Shakumbhri Devi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shakti Peeth Shakumbhri, meaning the abode of Shakti Goddess Shakambhari or

Shakumbhri, is situated in the Jasmour village area, at a distance of 40 km to the north of
It has two important
Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh state of Northern India.

temples of Hindu deities: one of the Goddess

(Devi) Shakumbhri herself and another one,
Bhura-Dev temple, located one kilometer away
from it to the east, of the deity Bhairava, considered to be
her guard. Another temple dedicated to this goddess and quite famous is near the Sambhar
Lake, in Rajasthan.Another big temple of Shakumbari devi is located in Badami, of Bagalkot
District of Karnataka.

Contents
1 Mythology

2 Temples of Shakumbhri Devi

o 2.1 Sikar District Rajasthan

o 2.2 Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh

o 2.3 Sambhar Lake, Rajasthan

o 2.4 Other associations

3 Shakumbhri Devi Melas

4 Films on Shakumbhri Devi

5 References

6 External links

Mythology
It is said that, at this place, Mother Goddess Shakumbhri killed the mighty demon king
(Maha Daitya) Mahishasura. It is also believed that, here she performed worship and
meditation (Tapas) for 100 years, having a vegetarian meal (shaka-ahar) only once at the end
of every month. During this time, the saints and seers (Rishis/Munis) who came for her
worship (Darshan) were welcomed and honoured with vegetarian meals. Because of this the
temple was named the Shakumbhri Devi temple and she also got very strongly connected
with the cult of vegetarianism among Hindus.[citation needed]

Temples of Shakumbhri Devi

Sikar District Rajasthan

The temple is considered as one of the more ancient temples of maa sakumbhari and the idol
considered swayambhu (appeared naturally). the temple is close to the town of udaipur
shekhavati and in sikar district. The temple holds colourful navratras festival and there is an
ancient mutt or shaktipeeth.

Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Shakumbhri Devi Temple

The temple is on the site of the ruins of a more ancient temple and was constructed by the
Pundir Rajputs under Rana Bahadur Singh Pundir who was the representative of the Pundir
chief Rana Pitambar Singh Pundir of Jasmour.[1] Though it is not an ancient temple, its
devotees consider it to be a Shakti Peetha, a powerful seat of Shakti, the divine feminine.[2]
The devotees have a strong faith in the Goddess and the temple attracts a large number of
devotees from India as also from outside the country particularly during the Navratree days.
The temple is well maintained and is well laid out to have full darshan of the idols in the
sanctum sanctorum of the temple. It is found from the plaque displayed near the staircase that
it was during the early 1960s that a properly covered corridor, connecting the main entrance
gate and outer varandah of the temple, was constructed for the convenience and comfort of
the devotees. This work was done, with the permission of the Ranas of Jasmour who own the
temple, by one Shri Radha Kishan,then Treasurer of the erstwhile Kalsia State (Chhachhrauli)
(presently in Yamunanagar District of Haryana)from his personal contribution and also by
collecting donations from several devotees.It is indeed an experience of life to visit the main
temple as also the nearby Bhuradev Temple seeking their blessings and benedictions.It is
rightly said that a visit to these temples with faith and devotion always brings great
satisfaction, rewards and contentment in life and family.These temples are easily
approachable by road or train from different parts of the country and their location is
surrounded by hills and serene environment.

Sambhar Lake, Rajasthan

Another shrine dedicated to Shakumbari Devi is near the famous Sambhar Lake, 90
kilometers west of Jaipur, Rajasthan.[3] This temple is quite ancient and popular estimates put
the age of this temple at 1300 years or more.

According to a Hindu tradition, Shakumbhari Devi - tutelary Goddess of Pundir, Audichya

Brahmins, [Joshi], Chauhan and Rohilla Rajputs- converted forest to a plain of precious
metals. So Shakumbhari Devi is KUL Devi of Pundir and Chauhan. When people worried
and felt it as curse rather than blessing, and requested her to retract her favor, she converted
the silver to salt, now found in the lake.

