Hidimb, Hidimba

Hidimb by Mekhala Singhal (10 years)

Hidimba by Revati Bose (12 years)

the hills and the epics -2

this is a lovely story by shaiontoni.

She says: "I have been reading "Lepcha, my vanishing tribe", by A.R. Foning, and am posting some information collected from this wonderful book:

Kanchenjungha is a great Lord, created by It-bu-moo or It-moo, the Great Mother. Known by the Rong-folk (Lepcha) as Kongchen, he is regarded as kind and compassionate, the guardian deity of the Rong-folk who worship him. Surrounding Kongchen are other great lords, who each have duties to fulfil. One of the mountains, Pun Yang Chyu leads to the opening to the realm of the Gods. It is said that this mountain holds within it a rich treasure of seeds which no mortal can ever find. When our world is destroyed by too many evil deeds thoughts and actions, Pun Yang Chu will release these seeds to regenerate the world. "Therefore it is said that Pun Yang Chyu, like a true watchman,keeps his 'Anyur zang zang'... 'his ears pricked up like an animal',trying to detect the slightest suspicious sound."

the hills and the epics-1

Just back from a great vacation. We went to Himachal, high up into the hills where summer was a stranger and the stars came out to party every night. I have always loved the mountains as they seem to imbue a sense of timeless peace in all of us. It transforms us into the humans we were all born to be—not rats in the race to rush someplace.

We went to several places and last on our route was Shojha, which is like a window into paradise. It is surrounded by snow capped mountains and it overlooks a green valley where the trees merge into each other without a beginning or an end.

It is barely a kilometer away from Jalori Pass in the Kulu district in Himachal Pradesh. Close to Shojha is a village called Hidimb. Rishi, the trekking guide who was a constant at the various Banjara Camps sites that we stayed in, says that this is the famous Hidimb from Mahabharata.

Famous? But I quickly stop myself from questioning him as it is all about perspectives and point of view – both an integral part of any literature. The Mahabharata has been traditionally read by most of us urban readers, from the Pandava point of view where characters like Hidimb and Hidimba are mere flashes in the larger scheme of things. Here however is where they lived and their story is as important as that of the other players.

Hidimb and Hidimba, as the epic goes, were rakhshasha siblings. They protected the forests that the Pandavas (Yudisthir, Arjun, Bhim, Nakul and Sahadev) chose to hide in during their exile. Hidimba fell in love with Bhim and he with her. They married and Ghatotkacha, their son was a strange mix between rakshasha and human. He doted upon his father and his uncles and played a crucial part in the final battle for supremacy in the Mahabharata.

But this alliance between Hidimba and Bhim was opposed by Hidimb. He believed that the Pandavas were not to be trusted. They would destroy their homes and their lives if they were allowed to. His anger was so great that he fought alongside the Kauravas (Duryodhana and his 99 brothers; cousins of the Pandavas) in the final war. The village named after him has an annual festival where Hidimb is the central deity.

Some distance away in the Manori district is a temple dedicated to Hidimba. She stayed back in the forests after the Pandavas left where she brought up Ghatotkacha.

Who were Hidimb and Hidimba?

Rishi who is from Manali says that they are forest deities. In the Mahabharata, they are portrayed as Rakhshashas or demons but they are not evil. They are wary of human folk like the Pandavas and they are definitely different in terms of appearance, habitat and behaviour.

Were they a forest tribe that opposed the growing influence of the Hindu tribes? Were they the original inhabitants and the Pandavas the outside invaders? These are just questions – I don’t have any of the answers. Do you?

Picture by Mekhala Singhal