Chintpurni Temple at Chintpurni
near Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh: A revered Shakti
shrine where the Goddess is worshipped in the form
of a stone lingam. The Chintpurni Temple, located
at a distance of 35 km from Jawalamukhi, is a famous
temple devoted to Goddess Parvati. It is said that
Parvati's feet fell at Chintpurni. A lot of devotees
come here to pray for boons. The temple is built
around the Devi's pind. The image depicts her without
a head, for it is said that her head was cut to
assuage the blood thirst of her companions. Hence
the name, Chinmastika Devi, 'The Goddess without
a head'.
Legend
Long with hundreds of mythical legends
about the origin of a temple in different parts
of India, the very popular temple of Chintpurni
temple is of the same type. The legend is that one
'Bhagat Mai Dass' was a great devotee of Durga deity
and worshipped her with great devotion and never
bothered over mundane affairs. He was a married
man and his family along with others had shifted
from Patiala side to village 'Rapoh' in Una district
of Himachal Pradesh.
The legend is that one-day
Bhagat Mai Dass was going to his father-in-law's
place and felt tired while by a jungle and slept
under a tree. He had a dream: a young girl appeared
before him and wanted him to stay there and worship
her. He woke up in bewilderment.
He came back to the particular
spot from his father-in-law's place and went on
praying to Durga. The girl appeared this time in
human form and told him the whereabouts where he
would find her in the form of a 'pindi' (a round
stone-ball). He should install the Pindi in a temple.
The Devi blessed him that he would have no fright,
as it was a 'Devasthan' (site of Gods) though so
deserted. She disappeared and Mai Das discovered
the Pindi and installed it in a temple.
It is believed that the place
is where the toes of 'Gati' goddess had fallen being
cut off by the 'Chakra' of Vishnu Lord, when he
was cutting away the pieces of Sati's dead body
carried by Lord Shiva in his 'Tandava Nritya'. The
Pindi represents Sati's feet and is a manifestation
of her. Chintpurni Devi is believed to fulfill the
desires of a person who comes there and devotedly
worships her.
Main Attraction
The main fair at the temple is held during Navratras
(April and October) and during the 10 days of "Shukalpaksh"
in August, in addition to many other religious festivals.
In recent years the temple has been renovated with
the help of major donations from devotees all over
the country.
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