Jakh Temple of Kutch

Come to the Kutch region of Gujarat, India and you are sure to see lots of temples devoted to various gods and goddesses. However, there is one temple in the region which is devoted to horse riders called Jakhs or Yaksha. Situated near the Nakhtrana town, this temple has an interesting story.

Story of Jakhs

According to the folklore a shipwreck near the Jakhau port brought 72 persons possibly of Iranian origin to Kutch. These people were good samaritans. Travelling with a lantern they went around treating people with medicines they carried in boxes. They rode horses to go around the region. This is said to have happened nearly 600 years ago.

According to some historians these people got the name of Jakh because they came to the Jakhau port of Kutch. Others say that their name is derived from the word "Yaksh" which means divine persons.

Horsemen Saviors

Whatever may be true about them, the Jakhs seem to have done good to the local people. These horsemen had come at a very opportune time for the people of Kutch. For a very cruel ruler called Pun-ara reigned over the region persecuting the populace. His wrath seems to have been directed specially towards people around the Nakhtrana region in the eastern Kutch.

When people heard of these white-robed Jakhs, they went to them for treatment of their ailments and also for possible relief from the atrocities of the ruler.

As characters in such legends are said to have magical powers, this ruler Pun-ara was no exception. He had got a boon from the gods that he would be invincible as long as he wore an amulet on his arm. And he took care to have the amulet on his person all the time.

However this ruler's wife also had become the devotee of the Jakh horsemen. So she told them that her husband took out the amulet only when he was taking a bath. So the Jakhs climbed a hillock near his palace and fired a missile which hit the bathroom, killing the cruel ruler.

Devotion of the Grateful

Naturally people were happy to be rid of a tyrant and started to worship the horsemen. They raised a temple on the hillock which has figures of 72 white-clad horsemen. People people not only revered them but also started asking for wish-fulfillment from them. It is said that childless people often go to this temple to beget children.

While this temple draws people all round the year, it is at the time of its annual fair that thousands of devotees as well as sightseers and tourists gather in the plain of hill of the temple. The temple is situated in picturesque surroundings so it is a popular spot for sight-seers as well as foreign tourists who regularly visit Kutch.

Is the legend based on truth? Who were the horsemen? Where did they come from? Did they really have magical and medicinal powers? Nobody knows. But the belief in Jakhs continues to draw people this novel temple which is a must-see spot for anybody coming to Kutch.

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