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Closely connected with
the worship of Lord Shiva but far more
widely spread, is the worship of His
Consort in the form of Shakti or the
Mother Goddess. The Goddess goes by many
names like Durga, Kalika, Chandi, Naina,
Mansa, Sharda, Ambika, Kali and Bhawani
among others.
The Shiwalik foot hills
are studded with temples dedicated to
various names of the Goddess. For a
visit to these temples, one must drive
into the modern city of Chandigarh.
About 8 km from the
Chandigarh bus stand, lies the holy
siddh peeth of Sri Mata Mansa Devi. Two
temples have been built here. The temple
on the mound has been built by the
Maharaja of Patiala to commemorate his
victory in a battle in 1861. The temple
near the parking lot is believed to be
the main temple. It has been built by
the ruler of Mani Majra in 1815 A.D.
The temple is very
popular among patrons, for the Goddess
is believed to grant boons in keeping
with Her name Mansa Devi. Fairs are held
in its vicinity during the holy days of
Navratra when devotees throng in lacs to
pay obeisence to Her. Haryana Tourism
has set up its Jatayu Yatri Niwas
adjacent the Mata Mansa Devi shrine.
Chandi
Mandir
: lies some 10 km
from Mata Mansa Devi shrine. It is a
small but famous temple worshipped as a
Siddh Peeth- ( a place where wishes are
granted). It is after this temple that
the town of Chandigarhgetsits name. The
temple falls on the Chandigarh- Kalka
stretch of the national highway number
22. The Navratras sees thousands of
devotees thronging to the temple.
Further along this
highway the runis of the Bhima Devi
temple lie in the small hamlet of
Pinjore. This is a picturesque location
built on the rising foot hills of the
Shiwalik mountains. The Bima Devi temple
is an archaeological site that dates to
the 11th century AD and projects the
Panchayatan style of temple
architecture. The temple is currently in
runis. However, effort is on to design a
site museum here to display the findings
of the area.
Kalka
:
town
lies on the Ambala-Shimla national
highway. It forms the last stretch in
Haryana, after which the highway passes
into Himachal Pradesh. On this highway,
lies the famous temple of Kalka Devi.
Built on austere lines, the temple
boasts of a large following in the area
with special festivities held inthe days
of Navratra |
