By SMITU SINGH
DEHRADUN, 28 Feb: Located in the village of Ambadi of Block Vikasnagar in Dehradun is a quaint Mahadev temple that has a mind boggling history. The story begins when, in Shak Samwat 1854 (Indian calender), Har Prasad Singh, tea estate manager of Ambadi, had an epiphany in his dream. He dreamt of a natural Shivlingamam (called Swayambhu, which is not man made) being buried deep on the banks of Yamuna River in the village. Not only did he dream of the presence of such a divine object in his vicinity, but also learnt where the Shivlingamam should be placed. 
This dream turned into a miraculous reality, when the next morning Har Prasad Singh, with the help of his fellow villagers, found a 10 ft long Shivlingam along with Nandi. He also found the two Peepal trees near his house, between which the Shivlingam was supposed to be placed as per the divine advice given to him in his dream. Prasad carried out his duty of placing the Shivlingam in its rightful location. Priests performed the ceremony of sanctification and the temple was offered to the villagers for worship, recalls Hemant Kumar, Singh’s grandson. Since then, this distinctive temple holds a special place in the hearts of local people and is now being recognised widely. Hemant Kumar shares an instance when some people tried to displace the Shivlingam from its original location between the peepal trees but failed miserably. Instances like these strengthen the faith of the people of Ambadi in the Shiva temple. Har Prasad Singh had nominated Pandit Puran Chand Upadhyay as the priest and assigned him the responsibility to look after all the affairs of the temple and commemorate the rituals dedicated to Lord Shiva. Later, Rahul Upadhyay, the priest’s grandson looked after the temple. In 2016, Rahul proposed to extend and renovate the temple without disturbing the Shivlingam from its original place. In consultation with Hemant Kumar and other brothers as well as other villagers, the temple was renovated and expanded by installing the Idols of other Deities, too, in the temple. Last year, unfortunately, the temple lost its devoted Pandit Rahul Upadhyay. Since then, it is is being looked after by the villagers. Every year, on the day after Maha Shivratri, a bhandara (community feast) is organised in the temple to celebrate the grand festival. Devotees from various places join in huge numbers and enjoy the bhandara after worshiping Lord Shiva. Maha Shivratri is a festival celebrated in the month of Phalguna as per the North Indian Hindu Calendar. Divinity is longed for by many, but not all are blessed to witness it. The people of Ambadi have a story of multiple lifetimes to tell. And this blessing that they share is one of a kind.
Smitu Singh is Great granddaughter of Late Har Prasad Singh.
