Nainadevi Temple, Shaktipeeth, Bilaspur
December 28, 2008
In this journey of life, we try to visit as many pilgrimage centres we can so that in the end, we may go back to our source. In this endeavour, we try and bring to our readers the places we visit and its spiritual significance. Our aim is to provide others some amount of encouragement so that they too can become devotees and find their spiritual goals.
This year, we visited Naina Devi, a Shaktipeeth of Goddess Parvati. The story of Sati and the existence of Shaktipeeth have been explained in detail in our previous post when we visited Kunjapuri Devi Temple, Rishikesh.
The word naina denotes eyes and at this Shaktipeeth, the Goddess Parvati’s eyes had fallen and thus the name Naina Devi. Situated on the Shivalik Mountain, the temple is lies in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh and there are several options on how to get there.
1) Devotees can reach by road, taking the National Highway 21. The closest airport is in city of Chandigarh. The distance of the shrine from Chandigarh is approximately 100 km.
2) There are alternate roads that connect this temple from Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib. The distance from Kiratpur Sahib to Naina Devi is 30 km and from Anandpur Sahib, it is 20 km. State transport buses are well-connected from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to get to this holy site.
3) There are some devotees who prefer to trek, taking the route from Kaulan Wala Toba near Anandpur Sahib to the temple.
Once we reached the foothills of the Shivalik Mountain, we again had options on how to reach to the main shrine-trekking or by ropeways. We opted for the ropeways.
The word ropeway does create an alarming image in our mind but it is far from it. It is not a wobbly bridge, crocheted in coir. It is not a basket where one needs to sit and brace oneself, while getting pulled to the other side. But instead, these are colourful cable cars. We were first to arrive but we were made to wait until the cable cars were thoroughly tested.
A picturesque ride of ten to twelve minutes on the ropeway took us to the main hub where the real buzz was. There were shops lined with offerings that one could buy to offer to Naina Devi. There were a lot of bi-lanes and since we were the first to arrive, we had to ask for directions to head to the temple. Soon, we encountered steps and we knew we had found our way.
Marble steps were etched with names of the contributors who had helped in some way in the building and development of this holy shrine. There were rest stops on the way. Actually, there were two storied house-Dharmshalas that provide lodgings to devotees. After 130 steps, we finally reached at the base of the temple. We took off our shoes and finally after ten more steps we extended our hand to ring the bell that marked a sign in our souls that we made it.
Shiny brass railings made it easier for the devotees to queue and wait for their turn to enter in the main arena. At the either side of the entrance, there were two life sized, milky-white marble lions standing guard. A magnificent Peepal/ Pipal tree attracted every onlooker’s attention in the centre of the courtyard. Vapours surrounding it, gave an indication that there was havan in progress.
We were in awe as we stepped up to the goddess’s main chamber. Our eyes felt an instant attraction to Naina Devi’s golden eyes. We could see her dressed in bright crimson attire and her shimmering glare made us realise the power of Shakti. Mesmerized, we froze and didn’t realise when our offerings were taken from our hands and returned as Prasad. Next to Nainadevi, to her left, was seated Goddess Kali or Maa Kali, and next to Her, was Lord Ganesh.
The head priest invited us to the havan and we surrendered our frivolous material thoughts and emotions to the burning pyre. After offerings to the flames of the Yagna, the priest tied blessed threads on our wrists. Then we bowed in gratitude to the divine mother for granting us the permission to seek Her blessings.
We asked the priest’s permission to take few photographs inside the arena and the outside entrance. Photography inside the main sanctum is forbidden. On our way back, we looked through the shops and chatted with the locals. They informed us that there are six other Shakti temples in and around Himachal Pradesh.
1) Maa Mansadevi Ji
2) Maa Jwala Ji- This is located in Kangra. Here goddess’s tongue had fallen.
3) Maa Chamunda Ji
4) Maa Vaishnodevi Ji
5) Maa Brijeshwari Ji
6) Maa Chintpurni Ji
Euphoric with our profound chance to get so close with the divine mother, left a wonderful impression in our minds. A feeling that is best understood when experienced.
©Nayna, 2007-2008. All Rights Reserved.
Similar Posts
Comments
Got something to say?
