर बाहिर निस्किने क्रममा टुँडालदेवीको गहना हराएको हुदाँ उनि फेरी गहना खोज्न भनेर पोखरीमा पसिन् र धेरै सांझ परिसकेको हुनाले टाँढा घर हुने नुवाकोट भैरबी र मनामैजु देवी आ-आफ्नो घर फर्किए। नजीकै घर भएकी लक्ष्मी देवी चाँहि आफ्नो दिदिलाई सुरक्षा दिनको लागि पोखरी बाहिर बसेकी थिइन् । पछि,आफ्नो गहना भेटिसकेर, टुँडालदेवी आफ्नो घर फर्किन नसक्ने अवस्था भएकोले उनि नजिकै रहेको हाँडीगाउँ डबलीमा बसेकी थिइन्। यहि कथन अनुसार, आजसम्म पनि यहाँका बासिन्दाहरुले गहना खोज्ने जात्रालाई निरन्तरता दिइरहेका छन् ।
हाँडीगाउँमा गहना खोज्ने जात्रा हरेक वर्षको चैत्र महिनाको चैत्र शुक्ल अष्टमीको दिनमा गरिन्छ । यो समयमा टुँडालदेवीको मुर्ति र नक्सालमा रहेकी महालक्ष्मीको मुर्तिलाई खटमा राखिन्छ । यी खटहरुलाई प्राचीन नगर हाँडीगाउँको परिक्रमा गराईन्छ । जसमा हाँडीगाउँको बाटो हुदैँ गर्दा बिच समयमा जुन घरको अगाडी रातो माटोले लिपेको हुन्छ, त्यही ठाउँमा रथलाई बिसाइन्छ।
यसले गर्दा, त्यहाँका मानिसहरुले देवीको पुजा गर्ने अवसर पाउँछन् । त्यसपछि, रथलाई गहना पोखरीमा लिएर आई, गहना खोज्न भनेर टुँडालदेवीको रथलाई पोखरीभित्र लगिन्छ भने मानेखटलाई पोखरीको बाहिर पहरा दिनको लागि राखिन्छ। यहाँ मुख्य जात्रा भने बैशाख कृष्ण प्रतिपदामा हुने गर्दछ । टुँडालदेवीको रथ पोखरीबाट तीन चक्कर लगाईसकेपछि गहना भेट्टीसकेको मानिन्छ र बाहिर निकालिन्छ । त्यसपछि गहना भेटिएको खुसीमा, त्यहाँको प्रसाद, नुवाकोट भैरबी र मनामैजुको मन्दिरमा पठाइन्छ । मानेखटलाई टुँडालदेवीको वरिपरी तीन चोटी घुमाइ नक्सालमा पूर्याइन्छ भने टुँडालदेवीलाई हाँडीगाउँको सबैभन्दा पुरानो डबलीमा ल्याएर राखिन्छ ।
सन्धर्भहरु:
दिनेश पन्त : इतिहासविद
