Rajasthan News Desk!!! The nine days of Navratri are considered auspicious for the worship of Mother Durga. During this period, Goddess Shailputri to Siddhidatri Mata are worshipped. It concludes with havan and immersion on the day of Durga Navami. According to Devi Bhagwat Purana, there are 51 Shaktipeeths of Maa Durga. During Navratri, there is a rush of devotees to visit the Shaktipeeths established in India. Let us know about the 9 Shaktipeeths of Maa Durga and the mythological stories related to them.
Story related to Shaktipeeth
The story related to Mata Shaktipeeth is also described in the Puranas. According to the legend, Lord Shiva started waging an orgy on earth with the dead body of Sati, daughter of Daksh Prajapati. Then Lord Vishnu cut Sati’s dead body into pieces with Sudarshan Chakra to calm the anger of Lord Shiva. In this sequence, wherever Sati’s body parts and jewelery fell, those places were called Shaktipeeths.
9 main Shaktipeeths of Maa Durga
1. Kalighat Temple Kolkata – Four fingers fell 2. Kolapur Mahalaxmi Temple – Trinetra fell 3. Ambaji Temple Gujarat – Heart fell 4. Naina Devi Temple – Eyes fell 5. Kamakhya Devi Temple – Private part fell here 6. Harsiddhi Mata Temple Ujjain Here left hand and lips fell 7. Jwala Devi Temple Sati’s tongue fell 8. Mother’s left toe fell in Kalighat Was. 9. Varanasi- Vishalakshi’s mother’s bead earring had fallen at Manikarnik Ghat in Kashi, Uttar Pradesh.
Amar Ujala takes you to 9 temples of Goddess Durga in Rajasthan – from Shaktipeeths to the fire bathing goddess and the mother of rats.
1.Tripur Sundari Shaktipeeth Temple, Banswara
Shaktipeeth temple of Siddha Mata Shri Tripura Sundari is one of the 52 Shaktipeeths in Banswara, a tribal dominated district of southern Rajasthan. It is believed that the goddess fulfills the vows made in the temple, that is why everyone from common people to politicians come to the mother’s court and mark their presence.
There is a grand temple of Mata Tripura Sundari amidst the Aravali mountain ranges in Talwara village, 18 km from Banswara district. The doors of the main temple are made of silver. The idol of Maa Bhagwati Tripura Sundari is Ashtadasha i.e. with 18 arms. The idol has replicas of 9 forms of Goddess Durga. Maa Singh, Mayur and Kamal are sitting on the seat. During Navratri, a huge crowd of devotees throngs the Tripura Sundari Temple, creating a fair-like atmosphere.
Even PM, CM join
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former President Pratibha Patil, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former CM Haridev Joshi, CM Ashok Gehlot, former CM Vasundhara Raje and many other leaders, MPs, MLAs, ministers visited the temple. Mata Hai: Election rallies in Banswara are started after the leaders visit the Mata temple.
The rulers of Gujarat, Malwa and Marwar were worshipers of Tripura Sundari Shaktipeeth.
In the northern part of this temple there is a Shivalinga from the time of Emperor Kanishka. It is believed that this place must have been famous since the pre-Kanishka period. At the same time, some scholars believe that the Shaktipeeth of Mother Goddess existed here before the third century. He says that earlier there was a historical town named ‘Garhpoli’ here. ‘Garhpoli’ means Durgapur. It is believed that the rulers of Gujarat, Malwa and Marwar were worshipers of Tripura Sundari.
Chaitra Navratri 2023 Rajasthan Famous Mata Temple Tripur Sundari Shaktipeeth
2. Kaila Devi Temple, Shaktipeeth, Karauli
Kaila Devi Temple is a hundred years old temple in Karauli district. This ancient temple has two idols under golden umbrellas on silver pedestals. One is on the left, its mouth is slightly crooked, i.e. Kaila Maiya, the other on the right is the image of Mata Chamunda Devi. Kaila Devi has eight arms. This temple is famous as the main Shaktipeeth of North India. Many stories related to this temple are popular here.
It is believed that Yogamaya, the daughter of Lord Krishna who wanted to kill him by imprisoning Lord Krishna’s father Vasudev and Devaki, is present in this temple in the form of Yogamaya Kaila Devi. Kalisil River located near the temple is also called the miraculous river. Kaila Devi Temple is 30 km from Karauli district and 56 km from Hindaun Railway Station. During Navratri, devotees from far and wide come here to visit the temple of Mata.
