Trip to Vaishnodevi , Dalhousie and Mcleodganj Part - 4

November 14,2010

Today we have to cover the Kangra fort and Four Devi  - Chamumda Devi  , Brajeshwari Devi Temple , Chintpurni Devi and Jwala Devi Mandir. As usual, there was the discussion about the taxi fares, and eventually we settled  on a rate of Rs.1900 for taking us around.

After a quick breakfast, we got into the taxi for what seemed like a long day ahead of us. The journey was through a hilly road, but nothing too steep nor too rough. The drive was through a beautiful environment,.

After a short drive, we reached the first location on our day journey.

 Chamumda Devi – There is a story  of the goddess Ambika who was harassed by two demons, Chanda and Munda. Enraged, Ambika knitted her brows and from their folds emerged a terrifying form of the goddess Kali who slew the demons. Pleased, Ambika declared that Kali would now be worshipped as ‘Chamunda’ – slayer of the demons, Chanda and Munda. This is the most popular of the legends connected with Chamunda Devi who is worshipped all over India.

In the Kangra area, her shrine is located on the banks of Baner rivulet.

 Lore has it that a local ruler and a Brahmin prayed to the goddess to allow them to build her a temple that could be reached with relative ease. The goddess, Chamunda appeared to the Brahmin in a dream and told him where her image could be found under the soil. The image was found but could not be moved. The goddess again appeared to Brahmin and told him that the image could only be lifted by him with due reverence and after all suitable ablutions had been undertaken. This was done and the image was placed at the present location and the temple built.

The gateway of the temple  draws thousands of worshippers every year,. It is flanked by images of Hanuman and Bhairav who are considered as its guardians.

By the shrine of the Devi, there is a narrow staircase that leads down into a cave. In this cavern, a ‘lingam’, the symbol of Lord Shiva is worshipped. Chamunda Devi is said to have the power to grant boons and many come to her for succor.

The shrine has a large water tank in which various images of Hindu deities have been placed on pedestals.

After the quick Darshan , we headed to Brajeshwari devi Temple at Kangra

Brajeshwari Devi Temple Temple

The Brajeshwari Devi Temple, located in the old Kangra township, is said to have been built over the charred breasts of Sati. This shrine, once renown for its great wealth, has been plundered relentlessly over the ages. The first of the plunderers was Mahmud of Ghazni, who looted it in 1009. A mosque was built on the ruins and a garrison was left behind. 35 years later, the local king regained its possession. The shrine was repaired and a replica of the idol was enshrined. The temple was filled with gold, silver and diamonds only to be ransacked again in 1360 by Firoz Tughlaq. Later Emperor Akbar visited the shrine with his dewan, Todar Mal and restored it to its former grandeur. The temple was razed to the ground by an earthquake in 1905, but a new one came up the very same year, thanks to the Kangra Restoration Committee.

The Kangra Fort, also known as the Nagarkot or Kot Kangra, is situated to the south-west of the old Kangra town. In the annals of history, its first reference occurs at the time of 

invasions of Mahmud Ghazni in AD 1009. It fell to the Muslims permanently in 1621, when after a siege of fourteen months it was conquered by Jahangir, who garrisoned it with his troops and appointed a Mughal Governor to keep the hill chief in the check. Raja Sansar Chand II succeeded in 1786 in recovering the ancient fortress of his ancestors but had to surrender the fort to Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1809. It remained in the hands of the Sikhs till 1846 when it was made over to the British Government along with the hill States as far as Ravi. The Fort continued to be held by a garrison but was evacuated sometime before the great earthquake on 4th April 1905 in which extensive damage was sustained. The Fort, occupying a long strip of land is enclosed with high rampart and the walls cover a circuit of about four kilometres. The main entrance gate is called the Ranjit Singh Gate which is followed by a narrow path leading to Jehangir gate, and then to the main complex with a palace and temples.

Ranjit singh gate

Jahangir gate

Stone walls

Temple inside the Kangra fort complex

Kangra fort Lawn

White Eagle sitting on the fort

After visit to Kangra fort , we headed directly  to Chintpurni temple

Chintpurni Temple - Chintpurni Temple is a revered shrine of the Hindus. Located in Chintpurni village of Una district, Chintpurni Devi Mandir is a famous temple of Himachal Pradesh. Chintpurni Temple is dedicated to Shri Chhinnamastika Devi or Chintpurni Devi. Like other temples of the Hindus, this too has legends behind its establishment.

main shrine, where the image of Mata Chintpurni is placed in the form a pindi (a round stone). In the past years, the temple has been repaired and modified to hold the huge crowd during festivals.

 As per one legend, at the time of self-sacrifice, part of Sati’s feet fell at this place and subsequently, a temple was built. Since, the temple is associated with the legend of self-sacrifice by Sati; it is regarded as the Shakti Peetha. Another legend says that Goddess appeared to slay two demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. After slaying the demons, the escorting friend of the goddess asked for more blood and the goddess cut her head to quench her thirst for blood.

Chintpurni Devi is regarded as the Goddess who takes away all the worries of her devotees. The term ‘Chhinnamastika’ suggests ‘without the head’. Here, the Goddess is depicted without her head in a pindi (phallic) form. Devotees come to this temple with a perpetual faith that the Goddess would bless them and fulfill all their wishes. It is said that nobody goes empty handed from the shrine of Goddess Chintpurni / Chhinnamastika.

The simple structure of the temple contains the

 Jwala Devi Temple - Jwala Devi is one of the major ‘Shakti Peethas’ of India.. The temple is dedicated to Jwala Devi (form of goddess), who is the presiding in the form of flames. Due to this fact, the goddess is also referred as the ‘Flaming Goddess’.

. The dome and spire of this temple are covered with Gold. The main door of the shrine is plated with silver. In front of the main shrine, there is a huge brass bell that was presented by the King of Nepal.

In the early times, people tried to explore the fact behind these burning flames, but nothing substantial was made out. These flames are burning due to some natural jets of combustible gas. The temple came to be known as the Jwala Devi Mandir. In this temple, there is no idol because the Goddess is considered to be residing in the form of flames. This temple has nine ceaseless flames that are named as Mahakali,

. Earlier, this temple was administered by the descendants of Raja. After

Aarti Timings
Morning Aarti:- 5.00 A.M
Panjupchaar Pujan (after morning Aarti)
Afternoon Aarti:- 12.00 A.M
Evening Aarti:- 7.00 A.M
Shaiyan Aarti:-10.00 P.MIndependence, this temple was declared as the site of Cultural Heritage and that time onwards, it is under the management of the Government. There are not less than 102 priests to look after the sermons of the temple and even these priests are paid by the Government.
 
 The main attraction of the temple is the Aarti session, which is performed five times a day that begins early morning then at sun rise, afternoon, evening and continues till bed time of the goddesses. Apart from these, the evening Aarti (Shaiyan Aarti), performed before bed time is unique and different. The bed of the Goddesses is piled up with rich dresses decorated with precious ornaments. During the Puja ceremony the goddesses are offered Bhog (food) that comprises of milk, sweets, fruits etc. Annapurna, Chandi, Hinglaj, Vindhya Vasini, Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Ambika and Anji Devi respectively.

Inside the shrine, there is a pit where several flames are burning. The offerings are made to the Goddess in this same pit. The ‘Aartis’ at different intervals of the day, are the main attraction of this temple. Usually, an offering of Rabri or thickened milk is made to the goddess. In the temple complex, there are several small shrines including Gorakh Dibbi and Chaturbhuj Temple. These blue flames are coming out from the fissures in the ancient rock.

It was 8.00pm by the time we returned to Mcleodganj