Mata Mansa Devi Mandir
Encyclopedia
Mata Mansa Devi is a Hindu temple
dedicated to goddess Mansa Devi
, a form of Shakti
, in the Panchkula district
of Haryana
state
in India
. The temple complex is spread of 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of the Shivalik
foothills in village Bilaspur, near Mani Majra
, and Panchkula
, 10 km from Chandi Mandir
, another noted Devi shrine in the region, both just outside Chandigarh
.
It is one of the prominent Shakti
temples of North India
. Thousands of devotees visit the shrine from various parts of the country, and especially during the Navratra mela, this number rises to lakhs everyday for the nine auspicious days.
Gopal Singh of Mani Majra
constructed the present main temple of Shri Mansa Devi, which is situated on the Shivalik foothills in village Bilaspur, Tehsil
and District Panchkula, during the period 1811-1815. At a distance of 200 meters from the main temple is the Patiala temple which was constructed by Karam Singh, a Sikh
, the then Maharaja Patiala in the year 1840. This temple had the patronage of Manimajra State. After the merger of princely states into PEPSU the Patronage of State Govt. ended and the temples remained neglected. The raja of Manimajra then appointed pujari
as ‘khidmatuzar’ of this temple whose duty was to worship the deity of the temple. After the merger of princely State into Pepsu these pujaris became independent on the matter of controlling and managing the affairs of the temple and the land attached to the temple. They could neither maintain this temple nor provide necessary facilities to the visiting devotees and thus the condition of the temple deteriorated day by day. So much so that there were no proper arrangements for pilgrims visiting the temple during Navaratra melas. The complex was in awfully neglected condition till the establishment of the Board.
and Ashvin
months. Every year two Navratra melas are organised in the month of Ashvin (Shardiya, Sharad
or Winter Navratra) and other in the month of Chaitra, Spring Navratra by the Shrine Board.
Lakhs of devotees pay obeisance during the Navratra mela held in Ashvin and Chaitra and temples remain open throughout the day. These melas are of 9 days duration each time and concludes on the 9th day. The shrine Board makes elaborate arrangements for the comfortable stay and darshan
of the devotees. The board makes arrangements for the provision of Chhowldari, tented accommodation, durries
, blankets, temporary toilets, temporary dispensaries, mela police post and lines. During the mela, Duty Magistrates and Nodal Officers are appointed to look after the devotees and smooth conduct of the mela. On the 7th and 8th day of Navratras, the temples of Shrine Complex are closed only for two hours during the night for cleaning maintenance of the temples. For the rest of Navratras, the temples remain open for darshan
from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
bus terminus and 4 km from the Panchkula bus terminus, the Mansa Devi temple can be reached by local buses or autorickshaws. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking and Haryana Roadways supply special buses during the Navratra fair. There are daily flights operated by Indian Airlines & private airlines to Chandigarh. Since it's a popular travel circuit, bookings ought to be made well in advance. Chandigarh is the ideal place to start off if you intend to visit the temple. If you are traveling by train, Chandigarh is the nearest railhead for those heading to Mata Mansa Devi. It is situated on the Chandigarh-Kalka rail line.
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
dedicated to goddess Mansa Devi
Manasa
Manasa is a Hindu folk goddess of snakes, worshipped mainly in Bengal and other parts of northeastern India, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite and also for fertility and prosperity. Manasa is the sister of Vasuki, king of Nāgas and wife of sage Jagatkāru...
, a form of Shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
, in the Panchkula district
Panchkula District
Panchkula district is the newly formed 17th district of Haryana state in India. As formed 15 August 1995, it comprises two sub divisions and two Tehsils named Panchkula and Kalka. It has 264 villages out of which 12 villages are un-inhabited and 10 villages wholly merged in towns or treated as...
of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The temple complex is spread of 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of the Shivalik
Siwalik Hills
The Sivalik hills is a mountain range of the outer Himalayas also known as Manak Parbat in ancient times. Shivalik literally means 'tresses of Shiva’. This range is about long enclosing an area that starts almost from the Indus and ends close to the Brahmaputra, with a gap of about between the...
foothills in village Bilaspur, near Mani Majra
Mani Majra
Manimajra is a small town in the jurisdiction of Union Territory Chandigarh, India.Situated close to Panchkula , Haryana , it is mainly a residential hub having various societies such as Modern Housing Complex , Duplex , Rajiv Vihar and Uppal's Marble Arch...
, and Panchkula
Panchkula
Panchkula is a planned city in Panchkula district, Haryana, India. It is a satellite city of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It also shares seamless border with Mohali district in Punjab. The prestigious Chandimandir Cantonment Headquarters of the Indian Army Western Command, is also located in...
, 10 km from Chandi Mandir
Chandi Mandir
Chandi Mandir is a Hindu temple near Chandigarh, India, dedicated to Chandi, the goddess of power. It is about 15 km from the city of Chandigarh, which was named after the temple, and about 10 km away from the Mansa Devi Shrine...
, another noted Devi shrine in the region, both just outside Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
.
It is one of the prominent Shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
temples of North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
. Thousands of devotees visit the shrine from various parts of the country, and especially during the Navratra mela, this number rises to lakhs everyday for the nine auspicious days.
