 Temple of Bhimeshwari is situated in the Jhajjar district of Haryana. It is a famous temple which attracts a number of devotees from far off places. Since ancient times, India has been inhabited by saints and fakirs. The remains of the temples belonging to the time of Mahabharata can still be found scattered around the country including Haryana. Beri is a town in the Jhajjar district which also houses one of the ancient temples known as the temple of Bhimeshwari. The place is also famous for the huge fair which is held twice every year during the time of Navaratri in the temple.
Navaratri Fair in Temple of Bhimeshwari During the fair of Navaratri, numerous shops are decorated in the market. Nuptial knot is tied by the newly wedded couples before the goddess during the fair. Mundan ceremony of small children is also conducted in the temple. As a ritual, a "Jyot" of "desi" ghee is lighted by the devotees and coconut and Prasad are offered to the Goddess Bhimeshwari. Mythology of Temple of Bhimeshwari According to a myth, the name of the temple is so because the idol of the goddess was installed in the temple by Bhima. It is said that before the battle of Mahabharata started Mahabali Bhima was instructed by Lord Krishna to bring his Kuldevi to the Kurukshetra, the battlefield, for her blessings. His brother Yudhistar also told him to do the same. Thus Bhima arrived to the Hinglay Mountain and prayed to the kuldevi for moving to the battlefield to assure their victory. The Goddess agreed to his request but laid down a condition before him. She said that if Bhima dropped her from his lap anywhere on the way she would cease to proceed further. However, on the way Bhima felt thirsty and kept the goddess under a tree of Beri. As he could not find water nearby he took out water from the earth with his "gada". After this, when he tried to take the goddess again, she did not move from her place and Bhima recalled the condition given by her. Helplessly, Bhima then left the goddess at the bank of the pond and after seeking her blessings went to Kurukshetra. After the war of 18 days Kauravas were killed and Gandhari reached the same place screaming. While passing through the bank, Gandhari saw the Kuldevi and thus established a temple there. Modern Temple of Bhimeshwari Although the original temple ruined over time but the seat of the goddess always remained at the same place. The town of Beri currently houses two magnificent temples. Since the era of Mahabharata, the ritual of moving the idol of the goddess from outer to inner temple is prevailing. During ancient times, the place was covered with dense forest. At certain period of time, Maharishi Durvasa was dwelling in the nearby area and every morning he used to bring the idol in the outer temple on his lap and returned it to the inner temple at the noon. Maharishi Durvasa also used to sing a chant during the arti, which is still sung in the mornings and evenings. Akhand Jyoti is enlightened in the temple for 24 hours. Lately, the government has taken up the responsibility of beautification of the temple. Owing to the temple, Beri has emerged as a famous pilgrimage place and a number of pilgrims visit it exhibiting deep devotion and faith and chant the name of the Goddess. In fact the chanting of Goddess's name can always be heard in the town of Beri. |
| |||
Home > Reference > Indian Temples > North Indian Temples > Temples of Punjab > Haryana Temples > Temple of Bhimeshwari
Temple of Bhimeshwari
| Temple of Bhimeshwari is a famous religious site situated in Harayana. The temple is also associated with Indian mythology and the present temple has been built over the ruins of the ancient one. |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
