Mansa Devi, Uttaranchal, IN

Deity: Mansa Devi
Location: At the top of Bilwa Parvat (Hill), Uttaranchal, India
Significance: One of the Siddha Peethas
Constructed by: Maharaja Gopal Singh of Manimajra
Best time to visit: between October to February.

Mansa Devi Temple, in a way, enhances the holy tradition of Haridwar which persists in the place from many past centuries. Mata Mansa Devi Temple at Panchkula is a symbol of Himalayan culture and faith. The shrine located on the foot hills of Shivalik is an epitome of age old tradition of ‘Shakti’ worship in northern India. Himalaya being the abode of Shiva and his consort’shakti’ became centre of Shakti worship. In the vicinity of Panchkula there are numerous Shakti worshipping centers known by their names such as Chandi, Kalika, Mansa, and Bhima etc.

Hence, mythological speaking, Chandigarh-Panchkula region undoubtedly continued to be living legends of Shaktism where its practices are in vogue. However, the present temple which stands a witness to the exciting past of the Shivalik region is about two hundred years old. The archeological treasures unearthed from Chandigarh-Panchkula region throw eloquent light on the history and culture of the area from the prehistoric to the recent times. Although owing to the onslaught of times and climes many tangible realities of the cultural manifestations of the region have been lost in the oblivion, yet there are certain things which never die out. One such reality is the Mansa Devi Shrine and the tradition of Shaktism practised in this part of the country.

Actually, the term 'Mansa' is the altered form of word 'Mansha', which means 'wish'. On the top of the hill, there are many shops where coconuts, fruits, marigold garlands and incense sticks are available. These things are offered to the Goddess.

Two temples are located in the complex of Mansa Devi. The main temple is dedicated to Mansa who is worshipped in the sanctum sanctorum both in the form well as in her anthropomorphic form executed on a marble. In the sanctum sanctorum she is worshipped with Devi Saraswati and Lakshmi in the form of Pindi (Stone pebbles). Originally the pindis were only worshipped by the devotees. However, in modern times a marble bust of the deity was got sculpted for giving an attractive human look (form) to the deity. She is beautifully decorated with crown and other ornaments. Interestingly the architecture of the main temple (Mansa Devi) is not in consonance with the Shivalik region where usually. This is in sharp contrast to the environment of the region as the main temple manifests a typical Moghul architecture represented by domes and minarets. Architecturally speaking the temple has been built in Panchayatana pattern in which at four cardinal corners stand four shrines with the main shrine (fifth shrine) being located the centre.

To visit the temple, pilgrims have to follow a queue for the 'darshan' of the Goddess. Mansadevi is said have born from the mind of Saint Kashyap. She is regarded as the wife of Nag Raja Vasuki. This temple is one of the most prominent temples of North India. Mansa Devi is one of the famous Siddh Peethas (Holy Places where one's wishes are fulfilled) along with Chandi Devi and Maya Devi in Haridwar.

How to reach:
One can easily reach Mansa Devi Temple by taking local Buses, rickshaws, Tongas or by hiring taxis from Haridwar.

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

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Chandi Devi Mandir, Haridwar, Uttaranchal, IN

Deity: Chandi Devi
Location: At the top of Neel Parvat, Haridwar
Built in: 1929 A.D
Significance: One of the Siddha Peethas
Best time to visit: October to March
STD Code: 0133

Located atop Neel Parvat, Chandidevi temple is one of the most ancient temples of north India. This is a Siddhapeeth (holy places where one's wishes are fulfilled). Chandidevi along with Mansadevi and Mayadevi temple form a Siddhapeeth triangle in the holy city of Haridwar.

The main deity is said to have been installed in the 8th century by Adishankaracharya.Goddess Chandidevi has been fulfilling wishes of millions of devotees for thousands of years. In the earlier days, people used to reach the shrine by trekking through the steep path, which incorporates bit difficulties. With the passage of time, a ropeway has been made for the convenience of the pilgrims. This ropeway takes around 20-25 minutes to reach the temple complex. In this manner, people can also enjoy the panoramic view of the natural beauty. Every year, this temple receives millions of people from far and near. Pilgrims come to this holy shrine to seek blessings from the Goddess.

