Kunjapuri Devi Temple, Rishikesh
April 17, 2008
Kunjapuri Devi temple is considered as one of the 52 Shaktipeeth / Shaktipeetha/ Shaktipeetham of our divine Mother. Shakti denotes power. To understand the meaning and significance of Shaktipeeth, let us go back to our Puranas (Hindu scriptures).
Goddess Parvati is the consort of Lord Shiva. In her previous birth, Goddess Parvati was known as Sati. She had married the Lord but her father King Daksha was not too pleased. He had organized a Yagna, a spiritual gathering where offerings are made to Agni Dev (Fire God). He had purposely not invited his daughter and her husband. When Sati came to know of this, she was furious and decided to go uninvited. Lord Shiva tried to persuade her to drop this idea but she was relentless.
King Daksha gave his reasons to Sati which was nothing but public humiliation of her husband. Angered by this, Sati jumped into the sacrificial fire and ended her life. Lord Shiva was torn apart. He destroyed and created havoc at the Yagna. Then carried the remains of Sati’s body on his shoulder and danced the dance of destruction-Tandav which would eventually destroy the Universe. While other versions state that in grief, the Lord carried her body on his shoulders and walked aimlessly in grief. He refused to complete the final rites.
Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe felt that if Sati’s body did not receive proper cremation according to the Hindu Shastra’s then she could not take rebirth as Goddess Parvati. While Lord Vishnu was concerned that Lord Shiva’s grief would slowly cause the destruction of the Universe. They could not control or face Lord Shiva’s anger so Lord Vishnu took his Sudarshan Chakra (Disc) and cut the body into pieces. As Lord Shiva traveled her body part fell and last rites were done by the gods. The places where divine Mother’s body parts fell is known as Shaktipeeth. Temples have been built around it and worshipped daily. People travel across continents to seek blessings of Shakti.We have been very fortunate to seek blessings from one such Shaktipeeth located in Rishikesh where divine Mother’s chest had fallen. This Kunjapuri temple is located on a hillock, 15 kms from the main city.
The temple was accessible by road. The drive was more of a rollercoaster ride as the roads are very steep and winding. The parking area was lined with shops selling offerings for worship, Puja Samagri. We bought our Puja thali and energetically headed to the temple.
A flight of around eighty steps took us to the main entrance. This was decorated with freshly painted lion and elephant busts on either side. The lion is the mount of the Goddess. At the centre of the courtyard was the main temple. A large idol of Lord Shiva was located next to this along with idols of other deities. Bordering the courtyard, there were small rooms where the temple priestess and caretaker lived.
We were first to arrive and waited patiently, taking in the pious ambience for the temple to open. The morning bells chimed and the doors finally opened and we were so close to divinity. Inside, there were idols of Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva’s linga/lingam and a part of the Goddess. We handed our Puja thali to the priestess. The offerings consisted of incense sticks, red chunari (veil), coconut, rice puffs, Elachi dana, (sugar drops) and Kumkum (vermillion).
The best time to arrive at the temple is before sunrise. The location is extremely picturesque as it is situated on a mountain top surrounded by forests on all sides. The chirping birds, buzzing insects and the gentle rustle of trees were an indication that something was about to happen. And truly, within few seconds, the sky changed its hue. The bluish grey sky cleared its path so that we could get the first glimpse of Surya Dev, Sun God.
On our way back to the main city, we came across a palatial building. It was majestic with well maintained gardens and a touch of elegance. On enquiry we found out it was called Ananda, a spa retreat. It is renowned for its various Ayurvedic treatments and holistic approach in purifying the mind and body.
Journeys in life teach many lessons. It is therefore important to choose your destination wisely.
©Nayna, 2007-2008. All Rights Reserved.
Similar Posts
Comments
14 Responses to “Kunjapuri Devi Temple, Rishikesh”
Got something to say?
mata rani please……..please give me a chance to come near you . i cant ilive for any single minute without seeing you. Jai Mata Di
Jai Mata Di, Mata Rani i miss you all the time, all the time you be in my mind, dream,every moment of my life. I cant live without seeing you for any single moment. I have got everything to get your love. Mata Rani you please do a favour for me please be near me all time. It’s true that you are my destiny,my treasure. Mata Rani please give me a boon to be your truly devotee. I will serve you all the time. If you consider me your son then please stay in front of my sight., because I only want to get your darshan maa.
Dear Nayana ji,
I appreciate your zeal to visit shakti peethas. I also visit these places. I need clarification whether this is a shaktipeeth or not because it is not listed in any 51
shakti peethas. There is also a naina devi shakti peeth in Nainital,Uttarakhand
and also in Pakistan. Which one is the real one?
Dear Pandeya ji,
Thanks for writing in. Most people are confused about Shaktipeeths because different schools of thought and their interpretations give us Bhakts different guidelines of Shaktipeeths.