History
MaharajaMaharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Gopal Singh of Mani Majra
Mani Majra
Manimajra is a small town in the jurisdiction of Union Territory Chandigarh, India.Situated close to Panchkula , Haryana , it is mainly a residential hub having various societies such as Modern Housing Complex , Duplex , Rajiv Vihar and Uppal's Marble Arch...
constructed the present main temple of Shri Mansa Devi, which is situated on the Shivalik foothills in village Bilaspur, Tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
and District Panchkula, during the period 1811-1815. At a distance of 200 meters from the main temple is the Patiala temple which was constructed by Karam Singh, a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
, the then Maharaja Patiala in the year 1840. This temple had the patronage of Manimajra State. After the merger of princely states into PEPSU the Patronage of State Govt. ended and the temples remained neglected. The raja of Manimajra then appointed pujari
Pujari
Pujari means one who does the Puja of the idol of God physically in Hindu temples as a priest. Pujaris are also called archaka. Pujaris learn and chant hymns dedicated to God, generally in Sanskrit. Pujaris are mainly drawn from the Hindu Brahmin caste.-Pujaris as counselors:Throughout India,...
as ‘khidmatuzar’ of this temple whose duty was to worship the deity of the temple. After the merger of princely State into Pepsu these pujaris became independent on the matter of controlling and managing the affairs of the temple and the land attached to the temple. They could neither maintain this temple nor provide necessary facilities to the visiting devotees and thus the condition of the temple deteriorated day by day. So much so that there were no proper arrangements for pilgrims visiting the temple during Navaratra melas. The complex was in awfully neglected condition till the establishment of the Board.
Navratra Melas
Navratra festival is celebrated in the mandir for nine days. Twice in a year millions of devotees visit the temple. Shardiya Navratra mela are organized at the shrine complex during ChaitraChaitra
Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....
and Ashvin
Ashvin
Ashvin , also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, the Tamil solar calendar where it is known as Aipassi and the solar India's national civil calendar. It is the sixth month of the solar Bengali calendar. It falls in the season of Shôrot, or Autumn...
months. Every year two Navratra melas are organised in the month of Ashvin (Shardiya, Sharad
Sharad
Sharad in North India, variantly referred to as Sharat or Sharath or Sarath in South India, is the early autumn ritu, or season in the Hindu calendar. It roughly corresponds to the western months of mid-September to mid-November. Sharad is preceded by Varsha, followed by Hemant...
or Winter Navratra) and other in the month of Chaitra, Spring Navratra by the Shrine Board.
Lakhs of devotees pay obeisance during the Navratra mela held in Ashvin and Chaitra and temples remain open throughout the day. These melas are of 9 days duration each time and concludes on the 9th day. The shrine Board makes elaborate arrangements for the comfortable stay and darshan
Darshan
or Darshan is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" , vision, apparition, or glimpse. It is most commonly used for "visions of the divine" in Hindu worship, e.g. of a deity , or a very holy person or artifact...
of the devotees. The board makes arrangements for the provision of Chhowldari, tented accommodation, durries
Dhurrie
A dhurrie is a thick flat-woven rug or carpet used traditionally in India as floor-coverings.The concept of dhurrie is different from a rug or carpet, but since the dhurries serve the same purpose as carpet or rugs they can be described as one.-Uses:They have a variety of use depending on size,...
, blankets, temporary toilets, temporary dispensaries, mela police post and lines. During the mela, Duty Magistrates and Nodal Officers are appointed to look after the devotees and smooth conduct of the mela. On the 7th and 8th day of Navratras, the temples of Shrine Complex are closed only for two hours during the night for cleaning maintenance of the temples. For the rest of Navratras, the temples remain open for darshan
Darshan
or Darshan is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" , vision, apparition, or glimpse. It is most commonly used for "visions of the divine" in Hindu worship, e.g. of a deity , or a very holy person or artifact...
from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Temple management
The temple complex and its environment are presently looked after by Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board (SMMDSB) Panchkula. In view of the popularity of the temple for its mythological and historical significance and also for fulfilling the wishes of the lakhs of devotees thronging to the complex, Haryana Government by an enactment (Haryana Act No. 14 of 1991) christened as Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Act 1991 took over the control of this temple to provide for better infrastructure development, management, administration and governance of Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine and its endowments including lands and buildings attached to the Shrine. A Shrine Board with Chief Minister of Haryana as Chairman was constituted for running of the Temple and preserving the heritage of the region.Transport
Located at a distance of about 10 km from the ChandigarhChandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
bus terminus and 4 km from the Panchkula bus terminus, the Mansa Devi temple can be reached by local buses or autorickshaws. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking and Haryana Roadways supply special buses during the Navratra fair. There are daily flights operated by Indian Airlines & private airlines to Chandigarh. Since it's a popular travel circuit, bookings ought to be made well in advance. Chandigarh is the ideal place to start off if you intend to visit the temple. If you are traveling by train, Chandigarh is the nearest railhead for those heading to Mata Mansa Devi. It is situated on the Chandigarh-Kalka rail line.
- Nearest rail head:Chandigarh
- Nearest air port: Chandigarh
Other Mansa Devi temples
- Mansa Devi TempleMansa Devi Temple, HaridwarMansa Devi Temple, Haridwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Mansa in the holy city of Haridwar in the Uttarakhand state of India. The temple is located atop the Bilwa Parvat on the Sivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas...
, Bilwa Parvat, HaridwarHaridwarHaridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India... - Mansa Devi temple, Alwar
- Mansa Devi temple, DhuriDhuriDhuri is a city in Sangrur District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located on the Ludhiana-Delhi highway. The neighbouring towns of Dhuri are Sangrur 14k.m in the South, Malerkotla 17k.m in the North, Nabha 30k.m in the East, and Barnala 35k.m in the West. It is a part of the historical...