Jyeshtha Shukla Navami Archives

07/Sep/2022

Location

Shri Naina Devi Mandir is situated at an altitude of 1177 meters in district Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. Many mythological stories are associated with the establishment of the temple.

Nainital is a hill town in Uttarakhand state. It was the summer capital of the British. There is a big lake on top of the mountain. In which water is always filled.

Due to this a huge lake was formed which was called Nainital. That area later known as Nainital. But this fact is not mentioned in the Puranas. According to Skanda Purana, this is Tririshisarovar. These three sages were Atri, Pulastya, and Pulah. There is a temple of Naina Devi on the banks of the lake on the banks of Mallital.

History of Mata Shri Naina Devi Ji

A long time ago in Satya Yuga, Sati, wife of Lord Shiva, daughter of Daksha, immolated herself in protest of her husband Shiva’s insult to her father. Lord Shiva shocked by the incident and in anger, he kept the dead body of Sati on his shoulder and started the dance of destruction, and started moving towards the East. Watching his devastating attitude Bramha and the other Gods became worried.

They worried that the universe may be destroyed. They knew that the body of Sati on the shoulder of Lord Shiva would not decompose so long it remained in touch with Shiva’s body. But it was important to detach the body of Sati from that of Siva to bring Lord Siva out of such a great shock and could be avoided the catastrophe of the universe. They knew what to do but were not sure how to do it.

They then approached Lord Bishnu. After a long discussion, they decided that Lords Bramha, Bishnu, and Shani would utilize their power of Yoga to chop the body of Sati into pieces and throw those parts of the body into the universe to establish Shaktipeeths. They executed the plan. The destruction of the universe was averted. Shri Naina Devi Mandir is the place where Sati’s eyes fell.

According to another story related to the temple of a Gujjar boy named Naina. Once he went to graze his cattle and saw a white cow pouring milk from its udders on a stone. He saw the same thing for the next several days. One night while he was sleeping, he saw the Mother Goddess in a dream saying that the stone is his Pindi. Naina told Raja Bir Chand about the whole situation and her dream. Now, the king saw that it was happening in his own eyes, he built a temple named Sri Nayana Devi at the same place.

Shri Naina Devi Mandir is also famous as Mahishapeeth because it is here that Mother Shri Naina Devi ji killed Mahishasura. According to legends, Mahishasura a mighty demon who blessed with immortality by Sri Brahma, but the condition that he could be defeated only by an unmarried woman. Due to this boon, Mahishasura created terror on the earth and the gods. All the gods donated their powers to fight the demon and immerged a goddess who could defeat Mahishasura. The Goddess equipped with different types of weapons by all the deities. Mahishasura was mesmerized by the immense beauty of the goddess and proposed to marry to the goddess. Devi promised him that she would marry him if he defeated him. During the fight, Devi defeated the demon and removed both his eyes.

Another story associated with the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. When he launched his military campaign against the Mughals in 1756, he went to Shri Naina Devi and performed a Mahayagya to seek the blessings of the Goddess. After being blessed, he successfully defeated the Mughals.

After descending a few steps to the temple, a huge idol of Lord Hanuman ji enshrined in a blessing posture at the entrance to the Naina Devi Mandir. There is a Bhairav temple near the main temple of Naina Devi. A huge Shivling in this temple is there whose beauty is unique.

There are three temples at the initial end of the newly constructed auditorium adjacent to this temple, in which Santoshi Mata Mandir, Navagraha Mandir, Radhakrishna Mandir. Right in front of the temple, there is a long railing on the banks of the Naina Lake itself. In the middle of this railing, an elongated Shivling installed. The main temple in this group of temples is Naina Devi. This temple vertically shaped with a triangular shape, which in itself is a wonderful specimen of mountain architecture. Devotees also offer silver or gold eyes to the Devi temple.

The main idol in this temple is Naina Devi. In this temple, the foundation day of the Mother Goddess celebrated on Jyeshtha Shukla Navami. On this day special puja havan performed on the premises of the temple. There are a lot of crowds here during Navratri.

This Shaktipeeth built by Shri Motiram Shah in the 18th century which destroyed in the earthquake of 1880. Later it renovated by Amarnath Shah, son of Motiram Shah. Lakhs of devotees of India visit this place. It also a tourist destination. In summer, there is no place to set foot in the hotels here. Every year 8-9 lakh devotees visit and worship this Shaktipeeth.

Where is Naina Devi Mandir

Nainital is 30 km away from Kashipur, Moradabad 70, Bareilly 180, Lucknow 430, and Delhi 220 km. The railway station is Kashipur and the airport is Delhi.

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