The August mudslide and flood in Nepal travelled along a path very familiar to Hindus: down through the valleys of the Trishuli and Bhote Koshi rivers, the precise route of a pilgrimage known as the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The sheer power of the forces of nature as well as the deluge’s swift descent give rise to sobering observations about how we live and how we die.
by Kathy Clubb
Pilgrimage
The area around Nepal’s devastating landslide and flood is home to a variety of ancient, pagan religions which attribute a sacred significance to many of the surrounding geographical landmarks. For example, Mount Kailash, located just across the border in Tibet, is a pilgrimage site for Hindus as well as for Buddhists, Jains, and followers of the Tibetan Bon tradition.
For Hindus, Mount Kailash is the eternal earthly home of Shiva, husband of the goddess Kali and they believe that making a pilgrimage around the base of Mount Kailash in his honour will wash away their sins. The pilgrimage, known as the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, consists of walking clockwise around the base of the mountain, a distance of around 33 miles.
Most pilgrims fly into Kathmandu then take a bus to Gyirong, a border crossing between Nepal and Tibet. It was this border crossing which was obliterated by the flood of ice, rock and muddy water in a scene which horrified the world.
A group of Australians who have still not been found were reportedly at the immigration centre in Gyirong at the time the flood struck. The group was on its return trip from Mount Kailash travelling back to Nepal and their guide had sent a text message only minutes prior to the town’s destruction, confirming their position.
Shiva and Kali
For the many Hindus, Shiva is the supreme god. Shiva is the destroyer who also assists devotees on a personal level. He is acknowledged as the founder of the practice of yoga and is the father of the elephant-headed god, Ganesh.
The goddess Kali, Shiva’s consort, is also associated with destruction, as well as with death and time. Her appearance is horrifying; she has jet-black skin, is often depicted with a lolling tongue and wears a garland of skulls. Her cult includes myths of her fighting demons, drinking blood and bestowing the gift of fertility on her devotees.
Statues and idolatry
Around the area of the Himalayas where the disaster took place, statues and shrines were dotted along the riverbanks to honour the spiritual guardians of the mountains, rivers and valleys.
Emergency teams have in some cases made retrieving statues of their false gods a priority, not wanting to dishonour the deities they believe protect their valleys.
It is important to understand that a Catholic’s relationship to statues and icons is quite different from that of a pagan’s relationship to his images of false gods. For a Catholic, an image is merely a symbol or reminder of a reality, and has no power in itself. Thomas Aquinas wrote:
Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.1
Various Councils including Nicaea, Trent and even the Second Vatican Council clarified that this kind of devotion is not the same as worship, which would constitute idolatry. The Catechism of the Council of Trent (1566), for example, identifies the point at which devotion becomes idolatrous:
“by worshipping idols and images as God, or believing that they possess any divinity or virtue entitling them to our worship, by praying to, or reposing confidence in them” (374).
The Hindu approach to statues is thus idolatrous, since an image is regarded2 as having intrinsic power with a spiritual connection to a devotee or to a geographical area. Hindus believe statues of their gods are “conduits” that bring “spiritual energy” into a home or shrine.
Hindu god statues are not merely ornamental items they are a living force. Individuals have the belief that if you install a deity statue with faith, the divine force enters the room and bestows blessings.
Whether it is Lord Ganesha clearing obstacles, Goddess Lakshmi showering wealth and prosperity or Lord Shiva infusing transformation and inner strength, there is a powerful vibration with each of the deities. 3
Pagans living in the area have wondered why pilgrims were not protected from the effects of the landslide and flood. According to this woman, who used the demonic methods of channelling and automatic writing to access occult knowledge, pilgrims devoted to Shiva weren’t protected from death, because it was an opportunity for them to enter “a higher level of consciousness.”
Miracles during natural disasters
It is part of human nature to turn to God in a time of crisis – an impulse not confined to Christians, and the Nepal disaster is no exception. There are reports that a statue of Buddha was miraculously untouched by the mudslide, however this has been proven to be false. Some eyewitnesses claim to have seen the face of Shiva in the mud, although this is admittedly unconvincing. (see below)
Yet, when the True God desires to give a sign, it is unmistakable as He can neither deceive nor be deceived.
Throughout history – even modern times – there have been many occasions when Catholic churches or sacred objects survived serious disasters unscathed. The tilma of Guadalupe and Italian Madonna which both survived bomb blasts come to mind. Here are some more recent examples:
Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni, India
The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health is located only a few blocks from the coast of the Bay of Bengal. When the disastrous tsunami struck on Boxing Day, 2004, a thirty-foot high wall of water slammed into the town of Velankanni, making it one of the worst affected areas. Yet, according to witnesses, the water parted as it approached the Basilica, leaving the building untouched.
From the Sacred Windows website:
600 pilgrims and other citizens who were outside the walls of the shrine at the time were swept away in the flood. However, all pilgrims who were attending Mass inside the basilica were saved. Not a bit of damage was recorded to the church.
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
When Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire in April 2019, much of the historic building was completely destroyed. As the fire raged, the lead-encased spire rotated and fell into the body of the church. The original High Altar, with its Pieta and enormous golden cross were unscathed; not even the candles on the altar were melted.
Our Lady of Mercy, Concordia, Antioquia, Colombia
During the recent 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Colombia, a statue of Our Lady of Mercy was completely unharmed, even though it sits atop a church. Video footage shows the statue wavering, but remaining in place.
Death comes to us all
In the face of such an event as the Nepal disaster, the fundamental lesson for us is that we must always be ready for death, living in a state of grace with hope for the life to come.
We also have a collective duty on the natural level, to ensure that every available resource is deployed in order to help the people affected, regardless of their race or religion.
A third aspect to contemplate is the reverence and awe we should show in the face of God’s omnipotence. Such a sudden and powerful event demonstrates the sovereign right of the One, True God to exercise his dominion over the world He created. He is justified in contrasting His might to the feeble resistance of the pagan idols which were consumed by the mud and rock.
God shall thunder wonderfully with his voice, he that doth great and unsearchable things. He commandeth the snow to go down upon the earth, and the winter rain, and the shower of his strength. He sealeth up the hand of all men, that every one may know his works.
(Job 37: 5-7)
Kathy Clubb is an Australian writer who has written on Catholic and pro-life issues at The Remnant Newspaper, LifeSiteNews, Fidelity magazine, Family Life International, Endeavour Forum and more. Kathy is the founder and editor of Pax Orbis.
ENDNOTES
- St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II, 81, 3 ad 3. ↩︎
- after a special ritual ↩︎
- https://giriusa.com/blogs/blogs/ancient-grace-how-hindu-deity-statues-bring-peace-and-positivity ↩︎
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