3. Shri Karni Mata Temple, Deshnoke, Bikaner
There is a famous temple of Karni Mata in Deshnok of Bikaner in western Rajasthan. A large number of rats live in this temple, hence it is also called Rat Mother Temple or Rat Temple. It is believed that some of these rats are also white. Seeing white rats in the temple is considered very auspicious. It is considered a miracle of the Goddess that despite the presence of so many rats, no disease has spread here till date. A large number of devotees reach here on Navratri with darshan and wishes. Deshnok Karni Mata Temple is probably the only temple in the country where about 20 thousand rats also live. White rats are considered to be carriers of Maa Karni.
Maa Karni is the clan goddess of Bikaner royal family.
Karni Mata is the goddess of Bikaner royal family. The present temple of Karni Mata was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner state. Apart from the rats, the main attractions of this temple are the excellent work done on the marble main gate, the big silver door at the main gate, the golden umbrella of the mother and the huge silver plate kept for the rats’ prasad. Devotees believe that Karni Devi was the incarnation of Maa Jagadamba.
At the place where this grand temple is situated, about 650 years ago the Mother Goddess lived in a cave and worshiped her deity. This cave is still situated in the temple premises. When the mother died, as per her wish, her idol was installed in this cave. It is said that the state of Bikaner and Jodhpur was established with the blessings of Mother Karni. This famous temple is about 30 kilometers away from Bikaner Railway Station. It is easily accessible by road and rail.
4. Shri Shila Mata Temple, Amer
Shila Mata, the revered goddess of the Kachwaha dynasty of the royal family of Jaipur, is the main Shaktipeeth of the people of Jaipur after independence. The glory of this temple is very great and it is also called miraculous. This system is also famous among practitioners and practitioners. Before the establishment of Jaipur, there was the princely state of Amer, where its glorious ruler Raja Mansingh I won more than 80 battles with the blessings of Shila Mata as the chief commander of the Mughal ruler Akbar. Before independence, only members of the royal family and prominent feudal lords could visit the Shila Mata temple located in the Amer Palace complex, now hundreds of devotees visit the Mata every day.
During Navratri, long queues are formed to have darshan of the Mother Goddess and a fair is organized on the day of Chhath. One of the ancient major temples of Jaipur, this Shaktipeeth was replaced by Raja Mansingh I, the then ruler of Amer in the fifteenth century. The main gate of the temple is made of silver. Navdurga Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri are inscribed on it. Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuneshwari, Chhinnamasta, Tripura, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Bagulamukhi, Matangi and Kamala are depicted as ten Mahavidyas. There is a red stone idol of Ganesha above the door. A silver nuggar is kept in front of the door. Near the entrance there are carved figures of Mahalakshmi on the right and Mahakali on the left.
Because she was found in the form of a rock, she was called Shiladevi.
There is a religious belief that the image of Shila Mata was found in the form of a rock. In 1580 AD, Raja Mansingh, the ruler of Amer, brought this stone to Amer from there after his victory over Jasore Kingdom of Bengal. Here Mahishasura was carved in the form of a mother by prominent artists. A saying about this is also very popular in Jaipur – Tell Sanganer, Father Hanuman, to Jaipur, Shila Devi is the king of Amer.
5. Shri Chamunda Mata Temple, Mehrangarh, Jodhpur
Chamunda Mata Temple in Jodhpur is the temple of the presiding deity of the royal family. It is situated in the southern part of Mehrangarh Fort. Rao Jodha, the founder of the city of Jodhpur, purchased a statue of his favorite goddess Chamunda from the old capital of Mandore in 1460. He installed the idol of Chamunda Devi in Mehrangarh Fort and since then Chamunda became the goddess here. Worshiped by people from outside and inside Jodhpur city during Dussehra, this fort is filled with people and devotees.
Goddess Chamunda is the main goddess of Rajputs.
Located in the Mehrangarh Fort of Jodhpur, this temple was built by Rao Jodha when he was constructing the fort. The hill on which he chose to build this fort was occupied by Harmeet Bhatt. When he was taken out from there, he cursed the king that there would always be shortage of water in his fort. To escape this curse and save the people from it, the saint built the temple of Chamunda Mata inside the fort and since then Goddess Chamunda has been the main goddess of the Rajputs.
