 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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