In Maghar, ‘hell’ is the gateway to heaven

MAGHAR: It was believed to be the gateway to hell. But, residents of Maghar, the place Kabir is believed to have chosen to die, say his sayings have taught them to find heaven in even “hell-like conditions.”
As this sleepy little nagar palika — about 300 km from Lucknow — goes to polls on
Sunday, voters say they are not complaining despite despicable civic amenities.
“We are not Kabir, who would work wonders. Despite all the problems we face, we are proud of our town,” say voters.
The 15th century poet-saint, who’s samadhi made by Hindus and mazaar by Muslims lie next to each other in Maghar in UP’s Sant Kabir Nagar district, is believed to have chosen Maghar to die to send a message that one should blindly follow the practice of flocking to Varanasi to achieve moksha. Folklore goes that “whoever dies in Maghar, goes to hell.”
“Kabir ne Maghar ko shuddh kar diya (Kabir has purified Maghar). In fact, he turned it into Devlok (the abode of god),” says Arun Tripathi, who is a priest at the samadhi.
Right outside the temple premises, there are small water puddles and paper and plastic waste rots. However, no saint at the temple complains.
“Sanitary workers visit every day. We have nothing against them. People themselves should take care. If needed, we ourselves take to cleaning drives,” says Raghav Das, a feisty 85-year-old ‘Kabirpanthi’ saint at Kabir Chuara Math.
Both communities claimed Kabir on his death
Adjacent to it is the mazaar that Muslims set up when Kabir died. The legend goes that both communities claimed the saint at his death but all they found when looking for his body were flowers which they divided among themselves.
Thereafter, the Samadhi and mazaar came up at the spot.
“Yes, development is slow, civic amenities leave much to desire for but we are not complaining, after all, not everyone is Kabir,” says the caretaker of the mazaar who doesn't wish to be named.
“Kabir wished for rains and it started pouring. Government, municipality and panchayat are run by mere humans. Of course it will take time," he adds when asked about what issues bother locals.
In an atmosphere of complaints as civic body elections take place across UP, Maghar brings fresh air of contentment. Far from the long-held belief that whoever dies here will go to hell is the feeling of pride for their Maghar.
“Before Kabir came, old people would want to shift from here so that they didn’t have to die here. But now, Maghar is the envy of neighbouring areas,” says Keshav Das, a saint. The story behind Maghar’s curse is that the town was infested with dacoits. They used to loot commuters as well as residents. In fact, Maghar was historically called ‘Margharan’, which means abduction on the way. As a result, no one wanted to come to the town. Once, a saint who was troubled by dacoits cursed the town saying, it will be a barren land which will yield nothing to loot.
After reeling for years under the curse, the few town folk that lived here came to know of Kabir. Convinced that only he could rid the land of the curse, they approached him. Kabir came and meditated and in some time, it rained. That day onwards, Maghar was no more a barren land. Further, Kabir even decided to die in Maghar so that this belief about going to hell was broken. And, he did succeed.
The hustle-bustle of the town two days before polling is evident. Men, women, children equally take part in campaigning. Tea and snack stalls, fruit sellers and small vendor all are colored with posters and banners of candidates.
However, most residents are happy with work that the nagar panchayat has done.
“The roads were never this wide. All streetlights are functional. Sanitary workers work regularly and every house and shop has been given a dustbin,” says Anil Verma, a property dealer.
“The plastic dustbins we got are so good that people have taken them home to store foodgrain,” says Satish Verma, a resident, while sipping tea at a stall next to an open drain. A loud cavalcade of a candidate passes by. Children are carrying cut-outs and stuffed models of airplanes—the election symbol.
The Hindu-Muslim integration in the rally as well the town is awe-inspiring.
“This place is truly blessed. There is no discrimination of any kind on the basis of religion. We all live in harmony. The houses of people from both communities share walls,” says Ravi Gupta, student.
“On paper, Maghar is extra-sensitive because of its population composition. But, there is no dispute of any kind. Eid and Diwali are equally celebrated by all. This is Kabir’s blessing,” says Shafiq Ahmed, a businessman.
Om Prakash Gupta, a student who actively follows the PM and other national leaders on Twitter, says people of Maghar are educated and broad-minded.
“Because of Kabir, common superstitions and sorcery were long pushed out here. Unlike neighbouring areas, people here are tolerant and less volatile,” he says.