Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

Alha and Udal were two brothers. These were the brave warriors of Mahoba of Bundelkhand and the feudatories of Paramara. The saga of these heroes is described in the court of King Parmar of Kalinjar, a poet named Jagnik, who wrote a poem called Alha Khand. This book has a thrilling description of 52 battles of two heroes. The last battle he fought was with Prithviraj Chauhan. Chauhan was defeated in the war. It is said that his brother Veeragati was received in this war. On the orders of Guru Gorakhnath, Alha gave life to Prithviraj. This was his last fight with Prithviraj Chauhan. It is believed that Alha, the supreme devotee of the mother, had the blessings of mother Sharada, so Prithviraj Chauhan's army had to retreat. On the orders of her mother, Alha had mounted her Saag (weapon) on the Sharda temple and curved the tip which no one has been able to straighten till date. People here say that both brothers first discovered this temple of Shardadevi amidst the forests. Alha meditated here for 12 years. Alha Mata used to be called Sharada Mai and hence her name became Sharada Mai. 

Another intriguing story goes like that there was once a cowboy who would daily go the Trikoota Hills to graze his cattle. One day he noticed a golden cow grazing among his cattle but by the evening,it had disappeared. The next day he followed the cow and saw it entering a cave and the doors closed behind it. Nobody answered his calls but he kept waiting there. After few hours, an old lady opened the door and gave the cowboy some grains in lieu of having her golden cow graze with his cattle. When he returned home, he noticed that the grains had turned into precious gems and jewelry. Astonished by this he went to the king and told him everything. The king asked the cowboy to take him to the place the next day. But that night the king had a dream where the old lady enlightened him saying that she is Adi Shakti Maa Sharda.She advised him to build a temple for her idol, placed atop the hill and make arrangements for devotees to come and offer prayers to her. The king followed all instructions and thus the Maihar Ka Mandir was built.