Rajarajeswari Polali DT Nt pg 8 - Page 25

Dakshina Kali Pavgadh

The Pavagadh Shakti Peeth is located at at a distance of about 50 km from Vadodara in Gujarat; it is located near Champaner the ancient capital of Gujarat.

The three main Shakti Peethas of Gujarat are Ambaji at Arasur, Bala at Chunval and Kali at Pavagadh near Champaner. Other Shakti shrines in Gujarat are those at Asapura in Kutch, Arbudadevi on Mount Abu, Sundari at Halvad, Harsiddhi at Kolgiri or Koyla and Anasuya on the Narmada.

Following the destruction of Dakaha's sacrifice and the Rudra Tandava of Siva parts of Sati's body fell at several places throughout India, and these places are revered as Shakti peethas. The left breast of Sati is believed to have fallen here.

This hill temple attracts several visitors during the annual Navaratri fair.

Pavagadh gets its name from the fact that it is a solitary hill standing out alone, blessed with a blowing gentle breeze from all around. Legend has it that the valley surrounding Pavagadh was filled up by the power of the sage Viswamitra. Legend also has it here that the image of Kalika Mata was set up by Viswamitra; a river by name Viswamitri originates here.

Kali here is worshipped as Dakshina Kali, and is worshipped in the Dakshina marga with vedic and tantric rites. The festival season of Navaratri witnesses several celebrations here.

The fortress at Champaner, bears the scars of the many wars of possession that happened in this region throughout the second millennium CE. Originally a glorious city under the Rajputs, Champaner fell into the hands of the Sultans of the Gujarat region in late 15th century; it then came under the rule of Humayun, and was then recaptured by Sultan Bahadur Shah; it relapsed into the hands of Akbar, and then came under the control of the Marathas and finally came under the possession of the British.

A hilly passage leads to Pavagadh from Champaner. The Maha Kali temple enshrines an image of Kalika Mata. There are also images of Maha Kali and a yantra of Goddess Bahuchara. Two lakes - Chhasia Talao and Dudhiya Talao are seen enroute to the temple.

Surkanda Devi Uttaranchal

Surkanda devi temple is dedicated to goddess of power which holds very crucial religious importance. This temple is in Dhanaulti of district tehri garhwal. Surkanda devi temple is 11km from Kanathal, 3km from Kaddukhal, 40km from Mussoorie and 24km from Chamba at an altitude of 3030mtr above sea level. Surkanda devi temple is in such a height that we can get a beautiful view of all surrounding as well as of Dehradun, Rishikesh, Pratapnagar, Chakrata and Chandrabadni.

As per legend, goddess Sati' sacrificed herself in the yagya as her father humiliated her husband (Shiva) meanwhile Shiva was stricken with brief and put her on his shoulder and walk through this place on his way back to Kailash with the dead body of Sati unconsciously, the head part fell down at this place where Surkanda devi stands. Surkanda devi is one of the shakti peeth. Due to fall of head of Sati, this place is named as Sirkanda but later on named as Surkanda as the time passes.

This temple is surrounded by dense forest and mountain covered with snow which offers a best place for photoshoot with fresh and pure air. Snow is seen in winter and mist and fog in summer.
Thousands of people visit here from far away places and because of heavy crowd temple is now modifies not a big temple. Every year in the month of June a big fair held on the occasion of Ganga dussera in jyaistha where you can find huge crowd which attracts the tourists from all over the world

.

Surkanda devi temple is also a best place for trekking besides religious tour.One have to trek for about 2 3 km uphills from Kaddukhal through cemented paved road.

Brajeswari Himachal pradesh

Brajeshwari Devi temple is one of the famous Hindu temple . It is located in the Nagarkot Town of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. This temple is dedicated to goddess brajeshwari.

Brajeshwari Devi temple was built over the scorch(burn) breast of Shri Sati.

The Brajeshwari Devi temple or Kangra Devi, located in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh in India,is one of the famous shaktipeeths in India.The temple is believed to have been built over the charred breasts of Sati.The primary deity of the temple,Brajeshwari Devi, also known as Vajrabai or Vajrayogini is considered as an incarnation of goddess Parvati or Aadi-Maya on earth. The name literally means "the lady of the Vajra(thunderbolt)".Godess is worshipped here in the form of a pindi.Food offerings are divided into three parts. One part each for Mahalakshmi, Mahakali and Mahasaraswati.

The eleventh century shikhara style temple is a stupendous example of superior stone carving. One among the two pillars situated at the entrance of the temple carries some inscriptions that gave some information about the period of construction of the temple. At the doorway of the temple there are two janitors holding staff in their hands. The exterior alcoves are enshrined with the images of four-armed Durga seated on a lion and Vishnu in Vaikuntha form. The marvelously carved pillars depict images of numerous gods and goddesses of the Hindu Pantheon. One among the hectic pilgrim center, Brajeshwari Devi Temple, is a must visit sacred spot that one should not spare with.

