Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

It is said that Mai Dass, a Brahmin priest of village RIPOH MUCHILIAN, Tehsil Amb, was on his way to village PIRTHIPUR in that very Tehsil to see his parents-in-law. Chintpurni fell in his way and when he reached here he heard devotional tunes from the peak of the hillock. Attracted by the tunes, he climbed up the hillock and witnessed a beautiful girl of about 12-13 years sitting with a lion by her side and surrounded by a number of gods humming devotional songs in her praise. He could not face the celestial light radiating from the girl and was horrified. The girl, however, came to his rescue and disclosing that she was Goddess Durga and that she was pleased with him, she asked him to shed his fear. Addressing him further she said that she would like to stay at the site of her appearance permanently in the form of a ‘pindi’(stone) and asked Mai Dass that he and after his death, his progeny should do ‘puja’(worship) of the ‘pindi’ twice a day, regarding it as her own image. She further blessed that anyone who visited this place and worshipped the ‘pindi’ with sincere devotion would be emancipated from all worldly anxieties and worries and that hence she (the Goddess there) would be known as ‘Chintan Purni Devi’ (Goddess relieving one of all worries).

Mai Dass who was aged 80, with folded hands told the Goddess that he was issueless and the place besides being without habitation, had no trace of water. The Goddess blessed Mai Dass that he would have a son, and further directed him to a place about two furlongs away where underneath a slab of stone ‘1&1/4 hath’ (hand unit) long, he would find water. Mai Dass to his astonishment discovered water under the slab indicated by the Goddess. He brought that slab and kept it near the ‘pindi’. He gave bath to the ‘pindi’ and did its ‘puja’ as was directed to do by the Goddess. However, next day he left the place and set out for the house of his in-laws. In the way he became blind. He met a passer-by to whom he narrated the whole story repenting as to how he had become blind after leaving the place and thereby breaking his pledge of continuing ‘puja’ of the ‘pindi’. The passer-by brought back Mai Dass to the spot, who after apologising to the Goddess regained his eye-sight. He then constructed a small ‘Chhappar’ (thatched straw-hut) there over the ‘pindi’ and became the first inhabitant of the place. The habitation grew as a larger and larger number of devotees were attracted to pay homage to the Goddess.

Who is Mata Chintpurni Devi Ji : After defeating many ferociuos deamons, Maa Parvati, with Her aides Jaya and Vijaya (also known as Dakini and Varini) went to take a bath in the Mandakini River. Maa Parvati was feeling very happy and a lot of love was welling up inside Her. Her complexion darkened and the feeling of love completely took over. Her friends on the other hand were hungry and asked Parvati to give them some food. Parvati requested them to wait and said that She would feed them after a while, and began walking. After a short while, Jaya and Vijaya once again appealed to Maa Parvati, telling Her that She was the Mother of the Universe and they Her children, and asked to be fed quickly. Parvati replied that they should wait until they got home. Both aides could not wait any longer and demanded that their hunger be satisfied immediately. The compassionate Parvati laughed and with Her finger nail cut Her own head. Immediately, blood spurted in three directions. Jaya and Vijaya drank the blood from two directions and the Goddess herself drank the blood from the third. Since Maa Parvati cut Her own head, She is known as Maa Chinnamastika.