Har Siddhi Temple
¤ According To Hindu Mythology
According to a legend from the Shiva Purana, an ancient Hindu text in
Sanskrit, Lord Shiva was greatly disturbed after the death of his
consort, Sati.
Overwhelmed with grief, Shiva, the Destroyer of the Universe decided
not to part with her body, carrying it with him wherever he went.
Greatly distressed by this action, the rest of the divine community
cut her body into pieces, and threw the pieces onto Mrityulok, the
land of mortals.
Wherever the parts of her body fell (the elbow fell at the site of
this ancient temple), it became a shaktipeeth, or a centre of the
female manifest form of cosmic energy, thereby making the place
sacred.
¤ Temple Attractions
In the centre of this ancient Hindu temple is a rock smeared with
turmeric paste and vermilion. This is believed to represent the head
of the Gupta king, Chandragupta Vikramaditya (reigned a.d. 380-415),
offered to Goddess Durga, the symbol of Power, on the eve of the
festival of Dussehra. Shakti, the female principal of primal cosmic
energy, has to be propitiated with sacrifices.
The temple has two unique pine-shaped iron lampstands that tower to a
height of 15 feet and display their brilliance after being lit.
Hundreds of lamps burning simultaneously make a wondrous sight,
especially on Navaratri, the nine-day festival celebrated in the month
of October and dedicated to Goddess Durga. The red temple, an ancient
Hindu structure beyond the lampstands symbolising the potency of
Durga, is characteristic of Maratha art.
Yet another feature of the temple is the Sri Yantra, or nine
triangles that represent nine names of Durga, a Hindu Goddess. A
yantra is symbolic of the cosmos and is used for meditation. Each
division of a yantra is symbolic of Shakti, the power of the cosmic
energy that has to be propitiated with sacrifices. Also enshrined in
this ancient Hindu temple is the famous dark vermilion image of
Annapurna, the Goddess of Nourishment, seated next to Mahasaraswati,
the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge. |