There are in all 52 Shaktipeeth and not 51. This is according to Mahapithapurana (circa 1690-1720 CE), also this has been confirmed by Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika and Tantra- Chudamani. According to the Pitharirnaya tantra, the 52 peethas are scattered all over India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan. While Adi Sankaracharya has his own 11 list of Shaktipeeth which are mostly concentrated in parts of Maharashtra and South of india.
But most of us still follow the books and scriptures that say and cites the 52 Shaktipeeth. Now back to your question. Most locals call many devi mandir as Shaktipeeth without understanding the real meaning of Shakti peeth. Mata is Shakti so her every temple /sthaan is called shakti. What we are trying to differentiate is the place where the Goddess’s limbs and parts of the body had fallen when Shri Vishnu had cut them with his sudarshan chakra to ease the pain of Lord Shiva and help Sati to get her rebirth as Parvati Ma.
According to my research, Nainadevi Temple in Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur to be exact is considered to be the place where the Devi’s eyes have fallen. I have visited this Shakti peeth and you can search the post using the search box within this blog.
The most undisputed Shaktipeeth is Kalighat in Kolkata and the Kamakhaya Devi in Assam. I have recently visited Kalighat (Nov 2009) and you can read about it in this blog.
I hope this has been helpful. Do write in again. It is nice to know that there are people who still have remained Bhakts and are longing to maintain their Bhakti and Shraddha.
Best Wishes
Dear Nayana devi ji,
Well as you say the shakti peethsa were created from the different partsof body/ornament of parvati. Whether they are 51,52,53 or even 108 I am not
going to argue.But there are many which are not disputed,and still some are disputed,place not known.Is there any mechanism to verify the truth and I am trynig
to explore. Recently I visited Nartiang to worship Maa Jayanteshwari which is in a
very remote area of Meghalaya. But again I find Jayanteswari devi in Jayantia
pargana of Sylhet, Bangaladesh.Now which is correct? So if you join me in putting
authentic,most accepted version of Shakti Peethas it will greatly help the Bhakts of
DEVI.
Hello again Pandeyaji,
Devotion cannot be measured. Similarly there can never be a mechanism to determine which Shaktipeeth’s power is more than the other. The best way to determine your research could be going back to each source and finding its roots. I wish you best of luck in your quest.
Thanks,Nayana ji.
in the picture temple look very beutiful.i also want to see this temple.please mata ji give me chance to meet with you and your darshan.
jai mata di.
vivek sharma.(ginny)
Panipat
what is distance of kunjapuri temple from rishikesh on which road
Thank you for such an informative and excellent write up for Neelkanth Mahadev Temple and Kunjapuri Devi Temple. Its OUTSTANDING !! Thanks a ton !!
We are planning to visit Rishikesh around Oct-Nov this year just after Diwali. By going through your blogs, we are awaiting to take Darshan of Kunjapuri Devi and Bholenath. Can you please help to resolve few queries:
1. How much time does it take to visit Kunjapuri Mandir?
2. We are 4 Adults, 4 Senior Citizens and 2 kids with us, so how are the steps?
3 How much time does it take to reach Neelkanth Mahadev Temple from Ram Zoola (you said 22 KM. but not sure how much time will it take)
4. How did you go to both these places ? Taxis available / Buses from Rishikesh
Please advise !!
Thank you a TONs for great info and mind blowing writeup !!
Sincere Regards,
Kanchangauri.
Dear Naynaji,
As iam visiting Rishikesh in sept’11 along with my elderly parents,i wanted to clarify or double check with u regarding the steps leading to Kunjapuri temple as i have heard that there are upto 500+ steps.As my parents won’t be able to climb 500+ steps(but u have said that they are abt 80 steps or so)
Best wishes
dear brothers,
I am s.k.bagga from new delhi and i intend to visit Haridwar, Kotdwara,rishkesh and debradun. Will you pls guide from where should i catch bus for going to Kunjapuri devi temple and here is situated in Uttrakhand and how far Tehri garwal and pls reply me urgently to commence my pilgrimage. with kind regrds for guidance
dear priest jee, I wanted to come to rajapuri devi temple from rishikesh, pls guide how to reach there and is it towards Neelkanth and do buses ply from rishikesh and how mjuch time is involved and frequency of busienss. Pls guide me on my email: skbagga@sify.com
I recently visited the holy place – Kunjapuri Shaktipith. I enjoyed every moment of my stay there. It is an Heaven on Earth. I enjoyed the sound of silence, the cool refreshing air, the holy and blissful surroundings and the beautiful Temple. I liked the place so much that, given an opportunity, I would like to stay there for the rest of my
life. I prayed to Her for frequent visits.
I am very surprised to note that the name of Kunjapuri Shaktipith does not appear in the list of 52 Pitasthan. Why ?
Lastly, reasonably priced accommodation facility is lacking. Kindly look into this. This
could be a deterrent factor for visitors.
Await your reply.
Best regards,
A K Chatterjee.y