Besides James Fraser, many foreign travellers have mentioned about the Bhyram temple in their writings. Even the famous British photographer Samuel Bourne took a photograph near the confluence and made a striking note about the temple in his 1870 published article
Raju Gusain | May 28, 2023 11:06:28 IST
Sketch of Bhairam Ghati, 1815.
Famous Scottish explorer, painter and writer James Baillie Fraser was stunned when he visited the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi in the Indian Himalayas in1815. The beauty of the place and perpendicularity of rock slides took Frazer under its spell. The Bhyram (also mentioned Bhairam) temple, above the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi rivers in district Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand), where the writer and explorer had performed prayer has disappeared. A visit to the site, where the Hindu shrine had existed, hints that the shrine was possibly hit by some natural calamity and is under heavy boulders. The Bhyram temple has faded away from the memory of the local people and many claim the foreign writers and travellers have wrongly pronounced the Bhairo temple as Bhyram temple.
Besides James Fraser, many foreign travellers have mentioned about the Bhyram temple in their writings. Dr. A Hoffmeister, who accompanied Price Waldemar of Prussia in his 1845 tour to the Indian Himalayas, describes Bhyram as god of the rivers. Even famous British photographer Samuel Bourne took a photograph near the Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi confluence and made a striking note about the temple in his 1870 published article.
1870 archival photograph of Bhairam Ghati from the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi (Photo by: Samuel Bourne)
Where was the Bhyram Temple?
Details published in different books published in the 1800s prove that the temple was located near the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi river. Pilgrims used to halt at Bhyram temple, take holy dip in the confluence, offer prayer and eat food in the temple complex before proceeding for Gangotri.
The Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi confluence is 1.5 km away from the current Lanka bridge, located on Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway, in district Uttarkashi. A Sangha (wood bridge), erected about sixty feet above the Jadh Ganga river, with steps hewn in it was used for crossing the river in old times. A steep climb among boulders used to take the pilgrims to the Bhyram temple. Creating location through details provided in different books. The temple was located under an overhanging rock and a thick grove of fir trees existed there.
James Baillie Fraser writes in his 1820 published book Journal of a tour through part of the Snowy range of the Himala Mountains, and to the sources of the rivers Jumna and Ganges, “A small shrine or temple is erected at this place, dedicated to Bhyram Jee, and called Bhyram Ghati, and here we found a Brahmin ringing a bell; we paused to recover our breath, and to survey the prospect, which was inexpressibly grand.”
Providing more details about the location, Fraser adds, “Just at the end of the bridge there is an overhanging rock, under which worship is performed to Bhyram, and a black stone partly painted red is the image of the god; and here prayers and worship alone were not performed, but everyone was obliged to bathe and eat bread baked by the Brahmins, as preparatory to the great and effectual ablutions at the holier Gungotree.” James Baillie Fraser visited the Indian Himalayas in 1815 as part of an expedition to find the sources of Ganga and Jamuna.
Is Bhyram temple and Bhairo temple same?
The Modern Traveller, A popular description (Volume III) published in 1828 mentions both ‘Bhaior-ghati’ and ‘Bhyram Ghautee’ names to describe the valley. It even describes Bhyram/Bhairo Lal as an esteemed janitor of Gangotri.
Even if it is assumed that Bhayram and Bhaironghati are the same, confusion prevails about the shrine situated at the confluence. As no record of the Bhyram (Bhairo) temple getting shifted from the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi to the current location, which is about 1.5 kms uphill from the river bank, is available. Bhairo devta is worshipped as janitor of Gangotri. Even the Bhyram devta has been described as Janitor of Gangotri by many foreign explorers and writers. The area is also known as Bhairo Ghati and not Bhyram Ghautee in the present time.
Suresh Semwal, general secretary of Gangotri temple committee, says, “The western writers must have misspelled Bhairo temple as Bhyram temple. The shrine has existed at the present location since ancient times. It was never shifted from anyplace to the current location.”
Bhairo Devta temple at Bhairoghat
The current Bhairo temple is a modern double story construction. The existing temple is far away, about 1.5 km, from the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi rivers. The Jadh Ganga flows through the rock cliff and there is no chance of it changing its confluence. Local historian Uma Raman Semwal states, “Never heard about Bhyram temple. The new Bhairo temple was constructed in 2000, before that a small cemented temple existed there. We have heard from elderly people that earlier a wood temple existed at Bhairo Ghati.”
Role played by bridges
An old iron pedestrian bridge near confluence
In the 1800s the wood bridge (Sangha) was located near the Jadh Ganga and Bhagirith river confluence. Later a suspension bridge was shifted 1.5 kms up and created near the existing Lanka bridge. The suspension bridge created by O’ Callaghan of the Bhagirathi Forest in 1874 was considered a fine example of amateur engineering. The mentioned bridge was about 400 metres above the river and 330 metres in length and the tourists were scared of it and they used to cross it with much difficulty and great fear. The suspension bridge was discontinued after some years and again an iron pedestrian bridge was created downhill near the Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi confluence. In 1985 the Lanka motorable bridge was thrown open to the public. The shifting of the bridge also played some role in Bhyram temple losing its popularity and importance.
Exploring the Bhyram temple site
Creating location through details provided in different books. To reach the Bhyram temple one had to cross a temporary wood bridge, which was about 60 feet high from the Jadh Ganga river and near its confluence with Bhagirathi. Large beams of wood were driven into the fissures, on which other beams and large stones were placed; thus forming a hanging flight of steps to reach the shrine. The temple was located under an overhanging rock and a thick grove of fir trees existed.
To reach the Bhyram temple site, mentioned by different travellers, one has to presently take a 1.5 km trek from Lanka bridge. The old pilgrimage route to the Jadh Ganga and Bhaginathi river confluence is still intact and presently Gangotri National Park uses it for patrolling. The pedestrian iron bridge on Jadh Ganga river is in a dilapidated condition and in a bad shape.
After crossing the iron bridge one reaches the spot where the Bhyram temple existed (possibly). One can locate an overhanging rock and can spot the small grove of fir trees. But below the rock and its surrounding areas lay heavy boulders. Which indicates that the temple was possibly hit by some landslide and scientific exploration could help in tracing damaged or surviving parts of the shrine? No documents are available in Uttarkashi and with the Gangotri temple committee about the Bhyram temple and its references are only found in books written by foreign travelers.
The temple was built by Gorkha military general Ummur Singh Thappa (Amar Singh Thapa). The Gorkha General also provided financial support for building the road and also for the construction of Gangotri temple.
Famous British photographer Samuel Bourne took a photo of the majestically flowing Jadh Ganga from its confluence in 1866 and wrote, “This was at a place called Bhairamghati, though there was no village or sign of a house-in fact, there is no room for any. The river here poured through a valley so narrow that it might almost be called a gorge, the sides formed by step mountains, which towards to an enormous height, so high that their summits could not be seen from below.”
The Jadh Ganga-Bhagirathi confluence still bears the old primitive look. Leaving the iron bridge over Jadh Ganga no man made structure exists there. The million dollar question! Where has the temple visited by James Baillie Fraser disappeared?
