"This is Naina Devi Temple," Aashutosh told them, "the place where Goddess Sati's eyes fell."
His words were followed by a solemn silence.
During their end trip to the Kumaon Hills, they also stopped to visit the famous Naina Devi Temple, a Shakti Peeth.
Their week-long vacation was about to end in two days; both the days would be covered in travelling back to Banaras.
They went inside the Temple to have Darshan.
The Temple was a very ancient and revered pilgrimage of faith.
An idol of Lord Hanuman stood at the entrance, safeguarding the Shakti Peeth, like He had promised to.
A beautiful Shivling was right infront of the preceding deity. They offered water to the Shivling before proceeding towards the main temple.
Small stairs led to the main temple. And right infront, stood a row of huge temple bells.
Temple bells are a mark of good and healing vibrations; a call to mark our presence in front of the deity.
Jhanvi and Aashutosh were walking hand in hand, like the cinematic couples. They really held great reverence for the temple which was known for bestowing blessings upon couples and sincere devotees.
It's believed that all wishes, even the most incredible ones, are granted by the grace of the Mother Goddess. She even bestowed the boon of good eyesight to Her devotees; hence the name Naina Devi. The Naini Lake, and infact, the entire district of Nainital, was named upon Her.
Kalyani walked behind the couple.
It was the early morning hours and the crowd was manageable.
She rang the temple bells overhead, and bent down to touch the sacred floor beneath.
She had covered her head, like her mother had taught her too. It was a mark of respect before visiting any shrine.
As she bent down, she saw a familiar silhouette from the corner of her eye.
What, or who, was that? Was it him?
The apparition disappeared as quickly as it had come.
She turned around and her eyes searched for the shadow everywhere. But she couldn't spot it again. It vanished like magic.
"What happened, Kalyani? Are you okay? You look worried? Jhanvi pulled her hand, asking her to follow them.
Drops of perspiration had formed on her forehead. She clearly looked perplexed.
Her palms were sweating profusely. She hesitated to hold Jhanvi's hand. But Jhanvi never minded her insecurities. She had known her long enough and accepted everything about her. She gladly slid her hand in her palm and held it tightly.
"Come, let's go inside. Otherwise the rush will increase and you'll get lost in the crowd." Aashutosh tried to lighten her mood.
She closed her eyes, her breathing became faster and her heart was pounding in her chest.
It can't be him. He said he was going to Mathura. But this is Nainital. And he had a stubble, I clearly remember. Rudra never had a beard when I met him.
Though her mind lied to him, her body was showing reactions to his presence. The beating of her heart was testimony to being in sync with him around her.
She knew the theory about the invisible red thread the Japanese believed in.
He was there somewhere, closer than she knew.
YOU ARE READING
Karma : A Tale Of Vengeance and Love
Romance"What have you done? Why did you ruin everything? Our story was a fairytale dream come true." She kept thrashing her arms on the door with full force, only for her pleas to fall on deaf ears. Her wedding bangles broke and fell, her wrists bled and h...
