Located in Una district of Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, Mata Chintpurni Devi temple is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths of Hindus in India. The holy shrine is beautifully surrounded by Himalayan Mountains and dedicated to Chinnamastika Devi also known as Mata Chintpurni Devi. The word Chinnamastika means severed-headed and foreheaded.
This pious place is being frequented by devotees since ages to seek the blessings and grace of Mata Shri Chhinnamastika Devi. The lotus feet of Devi ji are believed to be very auspicious and people also have faith that whatever they pray for to Devi Ji with a true heart will be granted by her.
The idol of Shri Chinnamastika Devi is shown her severed head in her own hands, drinking the blood flowing from one of the arteries of her neck. On the other side are two naked yoginis drinking blood spurting out from the other stream. The Temple garbha griha is situated in the middle of the temple. The Pindi instituted here connotes Mata Chintpurni Devi.
As per historic beliefs Saraswat Brahman named Pandit Mai Das has established the holy shrine which later came to be known as Chintpurni Devi Temple. His progenies are still the official priests at the temple and perform all the prayers and pooja offerings.This holy place is also famous for the record of Hindu marriages and pilgrimages maintained here.
Legend and History of Chintpurni temple
Shri Chintpurni temple is also one of the 7 major and 51 total Shaktipeeths. There is a legend of Lord Shiva and his wife Devi Sati. It is believed that Devi Sati furious of the insult done by her father Prajapati Daksh to her husband Lord Shiva, jumped into her father’s Yagna. Lord Shiva got angry, lifted her burning body on his shoulders and started Tandava Nritya. All the Gods and Goddesses in heaven were frightened of the huge devastation that Lord Shiva’s anger could bring about and hence approached Lord Vishnu for a resolution. Lord Vishnu released his Sudarshan Chakra which cut the body of Devi Sati in several parts that fell in different areas of Indian Subcontinent. It is believed that her feet fell in the place where Chintpurni Temple stands.
There is another fable related to this temple from Markandeya Purana. It is held that after a fierce battle, Goddess Chandi defeated demons but Jaya- Vijaya, two of her yogini emanations were left thirsty for blood even after the battle. To satiate their thirst for more blood, Devi Chandi cut her own head off. The headless Devi is known for her immense Cosmic powers and helps her devotees to come out of the vicious circle of preconceived ideas, attachments and habits to attain Pure Divine Consciousness. Cutting off her own head is symbolic of detachment of mind from body and freedom from materialistic longings.
According to puranas, Rudra Mahadev- Lord Shiva will continue to protect Devi Chintpurni from all the four directions and hence there are four temples of Lord Shiva surrounding this temple from all the four directions. Kaleshwar Mahadev in the east, Narayhana Mahadev in the west, Muchkund Mahadev in the north and Shiva Bari in the south.
Temple and Prayer timings
Devotees can offer prayers to Devi Ji from 4 am to 11 pm. They also usually bring bhog offerings of sweets such as laddoo, barfi, halwa etc., coconut, fruits, Devi Ji ki Chunni etc. Almost as a part of tradition, devoteed after having darshan of the Goddess and offering prayers to her, get their pictures clicked by professional photographers in the Temple. From the backyard of the temple, there is a view of Chintpurni town and other distant natural scenes in the photographs.
Accommodation
Besides being a pilgrimage, the place is also renowned for its tourism. Therefore, there a lot of dharamshalas and hotels in and around Chintpurni town.
• Location – Una → Himachal Pradesh
• Dedicated to → Mata Shri Chintpurni Devi Ji
• Main Attraction → Head-less idol of Chinnamastika Devi
• Main Festival and Fair → The Navratra festivals
• How to reach by Air → the nearest airport – Gaggal, Dharamshala
• How to reach by Rail – Nearest railway station → Amb Andaura (station code AADR), about 20 km from the Chintpurni temple
• How to reach by Road → Frequent state transport buses available from all major towns and cities of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and also from Delhi. One can also drive by car to the holy shrine.
