It all began with a
spiritual desire and a vow to be fulfilled… at Infant Church, Nasik. Nasik is a city in Maharashtra, India and is located 180 km from Mumbai and 202 km from Pune.
The shrine has its own website which I scoured for information about travel,
lodging, mass timings etc. http://www.infantjesusnashik.com/
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| Infant Jesus shrine - Nasik |
The Shrine does have a Pilgrim
Rest House for pilgrims at a nominal charge and subject to availability upon
arrival, for a maximum of two days (48 hours), only for "Pilgrims" to
the Shrine. The website now claims that the Rest House has been
renovated to provide better accommodation facilities to pilgrims and senior
citizens. Pilgrims may also find suitable accommodation at reasonable rates in
Hotels - next to the Nasik Railway Station. Shalom Guest House, Durga
International Hotel and Hotel The Landmark are very close to the Shrine.
After food for the soul,
there is food for the body at the Canteen behind the Shrine in the same
premises which provides meals at reasonable rates. However, meals have to
ordered and paid for in advance.
The Shrine Remains Open Daily from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
A little about the statue of Infant Jesus which originated in Prague; the
devotion has spread to all corners of the world.
(As per the website www.infantjesus.com – Infant Jesus
of Prague - The Devotion to the Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague began in the
Czech Republic and has since spread from central Europe throughout the world.
While little has been said about Christ's infancy, through His words;
visionaries and saints, we have learned much about the importance of the 'state
of infancy' and the child-like qualities that one needs to adopt in order to
enter into God's kingdom.
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| Infant Jesus - Prague |
The sweet face of the Child Jesus attracts visitors through its beauty. The right hand of the child is raised in blessing, while his left hand holds a sphere surmounted by a cross – the whole of our universe rests in his hands…
The very qualities of child-like simplicity, trust, humility and
dependency that characterize children need be contemplated, accepted and
eventually adopted in our own lives as we live and struggle in a world of
challenges and contradictions. Not so much 'childish' as child-like in nature,
through prayer we humbly ask the Holy Infant to wean us of our need to control
our family, friends and own personal lives as He teaches us to surrender all
things to His will. With trust and faith in His words: "Ask and you shall
Receive, Knock and the door shall Open", we actively place our needs in
His little hands in the hope that He will continue to show us what it means to
be more like Him.
In this respect, as our encounter
with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords deepens, the lessons taught and shown
to us through this particular devotion become even more crucial to our ability
to successfully navigate through a chaotic world.)Replicas of the original
statue have been made in countless thousands throughout the world. Today, it is
familiar to every Catholic and inspires all to venerate the holy image with a
devotion to the Christ-Child. So many graces have been received by those who invoke the Infant
Jesus novena for 9 consecutive hours. “All who approach the miraculous statue
and pray there with confidence” receive assistance in danger, consolation in
sorrows, aid in poverty, comforts in Anxiety, light in spiritual darkness
streams of grace in dryness of soul, health in sickness and hope in despair”.
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| Infant Jesus - Nasik |
Many a
curious devotee has wondered as to why the holy Shrine of the Infant Jesus came
to be located at Nasik, The Propagation of the devotion to the Infant Jesus
which spread like wild fire was started by Fr. Peter Lewis S. J. (1915-1992) in
Nasik
Our excitement grew as the
day drew closer. Our trip was coincidently planned soon after the Shrine feast
which is usually celebrated in February. We were looking forward to finally
visit the famous Shrine and had planned a day trip. Besides, our little son had
never been there before.
We boarded the bus from
Mumbai on foggy morning in February at around 7:30 am. We were dropped off in
front of Hotel Dwarka, Nasik by 10 am. There is a little restaurant near the hotel
where we went for breakfast before moving on to the Shrine.
After that it was a rush to
get to the Shrine before the last mass at 12 noon; we did make it well ahead of
time. There are plenty of auto rickshaws at the crossing where the bus drops off
the passengers from Mumbai; the bus carries on to Shirdi.
The Shrine has a simple
facade and a nondescript interior. What draws the pilgrim is the resplendent
statue of Infant Jesus behind the altar. Such calm and peace in the church and
such childlike innocence coupled with overwhelming regality. The statue itself represents Jesus
as a very small child, wearing a simple gown. This statue, sublime in its
simplicity, is dressed in a white alb and royal robes to express the thought
that is common to all Christians, that this child is a king of the house of
David, and, what is more, that Jesus is Son of God and God himself; King of
Kings and Lord of Lords.
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| Infant Jesus - Bangalore |
The
sermon was inspiring and encouraging. The prayers were meaningful. My little baby a little over a year old fell
asleep towards the end exhausted from the long (for him) bus journey.
After
the mass, we visited the Souvenir shop on the premises and bought a replica of
the statue and some other significant religious articles.
Since
it was close to lunchtime, we made our way towards the back of the Shrine to
the common washrooms and canteen. I had a Veg meal as it was during Lent (and I
abstain from Non-Veg during that period) and my husband took the Non-Veg meal.
Both were equally nice and tasty; the exception was the Chicken curry in the
Non-Veg meal which my son enjoyed. In all, It was a slow relaxing meal in a
near empty dining hall.
It was 3 pm and time to return to
Mumbai and home. We stepped out of the Shrine gate and I saw the board
directing all to Shalom Guest House a little ahead, to the left. It takes about
5mins to get there. I had heard of this place from the Shrine website but couldn’t
find any pictures. This time we got a good look at the place in case we require
to stay there in future.
The tariff is Non AC (2 beds) Rs
950 and AC Rs1150. Extra mattress is Rs 200. Checkout time is 1 pm. Tel: 0253 –
2414119, 2421213. Mob: 9604662703
We hopped into an auto sharing
with 2 others and got down at the Bus Depot (I think it was Bombay Naka).
There
were a line of travel agents and luxury buses lined up. We got the bus quick
enough and were on our way back to Mumbai.
An unforgettable trip with
memories for keeps.
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