Other associations

Another temple that finds its association with Shakumbhari Devi is Jeen-Maa temple, near
Goriya, Sikar, Rajasthan.[4] JAI MATA SHAKUMBHRI DEVI KI JAI

Shakumbhri Devi Melas

Twice a year, in the Ashwin and Chaitra months of the Hindu calendar (during the days of
Navratra),as also at the time of Holi festival, the famous Shakumbhri melas are organised.It is
during these melas, in particular, that the roads from Saharanpur(U.P.) to the Temple are
The
properly maintained so as to facilitate to and fro smooth journey for the devotees.

devotees to Shakumbhri first visit Bhura-Dev

temple which is about one kilometer before the
Temple and then proceed to the
Temple of the Goddess.
The popularity of this temple has been increasing day by day and many devotees from far and
near visit this temple for "Darshan" these days. During this famous melas lakhs of Hindu
devotees visit this temple for darshan. It is indeed considered to be a rewarding experience to
visit the Temple with devotion and faith in the munificence of the Goddess.
 Beri Mata
In Haryana there is a town named "Beri". In Beri a huge fair is held at the
occasion of Navratras twice in a year. In the famous temple of Bhimeshwari Devi
lakhs of devotees from all over the country come and worship the goddess In the
market, hundreds of shops are decorated at the occasion of the fair. In these fairs
newly married couples come to tie the nuptial knot again before the goddess
.The Mundan ceremony of small children is also performed here. After reaching
the temple and waiting for a long lakhs of Devotes light the "Jyot" of desi ghee
and offer coconut and parsad to the goddess. Here, after the government has
taken the charge of the temple, continuous efforts have been made to beautify
the temple. With devotion and faith, the devotees arrive here, It seems that Beri
is not less important than any other religious places devoted to goddess Devis
chanting.

In the Beri the enhancing of goddesss name echoes all the time. According to
the well-known story, it is named, Bhimeshwari due to the installation of the idol
of the goddess by Bhima. According to the saying before the beginning of the
battle of the Mahabharta period Shri Krishna told Mahabali Bhima to bring his
Kuldevi to the battlefield of the Kurukshetra and take the blessing from her.
According to the order of Shri Krishna and his brother "Yudhistar" , Bhima
approached the Hinglay Mountain ( Which is now in Pakistan ) and prayed the
kuldevi to move to the battle field for victory. The goddess accepted the request
of Bhima but laid down a condition, she said that she was ready to go with him
but if he dropped me down on the way from the lap then she would not proceed
further. In the way Bhima felt the desire to go to toilet so he placed the idol of
the goddess under a tree of Beri from his lap and went on, after toilet, he also
felt thirsty but he could not find any water near by.

Bhima blowed the earth with his gada to take out water and took bath. After that
when he tried to lift the goddess than he remained her condition, under
compulsion, Bhima placed the goddess near the bank of the pond and went to
Kurukshetra after seeking the blessing for victory. After 18 days of war when
Kaurvas got killed Gandhari reached the place screaming .Oftenly said that here
only Shri Krishna took out from the illusion. When Gandhari passed from there
she saw her own kuldevi. After that she erected the temple here. Although the
ruins of the temple erected by Gandhari are not present now, but of the seat of
the great goddess is still there. Presently, marvelous temple is here. In Beri,
there are two temples. The process of moving the goddess from outer to inner
temple has been going on since the Mahabharta period.