Legend:
Demon kings Shumbh and Nishumbh had captured the kingdom of Lord Indra and thrown out gods from heaven. After intense prayers to gods, incarnation of power and strength, Chandika Devi appeared from the cells of the body of Goddess Parvati. She assumed the form of an exceptionally beautiful woman and Shumbh desired to marry her. On being refused, Shumbh sent his demon chief Chanda and Munda to kill her. Kalika Devi born out of Chandika Devi’s anger killed them. Shumbh and Nishumbh then tried to kill Chandika Devi but were slain by the Goddess. Thereafter Chandika Devi is said to have rested for a short while at the temple location. Surprisingly, the two peaks near the Neelkanth mahadev temple in this mountain range are called shumbha and nishumbha. 200 metres from Goddess Chandidevi temple, the temple of Anjanadevi, mother of Hanuman is located. The temple of Mansa Devi is exactly on the other side of the hilltop. It is said that Mansa and Chandi, the two forms of Devi Parvati always reside close to each other.

Other important places in Haridwar:
Har-ki-Pairi: The most important and sacred bathing ghat of Haridwar, is also the site of Kumbh festivals. Ganga Aarti performed every evening is worth attending.

Bhimgoda Tank: Associated with the Pandavas, of Mahabharata, the tank is said to have been created by a blow of Bhima's knee.

Gurukul Kangri University: An old institution known for following the traditional Indian system of imparting education. The university precincts also house Ved Mandir Museum with many archaeological exhibits.

Beauty Point: 2 km. On the way to Mansa Devi Temple, it is a vantage point with wonderful views of Haridwar and its forested surroundings. Temples and Ashrams There are a large number of temples and ashrams in Haridwar.

Mansa Devi Temple: on top of Vilwa Parvat, accessible also by ropeway carriage.

Manav Kalyan Ashram: the temple here depicts all the 24 avatars with Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna in ardhnarishwar form.

Bharat Mata Mandir: 6 km, devoted to Bharat Mata or Mother India. Its eight floors are decorated with scenes and images of events and people associated with the country.
Pawan Dham: has Hanuman temple made of pieces of glass.

How to reach:
by Air: Jolly Grant Airstrip, is located at Dehradun, which is 35 kms away.
by Rail: It is connected to all the major cities of India by trains.
by Road: Haridwar on highway No. 45 is connected to all major centres in the region and other parts of the country by well-maintained roads. One can easily reach Chandi Devi Temple by taking local Buses, Rickshaws, Tongas or by hiring Taxis from Haridwar.

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

If you love to read visit www.KathaVarta.org for Religious stories.

Last but not least, if you want to visit above Holy Pilgrimage, please contact and visit our associate partner www.YatraKhoj.com and e-mail at yatrakhoj@yahoo.com.

Dakshineswar Mandir, Kolkata, West Bengal, IN

Deity: Goddess Kali
Location: Kolkata
Built in: 1885
Built by: Rani Rashmoni
STD Code: 033
Best time to visit: October to March

The Dakshineswar Kali Temple located in Dakshineswar locality, Kolkata. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali.

The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. There are twelve shrines dedicated to the aspects of Shiva, Kali's companion, along the riverfront, a temple to Radha-Krishna, a bathing ghat on the river, a bookshop, a shrine to Rani Rashmoni. The chamber in the northwestern corner just beyond the last of the Shiva temples is where Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa spent a considerable part of his life. It is Holiest place in the Universe.

Dakshineswar Ramakrishna Sangha Adyapath operates in the region. The compound contains many orphanages, schools and homes for elderly people. The organization has been dedicated to the great spiritual leader.

Legend:
In the year 1847, the wealthy widow queen Rani Rashmoni prepared to go upon a long pilgrimage to the sacred city of Banaras to express her devotions to the Divine Mother. In those days there was no railway line between Calcutta and Banaras and it was more comfortable for rich persons to make the journey by boat rather than by road. We are told that the convoy of Rani Rashmoni consisted of twenty four boats carrying relatives, servants, and supplies.