This temple follows a unique tradition of worshipping the goddess. It is a tradition that every year, during the north Indian festival of Lohri (Makarsakranti), a layer of butter is applied over Pindi followed by washing of cold water 100 times.After this pindi of Goddess is decorated with flowers. It is believed that in ancient times the goddess had used butter to heal the wound she got during her battle with the demon Mahishasur.Many people visit the temple to see the decorated pindi.

Brajeswari mata is very popular goddess who attracts large number of devotees to her shrine. People offer Prasad and pray for the fulfilment of their wishes.

The scenic beauty of Himachal Pradesh lures the tourists as well as pilgrims and makes this place heavily crowded especially during festive and holiday seasons.

Here Sati worshiped as brajeswari, Bhairava is Abhiru.

Mayadevi Haridwar

Maya Devi Temple is an ancient religious establishment of Haridwar which is counted as one of the shakti peeths present in India. The temple of Maya Devi is enshrined with the deity of Adhisthatri. The history of religion in Haridwar speaks of a rather interesting part of the Maya Devi Temple. Maya Devi Temple, Haridwar is a Hindu Temple dedicated to goddess Maya in the holy city of Haridwar of Uttarakhand State in India.

It is believed that the heart and navel of goddess Sati fell in the region where the temple stands today and thus it is referred to as a Shakti Peetha. Goddess Maya is the Adhisthatri deity of Haridwar. She is a three-headed and four-armed deity who is believed to be an incarnation of Shakti. Haridwar was previously known as Mayapuri in reverence to this deity. The temple is a Siddh Peetha which is the places of worship where desires get fulfilled. It is one of three such Peethas located in Haridwar, the other two being Chandi Devi temple and Manasa Devi

According to the Hindu mythology, Sati (Lord Shiva's wife) set herself on fire to avenge the insulting demeanor of her father towards her husband. When Lord Shiva came to learn that Sati killed herself to keep his honor, he was filled with fury. An enraged Shiva undertook a tour of the whole universe carrying the dead body of Sati. It was during this tour that various body parts of Sati fell at different places. Hindus believe that it was at the temple site of Maya Devi where the naval and heart of Sati fell down. The religious beliefs state that the naval and heart of Sati were found in the very place where the Maya Devi temple stands today in Haridwar.

The history of the Maya Devi temple dates back to the 11th century. Devotees as well as tourists from all across the country and the world flock to Haridwar to visit the shrine and to seek blessings of goddess Maya Devi; the goddess represents shakti (divine power). Among the Hindu community this divine power is very highly regarded and revered. Maya Devi temple came into existence in Haridwar in the 11th century. This shows the ancient glory associated with this famous Maya Devi shrine of Haridwar. Devotees come to this sacred temple of Haridwar to offer their prayers to the presiding deity. The Goddess of Maya Devi temple resembles the form of Shakti and as such people worship this divine power.

The temple of Maya Devi completes the trio along with Mansa Devi Temple and Chandi Devi Temple. We should not miss a visit to these temples, of which the Maya Devi temple is considered to be the vertex. A peek into the religious history of Haridwar tells you alot about the significance of the Maya Devi Temple.

The temple, stand in dedication to goddess Maya Devi, who is also the Adhisthatri deity of Haridwar. According to what frequent pilgrims to Haridwar say, it is almost blasphemous if you visit Haridwar and miss a visit to the Maya Devi Temple.

Vindhyavasini

The Vindhyavasini temple is one of the most famous Shaktipeetha temples in the India. It is the shrine of Maa Vindhyavasini, who is a divine form of Maa Shakti. Millions of devotees from all across the world visit this holy shrine each year to get a darshan of this famous form of the Goddess. The Vindhyavasini temple is mentioned in the Srimad Devi Bhagwatam as one of 108 main Shaktipeethas.

1. According to legend the location of the Vindhyavasini temple is where Mata Parvati had meditated to Lord Shiva. Thus it is one of the most important places for devotees to visit during the Navratris, in order to seek Devi's most auspicious blessings.

2. This special shrine is also blessed by the combined powers of Maha Lakshmi, Maha Kali and Maha Saraswati. Many scriptures refer to Vindhyachal as the holiest and most special of the Shaktipeethas where Goddess Durga resided during the Dwapara Yuga.

3. The incident of Lord Krishna' s birth also is significant to the Vindhyavasini temple. As Vasudev and Devaki's son was smuggled out of Kamsa's prison and taken to Gokul, Devi Mahamaya who was born to Nanda and Yashoda was taken to the prison to fool Kamsa. Later she had manifested in front of Kamsa and prophesied that Krishna would be his end. She then chose Vindhyachal as her residence.

4. Since this temple is located on the Vindhya mountain range, it is called the Vindhyachal, and the form of devi residing here is hence known as Vindhyavasini. The months of Chaitra, Ashwin and Jyestha are considered especially special for the darshan of Maa Vindhyavasini.

5. Another legend refers back to the time after Daksha Yagna and Sati's death. Lord Shiva was carrying the charred body of Sati all across the land in great sorrow, but Vishnu sliced it down with his Sudarshana Chakra. The toe of Devi Sati had fell at the location of the Vindhyavasini temple.