At that time there was a dense forest. Maharishi Durvasa was residing in
Dubaldhan around 8 kms from here in fear of thieves. Every morning at 5 a.m.
Mahrishi Dhurava would bring the idol of goddess in the outer temple in his lap
and at 12:00 noon again he would return it in the inner temple. The process of
moving of goddess from inner to outer temple is still going on. The aarti sung by
durvasa is still enchanted everyday and every evening. The " Akhand Jyoti" for
24 hrs is enlightening.
 Sheetla Mata Mandir
Sheetla Mata Mandir Gurgaon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheetla Mata temple, Gurugram

Sheetla Mata temple, Gurugram

Location within Haryana
Show map of Haryana Show map of India

Show all
Name
Devanagari
Geography
28.4783N
Coordinates 77.0305ECoordinates:
28.4783N 77.0305E
Country India
State/province Haryana
District Gurugram
Locale Gurgaon Village
Elevation 217 m (712 ft)
Culture
Primary deity Sheetla Mata
Architecture
Number of 1
 temples
Number of
1
monuments
History and governance
Governing body Shree Mata Sheetla Shrine Board
Website www.sheetlamatagurgaon.com
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e
Sheetla Mata temple, Gurugram (Hindi: , ) is a temple dedicated
to the Mata Sheetla Devi, she is Kripi/Kripai/Lalitha wife of Guru Dronacharya who was the
teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas according to Indian epic Mahabharata. The district
Gurgaon, now renamed as Gurugam derives it name from Guru + Gram or the village of the
guru.[1] The temple is located on Sheetla mata Road in Gurgaon city of Gurgaon district in the
state of Haryana in India.

The shrine is very famous and is visited by large number of people.[2][3][4]

Contents
1 History

2 Reaching the shrine in Gurgaon

o 2.1 By Road

o 2.2 By Rail

o 2.3 By Air

3 Other attractions nearby

o 3.1 Gurugram Bhim Kund

o 3.2 Eklavya temple

4 References

History
The Sheetla Mata temple is dedicated to the wife of Guru Dronacharya, Kripi/Kirpai, also
called Lalitha.[5]

Kirpai, also called Lalita and later Mata Sheetla, used to live in Keshopur village located in
the nearby Union Territory of Delhi. Dronacharya her husband used to visit her daily at
Keshopur from his Gurugram ashram.

She devoted herself to look after the sick children, specially those suffering from the
smallpox. People called her Mata (Mother) out of affection and respect. After her death a
temple was built in her honour by the villagers and she began to be remembered as Mata Sitla
or Mata Masani, i.e. 'the goddess of smallpox'.[5]

It is said that more than three centuries ago, Masani Mother appeared in a dream to Chaudhri
Singh Ram alias Singha, a fief-holder of village Gurgaon. She expressed her desire to leave
Keshopur and come to Gurgaon. She made him build a place for her.
Towards the south of Gurugram village lies Gurugram Bhim Kund near the temple of
Dronacharya. Sheetla mata temple lies to the north of Gurugram village.

The legend goes that even after Singha had brought and installed the goddess Masani, after
her own heart's desire, at village Gurgaon, the residents of Keshopur continued to dispute the
claims of Gurgaon folks. This controversy was put at rest during the time of Begum Samru,
the Governor of Jharsa under the Mughals. Her child who had contracted smallpox was cured
after being consecrated in the prescribed manner before the goddess Masani at Gurgaon. It
was then finally established that the goddess had begun to live at village Gurgaon.[5]

The current temple was built in the 18th century by the Hindu Jat king Jawahar Singh of
Bharatpur, in memory of his victory over the Mughals, for which he had invoked the
blessings of Sheetla Mata.[5]

Reaching the shrine in Gurgaon

Gurgaon is one of the districts in the state of Haryana which is located in the Northern part of
India. The district is located south west of national capital Delhi. The city of Gurgaon is well
connected by Road, rail and air transport. The Sheetla Mata Shrine is located 2 km from the
Gurgaon bus stand, 3.5 km from Gurgaon Railway station, and 7 km from Huda city centre
Metro Station. Public transport is available from all these places to the Shrine.

By Road

Gurgaon is located on the National Highway No. 8 linking Delhi to Mumbai. The Haryana
Roadways runs both intercity and interstate buses. Also Delhi Transport Corporation runs
buses connecting Delhi and Gurgaon. Many other state transport corporations also run
interstate buses to and from Gurgaon.