But the night before the pilgrimage began, the Divine Mother, in the form of the goddess Kali, intervened. She appeared to the Rani in a dream and said, "There is no need to go to Banaras. Install my statue in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Gangas River and arrange for my worship there. Then I shall manifest myself in the image and accept worship at that place." Profoundly affected by the dream, the Rani immediately looked for and purchased land, and promptly began construction of the temple. The large temple complex, built between 1847 and 1855, had as its centerpiece a shrine of the goddess Kali. A scholarly and elderly sage was chosen as the head priest and the temple was consecrated in 1855. Within the year this priest died and his responsibility passed to his younger brother, Ramakrishna, who over the next thirty years would bring great fame to the Dakshineswar temple.

Places of Interest:
To the north of the Kali-temple is a Dalan of Radha-Krishna. To the west, twelve Siva temples of Bengali atchala style stand in rows on the Hughli River with a 'chandni-bathing ghat', which is flanked by these Shiva temples, six each on either side. The temple compound on three sides - north, east and south - are enclosed by rows of guestrooms and offices.

How to reach:
by Air: Kolkata is well connected by air to all major countries in the world, as well as to Indian cities.
by Rail: Trains are available from all parts of the country to Calcutta. Most inward bound trains stop at Howrah, which is also the station from which major trains to other cities depart.
by Road: A few buses ply from Orissa and Bihar to Calcutta Buses are also available to nearby towns.

Visit http://www.etirth.com/ for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

If you love to read visit http://www.kathavarta.org/ for Religious stories.

Last but not least, if you want to visit above Holy Pilgrimage, please contact and visit our associate partner http://www.yatrakhoj.com/ and e-mail at yatrakhoj@yahoo.com.

Vaital Deul Mandir, Orissa, IN

Deity: Chamunda Devi
Location: Bhubaneshwar, Orissa
Built in: 8th Century
Also known as: Deul Temple
Best time to visit: October to April

Vaital Temple in Bhubaneshwar is replete with the symbols of human sacrifice and steeped in some exclusive temple sculptures that exhibit eroticism. The temple is one of the most highly revered ones among the Hindus and a large number of devotees drop in to offer their prayers with offerings on some auspicious occasions.

This interesting 8th century temple is dedicated to Chamunda (Kali). She wears a necklace of skulls and is shown as the eight-armed slayer of the buffalo demon. Her necklace of skulls and the corpse she is sitting on are usually hidden by her robes. In her arms she holds a snake, a bow, a shield, a trident, a thunderbolt and an arrow with which she is piercing the neck of the demon, thus displaying the most terrifying aspect of the goddess Kali. Owl and a jackal, sits on a corpse. Her body, emaciated and reduced to skin and bones, is adorned with the garland of skulls. Her sunken eyes and shrunken belly and the cerie setting with a number of strange images filling the niches around the sanctum, present here in her terrible best.

A brief look at the Vaital Temple will show an extremely accomplished style of sculptural decoration. A slightly closer look will reveal some of the darker facets of the sculpture's content, and the temple's nature. The Tantric worship, which combined elements from certain sects of both Buddhism and Hinduism, is centered on the worship of 'Shakti', the female life force. It developed elaborate rituals involving magic spells, secret rituals and sacrificial offerings. The interior of the Vaital Temple's inner sanctum is almost completely dark, in keeping with the esoteric rites believed to have been performed there.

The 15 niches, which adorn the interior wall around her, are also filled with a series of singularly strange images. In front of the entrance to the sanctum is a 'four faced' 'linga' adorned with unusual carvings. Next to it is a post, to which sacrificial offerings were tied. The entire atmosphere is, in the words of one specialist, disquieting. On the outer, eastern face of the tower, there is an extremely fine image of the sun god, Surya, with a sensitive and beautiful face. He is flanked by 'Usha' and 'Pratyusha', twin sisters of the dawn, while 'Aruna' drives his chariot.

