Spirituality

Bombproof Temple of Tanot Mata.

Tanot. A small village in the inhospitable desert of Rajasthan, located on the Indo-Pak border. November 1965. The India Pakistan war was at its peak. On 17th November, to capture the outpost of Tanot, Pakistanis started dropping bombs on the small village of Tanot.

Pakistani artillery shot more than 3000 bombs targetting the temple, which was situated right in the middle of the village. Shells hit the target, but not a single one of them exploded. Today, in the blog series of mysterious temples in India, we will visit the bombproof temple of Tanot Mata, also known as the Rumal Wali Maa.      

Story of Tanot Maa

Centuries ago, a married man named Mamadia Charan did not have a son or daughter to carry his family name forward. The pilgrimage of Hinglaj Mata is considered one of the hardest pilgrimages known to humanity. Mamadia completed that pilgrimage not once, twice, but seven times.

Pleased with his devotion, Divine Mother Hinglaj Mata appeared in his dream and asked him to choose between a son or a daughter. Being a great devotee of the Divine Mother, he requested the Maa to take birth in his house as a daughter. With the grace of Hinglaj Maa, Mamaia Charan was blessed with seven daughters and one son. Growing up, all the seven sisters defended the western border of India from the attack of Huns. The leader of those daughters was named Avad, later known as Tanot Mata.  

Tanot Mata Temple

Temple is built in Rajasthani architecture, painted in white. Rajput Maharaja Tanu Rao constructed the temple in 828 AD and established the consecrated idol of Karni Mata. Since then, the temple has attracted a heavy stream of devotees, even centuries later.  

Temple has a vast courtyard surrounding the main sanctum sanctorum. The enclosure has two interesting buildings. One of them is a museum, giving shelter to the unexploded bombs dropped on the temple by the Pakistani army in 1965, along with some weapons. Another building is a small room with thousands of handkerchiefs tied on the pipes, window grill, and beams.  

The legend of 65 and 71

The small town of Tanot was right on the Indo-Pak border. During the war of 1965, Pakistani bombers have disconnected the Indian supply chains, which supported 200 soldiers protecting the war post of Tanot. During the night of 16th November 1965, the Divine Mother of Tanot came into the dreams of many Indian soldiers. She assured them that she would protect them from the adverse battle conditions.  

On 17th November, shelling started, and the sky above the Tanot was lit with artillery. Surprisingly, the Pakistani battery, well known for its accuracy, could not meet the target. Bombs that found their way on the target of temples fell on the temple, but not a single one of them exploded. A handful of brave Indian soldiers managed to repel the powerful Pakistani attack.

In 1971, another war broke down between these two nations. Realising it’s getting challenging to stop Indian forces in East Pakistan (latterly known as Bangladesh), the Pakistani army opened another war front in Rajasthan. Not to repeat the disaster of 65, Pakistani attacked another post named Longewala, another post near the village of Tanot. The 120 Indian soldiers guarded the camp under the command of Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri.

Those 120 Bravehearts never lose their faith over the Tanot Maa despite the unimaginable odds. Receiving the blessings and courage from the Tanot Maa, they stood firm on their ground when Pakistani forces collided on their post like an unstoppable tsunami. When the battle was over, India saw two casualties. Pakistanis had lost 200 soldiers, 36 tanks, and 500 war vehicles loaded with heavy machine guns. Even today, the soldiers who fought in that war praise the invisible force of Tanot Maa behind them. After the ceasefire, the Border Security Force took charge of the temple. Since then, BSF has been serving the Tanot Maa with devotion, taking care of Puja and other festivities.

 Worship of Tanot Mata

About three feet consecrated, the idol of Tanot Maa sits on a silver throne. She has a sword on her left hand, and lord Ganesha sits on her right side. After the Aarti (worship ritual), devotees bow down in front of Maa, repeating their resolution in their minds. Often, the temple priest ties a sacred and consecrated thread around the wrist of the devotees as a form of protection.

There is another room, just beside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple filled with thousands of handkerchiefs tied in it. Devotees, who have a resolution, goal, or a Mannat to fulfil come here and tie a handkerchief to the rods above their heads. They genuinely believe that the Divine Mother Tanot Maa yields them the strength, courage, and clarity to achieve those goals.

When Tanot Maa fulfils their Sankalpa, they come here again and present their offerings to their beloved Maa to complete their resolution. Entering the handkerchief room, they search for their handkerchief and open the knot. Growing faith in the Maa calls the devotees, and they travel on foot from far and wide to reach the temple of the Mother. The number of devotees going on foot is increasing continuously. Due to this reason, the Divine Tanot Maa is also Known as Rumal (Handkerchief) Waali Maa.

Also known as Tanot Rai Maheshwari, the Border Security Force personnel take care of the everyday worship and management of the temple. On the occasion of Navratri, the tide of faith rises in the Tanot temple. During this auspicious time, a large number of devotees reach here to have audiences and pray for the fulfilment of their wishes. Aarti is performed every day at 12 noon and 7 in the evening.

As the world is recovering from the COVID pandemic, it’s trying to avoid world war three as soldiers are fighting on the Northeastern borders of Europe. We all have seen the visuals of bombs being dropped on the cities, wiping off the entire towns from the maps. In such conditions, we all could use a little help in the form of unshakable faith and courage from the Divine Mother Tanot Maa, the protector of soldiers. May she protect the righteous and innocents. Tanot Rai Mateshwari Ki Jay!!!

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