Siddha Baba Mandir is a Hindu temple of Shiva located near the town of Butwal, Dobhan-5, Palpa District, Nepal. The temple of Siddha Baba is situated at a distance of about 2 km from Butwal sub-metro town in Dobhan-5, Palpa district of Nepal. The temple is located on the left bank of the Tinau River on its way to Pokhara via the Siddhartha Highway. Near the Siddhababa temple, a small river known as Chidiya Khola flows. Pilgrims consider the water of this river to be holy.
The temple is visited by people from all over Nepal and mostly by Hindus from Palpa and Rupandehi and neighboring districts. It is believed that the wishes of the devotees who visit the temple are fulfilled. It is a tradition to release a dove when a person’s wish is fulfilled. This tradition has contributed to the population of many pigeons around the temple. Hindu people worship at Siddha Baba’s temple on Saturdays, Mondays and during various religious festivals, which are directly and indirectly associated with Lord Shiva. During the festivals of Shivaratri, many Hindus visit the temple for worship. Besides these, in the New Year, on Shri Panchami and on other special dates, crowds of people gather here.
There are 10 priests in the temple, only 2 priests have to be paid. There are 4 employees, who take care of the temple, clean and keep the accounts. About 100,000 visitors come to Siddhababa Temple every year and 25 percent of them come from India.
History
According to legend, the temple is believed to be the place of penance of King Bhartrihari, the elder brother of King Vikramaditya, who initiated the Bikram Sambat. Presently, the temple was registered in 1998 in the office of the District Administration, Palpa.
Origin of Siddha Baba Temple
So far, no facts have been found as to who built the Siddhababa temple. It is rumored that the temple was built before 2006 BS. The Siddhartha Highway was built a little further from where Siddhababa is now, some jogis were heard doing penance, meditation, and worship at the corner of the landslide prone hill. There is evidence that the temple of Siddhababa was established by the local people in the place where Siddhababa was built in 2018 BS.
Myths
Siddhababa is the temple of Shivaji. This Siddha Baba temple is associated with King Bhartrihari of Ujjain, India. There is a legend that Bhatrahari came to do penance, when he came to do penance, he achieved perfection. After attaining perfection, his name became Siddhababa.
Premises around Siddha Baba Temple
Apart from idols of Lord Shiva, this temple also houses other deities like Ganesha, Nag, Mansa Devi and Vishwakarma. An Akhand Dhuni (continuous holy fire) is situated inside the temple. The temple complex has a Dharamsala (rest house) and a place for shraddha, parking lots and other public facilities.
Since there is a temple of Shivaji here, they worship Lord Shiva. Similarly, there are 10 other temples like Ganesh Temple and Kalika Temple. People come here and take vows. It is called Siddhababa because it achieves the desired aspirations. Here people offer pigeons and coconuts. Carnivorous slaughter does not happen here. is not customary to sacrifice animals. Here, if people’s vows and desires are fulfilled, they fly pigeons and offer coconuts. Earlier, it was customary to offer bread like in the Bhairabsthan temple in Palpa, but now that custom is declining. Pigeons are the main offerings here. When the people have fulfilled their vows, the priest worships and offers a pair of pigeons.
Getting There
Siddha Baba Temple is 2 km away from Butwal. It operates religious and tourist buses from Butwal. It carries the devotees from 6 am to 12 noon. This is a free bus. Inside the bus, you can find the donation box. People get on the bus because of the dust and smoke.
The landslide around the surrounding area causes mental stress to people. People believe that if it rains, one should not go to Siddhababa because of landslides. However, no landslides have occurred in Siddhababa till date. But since Siddhababa is a popular temple, whenever landslides occur at nearby places, people elaborate it as landslides in Siddhababa Temple. Even if the landslide happened at a distance of one kilometre from Siddhababa, it is said that there was a landslide in Siddhababa which causes psychological panic. The management committee is trying hard to stop these fake rumors so that visitors will not be afraid to flock to this temple.
-By: Kusum Kharel for Land Nepal