Architecture:
Vaital Temple is an excellent example of Kalinga architecture that attracts visitors from all over the world.Vaital temple is perhaps the finest extent representative of the Khakhara order that was especially devoted to the tantric cults. The deul rectangular in shape and oblong on plan is positioned at a right angle to the flat-roofed jagamohana. The two-storeyed semi-cylindrical wagon roof of the deul strongly suggests the influence of Buddhist cave architecture. The vault of the deul is rather plain without any art work and the shape of the common deul in miniature form adorns the four corners of the jagamohana.

On the backside, the five pilasters have been crowned by two vidalas seated back to back above two carved mouldings. The medallion of the upper chaitya window, in addition to a ten-armed Nataraj, has the figures of Lakulisa on the south and the composite form of Hari-Hara on the north. In front of the jagamohana the stone post shows two Buddha like figures seated in the famous dharmachakra pravartana mudra.

Some of the early erotic sculptures in Orissan art are found here. The erotica later became a conventional motif, ubiquitously present in almost all forms of decorative temple architecture. The figures depicted in various positions were probably relevant in the context of the tantric rites.

Other important temples in Bhubaneshwar:
Lingaraja Temple
Rajarani Temple
Parasurameswar Temple
Bindu Sagar

How to reach:
by Air: Bhubaneswar has its own airport named Biju Patnaik Airport. Regular flights operate to and from Bhubaneswar to all metros and major destinations in India. The airport is around 3 km from city.
by Rail: Bhubaneswar is one of the most important railway stations in Eastern India. It has connecting trains to many states and major cities.
by Road: The city being the capital is well connected to all parts of the state and nearby states as well. There is regular bus service to and from all major cities. The main bus stand is at a distance of 8 km from the city center.

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

If you love to read visit www.KathaVarta.org for Religious stories.

Last but not least, if you want to visit above Holy Pilgrimage, please contact and visit our associate partner www.YatraKhoj.com and e-mail at yatrakhoj@yahoo.com.

Chamunda Devi Mandir, Kangra Dist, Himachal Pradesh, IN

Location: In Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh
Built in: 16th century
Dedicated to: Chamunda Devi (a form of Shakti)
Also known as: Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham

Introduction:
Chamunda Devi is a Shakti shrine, situated 10 km west of Palampur, on the Baner River. This colorful shrine has a wrathful form of Durga or Chamunda. The idol in the temple is considered so sacred that it is completely hidden beneath a red cloth. Here Lord Shiva is present in the form of death, destruction & dead bodies along with Devi Chamunda.

The temple is situated in the picturesque beauty of lush green mountains. Many saints can be seen here involved in penance and meditation.

Legend:
The legend of the temple is related with two demons Chanda and Munda of Shumbh Nishumbh, the notorious demon king. With their wicked mind, they try to harass the goddess Ambika, which turned out in the form of battle between the gods and demons. Chamunda emerged as Chandika from an eyebrow of goddess Ambika, was assigned the task to eliminate the demons. Chandika destroyed those two demons and presented their heads in front of Ambika. Pleased with the act of Chamunda, the goddess Ambika named the city as Chamunda and since then the temple Chamunda Devi is worshipped with that grace and faith.

In the temple the devotees can see scenes from the Devi Mahatmya, Ramayan and Mahabharata. On either side of the Devi's image is Hanuman and Bhairo.

The Goddess Chamunda was enshrined as chief Goddess with the title of Rudra in the battle between demon Jalandhra and Lord Shiva, which made this place famous as "Rudra Chamunda".
Other AttractionsBeside temple, there is Ayurvedic dispensary, library and a Sanskrit college situated in the temple complex. The library comprises of rare stock of old manuscripts, books on astrology, Hindu philosophy, Vedas, Puranas, Upnishads, Sanskrit and History. A Sanskrit college is also run by the temple trust and they organize free classes on Vedas and Puranas.

How To Reach:
Tourists can hire private taxis from Palampur or Dharamsala to reach the temple. Besides, state transport bus services are also available to reach this place.

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

If you love to read visit www.KathaVarta.org for Religious stories.

Last but not least, if you want to visit above Holy Pilgrimage, please contact and visit our associate partner www.YatraKhoj.com and e-mail at yatrakhoj@yahoo.com.