Kolayat
During the tour of
Rajasthan our travel manager suggested that while travelling from Bikaner to
Jaisalmer we must visit Kolayat. It is a small town roughly 51 km from Bikaner
district on National Highway 11 (NH11) to Jaisalmer.
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| Google Map Screenshot Of Kolayat |
Kolayat is a pilgrimage centre of
historical importance for Hindus. It is believed that Kapil Muni (Vedic Sage), the
advocate of Shankya yoga, was fascinated by the peacefulness of Kolayat. He did
tapasya (penance) here for the improvement of the world and shed his body under
Peepal Tree (Sacred Fig Tree). Town was originally known as Kpilayatan a Sanskrit
name meaning “the place (ayatan) of Kapil”, named after Kapil Muni. These names
also appear in the holy scriptures of Puranas. Kolayat has a series of marble
temples, sandstone pavilions and 52 Ghats (bathing places) built around a
large holy lake (Kapil Sarovar) which as per local beliefs never goes dry. Kapil
Muni Temple is most famous among the many temples in Kolayat. It draws lots of local
as well as devotees from distant places. On the day of the full moon in the
month of Kartik (Oct-Nov), thousands of devotees of the Sankhya philosophy
gather to take a dip in the holy waters of Lake Kapil Sarovar. The lake is
believed to have the power to wash away the sins of devotees. It is believed
that a day’s stay at Kolayat is equivalent of spending 10 years at any other
holy sacred place. Annual Kolayat Fair is also held in the town in the month of
Kartik (Oct-Nov). During the Kolayat Fair all the 52 ghats of Kolayat Lake are
beautifully decorated. Deep Malika is performed in the evening where devotees
float clay lamps in the sacred lake as part of the ritual. A cattle fair,
especially for the trading of camels is a part of the festivities.
Kolayat As I Saw
We left the NH11 and moved towards
Kolayat through district road. Outskirts of Kolayat is mostly dry and
surrounded by stone mines. On both sides of road we could see the mines which
were mostly deserted and some still functional, stone fines were being loaded
on the trucks. The road was mostly empty with few vehicles moving on it. As we
entered the town, we started to see the movement of peoples. After some
guidance from local people we reached the IT centre of Kolayat where all the administrative
activity of town is done. We moved ahead towards Kapil Sarovar, a lake
full of lotus. It is surrounded by sandstone pavilions mostly from all sides
barring few locations. Also there are lots of Banyan & Peepal trees around
lake. Town is very calm around the lake and one can sit there on the bench for
hours without being disturbed. While wondering around the lake we spotted
Kingfisher bird sitting on the Banyan tree and fortunately I was able to take a
picture of it. There are number of temples around the lake. We went to Panch
Mandir. It is adjacent to lake like many others on different sides. Structure
of the temple is beautiful mostly made up of red sandstone. There are five small
temples inside it, one of them being of Lord Ganesh. Just in front of Panch Mandir
is Shiva
temple facing towards it and having similar architecture. Among many
temples in Kolayat, Kapil Muni temple is most famous one where lot of devotees come
daily for darshan. Devotees were taking holy dip in the lake and performing
yagnas on the ghats of the lake. They were offering Prasad to all the peoples.
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