By Rail

Delhi Metro

Delhi metro Yellow line connects Gurgaon with Delhi. Currently there are 5 metro stations in
Gurgaon. The stations are connected to interior of the city by city bus service of Haryana
Roadways, Three wheelers, private buses etc.

Indian Railways

Located at the western end of the old city, the Gurgaon Railway Station connects Rewari in
the South and Delhi Cantt in the North.

By Air

The nearest airport is Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) at New Delhi, which is about
15 km from Gurgaon.

Other attractions nearby

Gurugram Bhim Kund

Main article: Gurugram Bhim Kund

Gurugram Bhim Kund (Hindi: ), also known as Pinchokhda Jhod (Hindi:

), is a 10-acre wetland in Bhim Nagar locality of Gurgaon city of Gurgaon
district in the state of Haryana in India. It lies between sector 4, 6 and 8 about 3 km from
Rajiv Chowk.[6][7]

Eklavya temple

Main article: Eklavya temple

There is a Eklavya temple (Hindi: ) temple in honor of Mahabharata fame

Eklavya in Khandsa village in Sector 37 of Gurugram city in Haryana state of India. As per
folklore, this is the only temple of Eklavya and it is the place where Eklavya cut his thumb
and offered to guru Drona. Locals want the government to develop a tourism circuit in
honour of Drona and Eklavya[8][9][10]

Batuk Bhairav Nath Temple

Last Updated : 2016-12-11 22:48:10
Batuk Bhairon Nath temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Bhairon God. The temple is
located at Nehru Park, Chanakya Puri, Delhi. This temple falls under the category of most
important temples of Delhi. The temple is estimated to be 5500 years old. The construction
and design of the temple is not so old because the temple has been regularly renovated from
time to time. It is believed that temple was built by Pandavas during the Mahabharata time.
Because of this reason, the temple reflects the ancient heritage of the Delhi city. The devotees
throng the temple throughout the year especially on Sundays.

There are two temples dedicated to Bhairon Nath which were built by Pandavas in Delhi.
First is Batuk Bhairon Nath temple and the other is Kilkaari Baba Bhairon Nath temple which
is located outside Purana Qila and in front of Pragati Maidan. Both of these temples are
linked with each other in their history.

Batuk Bhairon Nath temple has only the face of Bharon Baba. There are two big eyes on the
face. In the temple alcohol or milk and jagerry are offered to Bhairon Baba and the Prasad is
distributed among the devotees. It is believed that all the offerings to Bhairon baba in liquid
form flow down to the well below the temple.
It is said that the Pandavas organized a havan to protect their fort but the havan was disturbed
by the demons again and again. Then Lord Krishna suggested them to establish Bhairon Nath
baba in their fort as Bhairon Baba is the lord of the demons. Then Bheem went to Kashi,
Varanasi to bring Bharon Baba to Indraprastha. Bheem worshipped Him and requested him
to come along with him to their fort. At this Bhairon baba put a condition before Bheem that
He will settle at the place wherever Bheem puts them at first and would not move ahead.

Bheem accepted this condition and carried Bharon Baba on his shoulders and started moving
towards the fort. Bhairon baba showed his maya while entering into the city and forced
Beema to put Him down. Bheem again worshipped Bhairon baba and requested him to move
ahead but Bhairon baba declined his requests. Bheem told Him that he had promised his
brothers that he would bring Him to the fort but Bhairon baba was adamant on His condition
and did not move from there. Bhairon Baba then cut his hair and gave it to Bheem and asked
him to establish his hair in the fort. Bhairon baba further told Bheem that He would protect
the fort from that place only using his sound of joy and since then the place is known as
Kilkaari Baba Bhairon Nath temple.

Jhandewalan Temple
Last Updated : 2016-12-11 22:48:10
Jhandewalan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Maa Aadi Shakti (avatar of
goddess Durga). The temple is located on Jhandewalan Road on the way to Karol Bagh,
Delhi, India. The temple is another famous and respected shrine of the goddess. The temple
receives a large number of devotees throughout the year. The name Jhandewalan was given
during Shah Jahan's reign, due to the prayer flags or 'jhandas' being offered.