6. Shri Jeen Mata Temple, Sikar
Jeen Mata Temple situated in Sikar district of Shekhawati region is a very famous temple among the people. A huge fair is held here during Navratri. The very ancient temple of Maa in Jeenmata village on Sikar-Jaipur road in Shekhawati region is the main center of faith of devotees. This temple is not only built amidst a beautiful forest but is also situated between three small hills. Jain Mata Temple, one of the ancient Shaktipeeths of the country, faces south. There are statues of Tantrikas on the walls of the temple which shows that it must have been a center of practice for Tantrikas. Inside the temple there is an octagonal idol of Jain Bhagwati. The pavilion built under the mountain is called a cave.
According to beliefs, Jeen Mata was born in a royal family of Ghanghu village of Churu, Rajasthan. He is considered to be the incarnation of Mother Shakti and his elder brother Harsh is said to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva. According to the stories, once there was a dispute between the two brothers and sisters and the mother came to this place and started doing penance.
Brother Harsh, worried about his sister’s defeat, also followed her here and tried his best to convince his sister, but he was disappointed. After which he also started penance at a nearby place. At this place there is a temple of Harshnath amidst the hills of Aparavali. When the army of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb started demolishing the temples of Shekhawati, people prayed to Mata Jeenmata.
Mother, with her miracle, released a huge army of bees on Aurangzeb’s army. It is believed that when Aurangzeb’s soldiers ran away bleeding, Aurangzeb apologized to the mother and promised to send oil for the Akhand lamp in the temple. After which oil for the lamp was arranged from Delhi and then from Jaipur. After this miracle, Jinmata came to be known as the goddess of whirlwinds.
7. Arbuda Devi Temple, Shaktipeeth, Mount Abu
Arbuda Devi Temple is located in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Arbuda Devi Temple is known as Adhar Devi Shaktipeeth. This temple is 3 km away from Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Located on a distant hill. It is believed that the lips of Mana Devi Parvati had fallen here, hence Shaktipeeth was established here. Here Maa Arbuda Devi is worshiped as Mata Katyayani Devi, because Arbuda Devi is said to be the form of Maa Katyayani. There is a crowd of devotees here throughout the year, but during Navratri there is a huge influx of devotees.
Salvation is attained by seeing Goddess and Paduka.
It is said that the devotees get salvation just by seeing the goddess here. Devotees come here after traveling hundreds of meters and climbing about 350 stairs to have darshan of the mother. This temple is situated in a natural cave. A lamp keeps burning continuously inside the cave and by its light one can see Goddess Bhagwati. The temple was established 5 and a half thousand years ago. It is believed that just by seeing the Mother Goddess, a person gets freedom from all the sorrows and the devotees attain salvation. Charan Paduka temple of Arbuda Devi is also situated in the temple. He killed the demon named Basakali under the feet of Mata. The story of Baskali killing Mother Katyayani is found in the Puranas.
8. Idana Mata Temple, Udaipur
In the Idana Mata temple, one of the most prominent Shaktipeeths of the glorious Mewar of Rajasthan, the Mother Goddess herself takes a fire bath when she is happy. This temple is situated amidst the vast Aravali hills on the Kurabad-Bambora road, 60 km from Udaipur city. Idana Mata is the worshipable mother of entire Mewar including Rajput society, Bhil tribal society. It is believed that this temple was built during the Mahabharata period. This temple, which holds many mysteries, attracts crowds of devotees during Navratri.
My mother mysteriously bathes herself in fire
Every year a large number of devotees come here to see the fire bath of Idana Mata. Devotees wait for hours to get a glimpse of the fire bath. It is believed that at this time the devotees receive the blessings of the Goddess. In ancient times, the kings here have been worshiping Idana Mata as their goddess. Devotees and tourists come here from far and wide for darshan.
9. Shri Krishnai Annapurna Mataji Temple, Baran
This temple is on the hill of Ramgarh, about 40 km from Baran. The big crater of the famous Ramgarh crater is also nearby, which was once formed by the fall of a meteorite. To visit the temple one has to climb 900 stairs, which are winding. Which is situated on a hill at a height of 1000 feet from ground level. It is believed that Mother Goddess herself had appeared from a cave. Here Mother Durga is in the form of a girl. Kanya Puja or Kanjake Puja is considered very important during Navratri. This temple was built after the war between Jaipur and Kota princely states. On Navratri, people are coming from far and wide to visit the temple.