Ever heard of a temple dedicated to Duryodhana, widely regarded as the villain of the epic Mahabharata? Or one built in honour of Karna, the abandoned son of Kunti, who eventually allied with the Kauravas and fought against his brothers, the Pandavas? In a remote corner of Uttarakhand lie both these temples housing their unique deities and the intriguing stories behind them.?
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While the people of Netwar village in the Tons valley of Uttarkashi take pride in the Karna temple located in their village, the residents of Jakholi (located some distance away) which is known for its association with Duryodhana are keen to play down any ties with the eldest Kaurava. So much so that some years back, the temple dedicated to Duryodhana was converted into a Shiva temple. The village has however retained a gold-plated axe that legend says, belonged to the Kaurava prince.
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However, another villager, who did not wish to be named, when probed, acknowledged that the village did have a Duryodhana temple but "almost nine years ago, the villagers in a marathon meeting had decided to distance themselves from Duryodhana as they believed association with this Mahabharata character was only giving a bad name to the villagers." He added that even now, when any of the villagers get possessed by the 'devta' or local deity, they perform a ritual dance holding the golden axe believed to belong to Duryodhana.
Meanwhile, almost 50 km away in Netwar, at the temple of Karna, a completely different picture unfolds. The villagers here are proud of their association with the mythological hero who was renowned for being a 'daan veer', who never said no to anyone who came to him seeking alms or help. Following his cue, the villagers, too, have embraced philanthropy as a core practice in their village and donations are given by each family for religious and charitable work as part of their commitment to propagate the ideals of Karna. They have also banned the give and take of dowry.
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Manmohan Prasad Nautiyal, the village pradhan, "Karna is our ideal and our deity. We try to follow his charitable and philanthropic ideals fully. The dowry system has been officially abolished by the village committee. Long ago, somebody tried to defy this ban in our village and his family had to face a lot of problems. Since then, nobody dared to do so and incur the wrath of the deity. The villagers also collectively bear the expenditure of the marriage of any village girl."
He added that the sacrifice of animals was also banned in the village. "In order to practise harmony with nature and prevent unnecessary killing of animals, we abolished the practice of animal sacrifice a long time ago," said Nautiyal.