Katyayani was used to her cribbing and didn't pay much attention to it. She gave a vigorous shake to her dripping hair and stepped away.
She said, "Let the hair be open. It'll dry on its own. I am going to the temple now."
"But you will catch a cold with your wet hair," Dvi chastised her.
"I don't want to be late," came the firm reply. With that, Katyayani pulled off a soft cashmere shawl, which matched the color of her skirt, from the wooden rack and stepped out of the room.
Ten minutes later
Removing her embroidered, woollen shoes at the bottom of the stairs leading to the temple, Katyayani paused and lifted her gaze towards the ancient, moss-covered stone structure.
There weren't many pilgrims who visited this somber place worshipping the Sun. Even the few travellers, who would come here out of curiosity, had stayed away during the past few days due to the sudden drop in the temperature.
The royal family of Mandhaar belonged to the Chandravanshi clan and worshipped the Moon. Hence, Sun temples hardly existed in this kingdom and didn't have many devotees.
Putting her dainty, snowwhite feet on the cold stone slab, Katyayani shook the cobwebs off her mind and started the climb consisting of 51 steps. By the time she reached the top, her cheeks were aglow with vigor and the frozen floor seemed to warm up with every step she took.
Taking the shawl from her shoulders, she pulled it up to cover her head before entering the temple premise, as was the custom before entering a religious place.
"You are here," said the Mahant* with a smile.
He was an old man with a stooping back and rotting teeth. But his eyes and mind remained razor sharp despite the declining age. He held a puja thaal* in his hand and seemed to have been waiting for her.
Katyayani closed the distance between them and bent down to touch his feet.
He placed a hand on her head, "Sada Sukhi Bhav!"
"Sorry, am I late?" Katyayani straightened up and asked with a frown, casting a gaze at the sky trying to determine the time.
The old man shook his head and smiled at her. He proceeded to give the curved, pink conch shell to her.
Taking it from him, Katyayani held the conch shell with reverence and drew in a deep breath.
This was the time for the second prayer of the day where the offerings were made to the Sun god in the form of fruits and flowers. The first prayer happened at sunrise to wake up the god.
After a moment, they entered the inner chamber of the temple where a gleaming, polished gold round disk with carvings in a foreign language stood erect inlaid in a white stone setting. It was placed atop a stone platform.
The shiny circle had rays shooting out of it, which were also made out of gold. The positioning of this idol was such that during summers, the sunrays hit it directly, almost making it blindingly difficult to look at it straight, just like how one couldn't see the Sun with a naked eye.
The Mahant bowed in front of the raised platform and placed a platter filled with flowers and a few fruits in the front.
He started chanting the mantras saluting the Sun while Katyayani blew hard into the conch shell, producing a sound which reverberated across the temple and its surroundings. After repeating the process twice more, she waited on the side while the Mahant finished with the chanting.
She knelt down on the cold floor in front of the carved stone and put her forehead on the ground, paying her obeisance.
After a few minutes, the old man picked up the platter which had now been deemed to be blessed by the god and stepped out in the cold courtyard.
"I'll go and wash the conch shell. Should I brew you a cup of tea while I am in the kitchen?" Katyayani asked him in all sincerity.
The old man shuddered visibly and said, "I would rather stay thirsty. Don't you have any self-awareness? You should offer food and beverages made by you only to your enemies."
"I am not that… bad," her voice had turned soft with embarrassment.
Hmph, she was only trying to be kind to the man! What was the need to be so rude?
"Nevermind then. I will leave the conch shell on the temple's parapet to dry. See you tomorrow," with that, she bent down again to touch his gnarled feet and left from there.
"Wait!" He extended his hand and picked a red apple from the platter.
"Take your prasad*," he said.
She smiled and accepted the fruit happily. The old priest's eyes held a layer of mist as he saw the young girl walk away with a measured bearing. She was the exact replica… exact!
"Miss, you are back! How was the puja?" asked Eka, while she was drawing water from the well in the courtyard.
Katyayani handed over the apple to her and said, "It was good. Cut it into pieces for everyone to share."
"Ok! Breakfast is ready. Would you like to have it now?" Eka asked her.
"Mm...hmm. Bring it into my room," she replied and climbed up the stairs to enter the warm house.
The entire courtyard and the rooms had coal stoves burning in all corners, making the place cosy and comfortable.
By the time Eka entered the room with the breakfast tray, Dvi had finished braiding Katyayani's hair and was adding a dash of color to her lips while the latter was sitting in front of the dressing table. It was a paste made from the extract of fresh strawberries grinded into a paste and mixed with cold pressed coconut oil.
A young girl with a high forehead, rosy cheeks and pink lips stared back from the brass mirror.
As soon as Eka opened the door, the rich aroma of saffron infused, sweet milk porridge permeated in the entire room. Katyayani picked up the bowl and saw raisins and some nuts sprinkled on top of the porridge. Her face broke into a smile.
*Mahant - chief priest of a temple or the head of a monastery in Indian religions
*Puja Thaal - a tray or large container on which the prayer materials or offerings are accumulated and decorated
*Sada Sukhi Bhav - Blessing which means - always remain happy
*Mantras - a word, sentence or sound for meditation or as a prayer
*Prasad - Sacred food or blessed food