A shrine in the memory of Sirsa’s own baba

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am intrigued by Sirsa because of the presence of some diverse religious and spiritual centers.

One place that has me hooked is the Tara Baba Ki Kutiya, which is also popularly known as Tarakeshwar Dham.

I have already written about it in the earlier post, but a little research and some calls to friends in Haryana, got me some more information about it.

 A friend told me about the local legends associated with the kutiya.  Some people consider it an ‘Icchha Poorti Sthal’ which means a spiritual place, where every wish is granted.

It is a huge place, visited daily by a large number of people. A friend even said that during the weekends the place is packed with large crowds. I also got to know that the Kutiya holds a ‘bhandara’ i.e. free distribution of food on a regular basis.

I wondered who bears the cost of the entire operation. A little research informed me about the charity that runs the entire operation. The kutiya is managed and run by a non-profit organization, Tara Baba Charitable Trust, established in the memory of Sant Tara Baba Ji.

The charitable trust is managed by the Kanda family, one of the most influential and richest families in the area. The Kanda family has been the followers of Tara Baba Ji for three generations now. One of the many charities associated with the kutiya is in the name of Murli Dhar Kanda, the late patriarch of the family.

The family maintains the kutiya and is always working on making sure that the devotees coming to the kutiya face no hassles.

One of my friends has promised me some photographs of the kutiya, I will post them as soon as possible.

Till then, stay smiling.