6. Some say that Devi Durga had created the hillock upon which the temple stands, after killing the demon Mahisasura. Incidentally it is also the place where Lord Vishnu had received the Sudarshan Chakra from Lord Shiva.

the Goddess of power, riches and benevolence and the presiding deity of Vijayawada, is swarmed by lakhs of pilgrims for worship during the "Navarathri" festival which is celebrated with Religious fervour, pomp and festivity. The small but ancient temple of Kanaka Durga , a top the Indrakeeladri hill on the banks of the Sacred river Krishna in Vijayawada abounds with legends of historical interest.

Indrakeeladri is unique in that it has been the chosen abode of Kanaka Durga and Her consort Malleswara as Swayambhu (the self-existent one). Here Durga is one the right side of Malleswara as against the tradition of Goddesses taking their position on the left of their consorts. This shows that Shakthi is predominant on the Indrakeeladri.

Legend has it that the demons acquired great powers by appeasing the Gods and began harassing the sages on the earth. Goddess Parvathi assumed various forms to kill these demons. It was kausiki to kill Sumbhu and Nisambhu, Mahisasura Mardini to kill Mahishasura and Durga to kill Durgamasura. "Kanaka Durga because she was aglow with golden hues,

Gods prayed Her to stay on earth and bless them. Kanaka Durga asked Keeludu an ardent devotee to take the form of hill to enable Her stay on him. Thus Keeladri became the abode of Durga. She took the form of Mahisasura Mardini with eight arms holding different weapons, riding on a lion and trampling Mahishasura on the hill of Indrakeeladri. Her consort Shiva took his place on an adjacent hillrock as Malleswara.. He was worshipped by Lord Brahma with jasmines (Mallelu) whereby he got the name of Malleswara Swamy. As celestial beings like Indra visited the place, the hill came to be called Indrakeeladri.

Here it was according to another legend, that Arjuna performed penance and fought with Lord Shiva, who had appeared in the guise of Kiratha to win pasupathastra, the most powerful weapon. So this place is also called phalguna teertha.

When Indrakeeladri came in the way of the River Krishna the Gods requested the hill to allow the river to pass through it to join the sea. Keeludu obliged and gave a small passage for the river. But the ferocious Krishna made the passage larger than permitted and carried a part of the hill four miles downstream to Yanamalakuduru, where there is now a hillrock called "Thelukonda" or floating hillrock. According to another legend, Kanaka Durga borrowed the nose-stud of the Krishna and to avoid returning it jumped up the hill. Krishna vowed to take back her ornament by raising her level to the hill top by the end of kaliyuga

Adi-Sankaracharya visited the temple and installed the Srichakra and initiated workship of Kanaka Durga in vedic ways.

Hiuan Tsang, a Chinese traveler wrote that he has seen many stone inscriptions in the vicinity of the temple that revealed historic events.

Palakethu Bhupaludu made two inscriptions in the period 1150-1240 A.D. One related to unimpeaching Madhava Varma the ruler of this area. The son of poor women was killed when he fell under the wheels of the chariot of the king's son.

When she sought justice, Madhava Varma's advisers said that he should be punished with death. But they felt that the offender being the son of the king, could be spared the punishment. When Madhava Varma shown his impartiality by punishing his son with death, there rained gold on Vijayawada and both the boys were blessed to live again.

In yet another incident Malleswara stood by one of his staunch devotees Sripathi Pandithaiah, who believed there was no other God by Malleswara; and his stubbornness made the people ostracize him and he was even refused fire. The enraged Pandithaiah sought the blessings of Malleswara and cursed the people that they would not get fire any more, for he had taken possession of it, packed it in a silk cloth and hung it on a branch of a Sami Vriksham. The people had to apologise to Pandithaiah at the instance of their King, to get back the fire.

The nine-day festival of Navarathri ends on Vijaya Dasami Day when people worship arms and perform ayudha Pooja. Local chieftains used to celebrate the festival with pomp. Once a police officer refused them permission to display their arms on Vijaya Dasami day. He got a cable from that he was dismissed from service following many complaints against him. Terrified by the events, the Officer not only permitted the people to celebrate Vijaya Dasami but also took part in it. Later he got another cable canceling his dismissal order. Thenceforth, it became a tradition for policemen to celebrate Vijaya Dasami, which is still in vogue.

Kanaka Durga is specially decorated as Balatripura Sundari, Gayathri Annapoorna. Mahalakshmi, Saraswathi, Lalitha Tripura Sundari, Durga Devi, Mahissura Mardini and Raja Rajeswari Devi on each day of the Narvarathri festival. On Vijaya Dasami day, the deities are taken in a swan-shaped boat around the Krishna river, popularity known as "Theppotsavam".

Though a ghat road was laid in 1969, most of the pilgrims prefer to climb the steps leading to the temple an arduons task for women and children. Some devotees climb the hill, decorating the steps with turmeric powder and vermilion to redeem their pledge of Metla Pooja.