125 CC - 7.2 MP - Khidkaleshwar Mahadev Mandir - Dombivli

So it was my long time thing to go out on my bike and visit all the places that I can alone or with a bit of company and I decided no matter what, I will comb through atleast a 50 Km radius around Kalyan (inspiration: The Motorcycle Diaries).

So after thinking (read: day dreaming) for a lot of weekends and sleeping through sundays due to late night saturday parties, I finally decided one Sunday that this was the day.

So I took out my 125 CC Honda, forgot my 7.2 MP cyber shot and rode on to the place where I had been meaning to go for more than a year since I heard about it. The Khidkaleshwar Mahadev Mandir on the Manpada road. The temple was supposedly built by the Pandavas when Yudishthir wanted to worship the lord Mahadev. The association of the pandavas gave the temple a mystic aura in my head, along with beautiful architecture and scenic location. The presence of a pond around the lake added to the majesty of the temple.

So in anticipation, there I was cruising on my sturdy (!) Shine, riding at a screaming pace of 60 kmph and reached the temple in 30 mins. The scorching April sun was as radiant as it is always in India and I had to pay tribute of my burnt skin to the Sun god. I had come prepared for the face though and a bandana on your head and a face mask is always adviseable when you are riding in any kind of weather if your helmet does not have a visor. Plus the glares to make your vision clear and to prevent any bugs from the attractive sticky surface of your eyes.

So, there I was in my complete biker's attire, at the big arch proclaiming the entrance of the Khidkaleshwar Mahadev Mandir, Khidkali. There was parking space for buses and cars, meaning frequent visitors, good. Then there was a two way line of vendor stalls with all the pooja stuff, meaning daily business, good. To avoid the agressive marketing, I chose another path to enter the premises and got lost in a maze of smaller temples of other dieties and couple of saints who had taken samadhi there. Finally, I was able to make my way to the mahadev mandir and paid my respects to the lord.

So, ok, it was not grand a temple and did not have too much space, or a big hall for the devotees. And, it did not have major resemblance to the association with Pandavas baring a few stone pillars with ancient carvings on them.

So, ok I thought, no one knew when the Pandavas built the temple and it obviously needed renovation and the temple was made of concrete and marble flooring. The lake was in a sorry state and the bridge connecting one side to the other needed construction from scratch. I was a little disappointed at not being able to witness anything mythical and wandered around the temple to catch something.

So, I came back and sat in the in the small hall of the temple and my closed and for a moment the serenity and the calmness of the environment got to me. The immense peace, the quiet rippling of the pond had their effect and I knew why people flocked to the temple.

So, if you are going to this place for the mystic association and the architectural grandness, you will be disappointed, but if you are going to the temple for the reason why people go to shrines, you will not be disappointed. There is a big fair during Mahashivratri here and the temple obviously has great importance among locals and people from faraway.

So, I felt like an idiot expecting something and getting much more in return.

So, dont go any where expecting anything unless you are going to a resort, keep your mind open and the let the world sink in..