It is said that Jhandewalan was once located in a mountain region. When this place was
excavated then sanctum of goddess was descended and on this place the temple was
established. It is believed that Badri Bhagat, one of the great devotee of Matarani, dreamed of
her and she told him about this idol. Thereafter the temple was constructed at the same place.
The original idol of Jhandewali Mata Ji is present at ground level. The temple is one of the
famous religious site for Hindu's. Here everyone can come and worship irrespective of the
caste and status. The temple is echoed with day and night chanting of the goddess mantras.
The devotees are blessed with happiness, peace and good health.
Many festivals are celebrated in Jhandewalan Temple. On the occasion of Durga Puja and
Navratra, a special Puja is organized. The temple is decorated with flowers and light. The
temple's spiritual environment give peace of mind and heart to the devotees.

Hanuman Temple - Connaught Place

Last Updated : 2016-12-11 22:48:10

Hanuman Mandir is located at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place, New Delhi. It is
one of the oldest Hanumana Temple in India.The Temple is said to be built by Raja Jai Singh
around 1724 AD.

The Main Idol at the temple is that of Hanumana, facing south. The deity holds a gada in his
left hand and his right hand rests on his chest in veneration to the adjacent idols of Rama,
Lakshmana and Sita. It is believed that Bhagwan Hanuman destroy all the evils with the Gada
in his hand. Devotees congregate at the temple in large numbers on Tuesday and Saturday.
Hanuman Jayanti (birthday celebrations of Lord Hanumana) is also celebrated every year
with great fanfare.

The ceiling of the main hall has embossed artwork depicting the Ramayana, the great Hindu
epic. The Complex outside the temple is lined with tiny shops selling garlands and prasad.
One can also find mehndi artists and their intricate henna application.

History
The city of Delhi was the seat of power for many dynasties. Unlike the other Hindu Temples,
where symbol above the spire (vimana) is more commonly an Om or Sun sign, this temple
has a crescent moon symbol (an Islamic symbol) in the vimana. This crescent symbol is
believed to have saved this temple from destruction from Mughal attacks.

Kilkari Baba Bhairav Nath Temple

Last Updated : 2016-12-11 22:48:10
Bhairon Temple or Kilkaari Baba Bhairav Naath Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to diety
Bharion. Bhairon Temple is located at outside of the Purna Qila (Old Fort) opposite Pragati
Maidan. The temple is one of Delhi's major tourist attractions. It is believed that this shrine
was built by the Pandavas and Bheem (One of the Pandavas), worshipped in this temple and
attained Siddhis as well.

Being so old, it is regarded as one of the important reflections of the citys ancient heritage.
The temple receives a large number of devotees throughout the year. In particular, a large
number of devotees visit the temple on every Sunday.

The architecture of this temple is purely North Indian in style. Marble is used extensively in
the interiors of this temple, which gives the temple an elegant look and makes it a huge
tourist attraction for the international as well as local tourists. All the idols found in this
temple are constructed in marble, which gives the temple a very regal look. The main deity of
the temple, Lord Bhairav, contains only the face and has very big eyes.

Bhairon Temple is the only temple where devotees offer alcohol to the deity. This alcohol is
then distributed to the devotees as the local Prasad.

Bhairava himself has eight manifestations: Kala Bhairava, Asitanga Bhairava, Samhara
Bhairava, Ruru Bhairava, Krodha Bhairava, Kapala Bhairava, Rudra Bhirava and Unmatta
Bhairava. Kala Bhairava is conceptualized as the Guru of the planetary deity Saturn.
Bhairava is known as Vairavar in Tamil where he is often presented as a Grama Devata or
folk deity who safeguards the devotee on all eight directions (ettu tikku). Known in Sinhalese
as Bahirawa, he protects treasures. Lord Bhairava is the main deity worshipped by the
cannibalistic Aghora sect.