Chintpurni

Chintpurni
[[Image:File:Chint.jpg|280px|alt=|]]
Chintpurni Location in Himachal Pradesh
Coordinates:	31°49′00″N 76°08′00″E / 31.8167°N 76.1333°E / 31.8167; 76.1333Coordinates: 31°49′00″N 76°08′00″E / 31.8167°N 76.1333°E / 31.8167; 76.1333
Name
Proper name:	Chintpurni Devi Temple
Location
Country:	India
State:	Himachal Pradesh
District:	Una
Location:	Chintpurni, 177110
Elevation:	950 m (3,117 ft)
Architecture and culture
Primary deity:	Chhinnamasta Devi
Architectural styles:	Hindu
History
Date built: (Current structure)	unknown
Creator:	Mai Das
Website:	http://chintpurni.itzall.com

Chintpurni (Hindi: चिन्तपुर्णी) is a place of pilgrimage in India. Chintpurni is located in Una district Himachal Pradesh state, surrounded by the western Himalaya in the north and east in the smaller Shiwalik (or Shivalik) range bordering the state of Punjab.^[1] Chintpurni is dedicated to the temple of Chinnamastika Devi or Chinnamasta Devi. Chhinnamasta or Chinnamastika temple is one of the 7 major and 51 total Shakti Peeths. Here, Chhinnamasta is interpreted as the severed-headed one as well as the foreheaded-one^[2].

Mythological Origin

When Lord Vishnu cut up the body of Sati into 51 pieces so that Lord Shiva would calm down and stop his Tandava, the pieces were scattered over various places in the Indian subcontinent. It is said that the feet of Sati fell at this place and is thus considered one of the most important of the 51 Shakti Peeths.

About the Temple

Maa's durbar as seen from the havan kund, on left

The temple dedicated to Mata Chintpurni Devi is located in District Una of Himachal Pradesh. Mata Chintpurni Devi is also known as Mata Shri Chhinnamastika Devi.

Devotees have been visiting this Shaktipeeth for centuries to pray at the lotus feet of Mata Shri Chhinnamastika Devi.

They bring with them their worldly concerns and seek blessings from the Devi.

It is believed that if you ask something from the Devi with a true heart, your wish will be granted.

Apart from the holy shrine, according to Manav Bhardwaj, the place is full of picturesque surroundings. Some very nice places for sight seeing, indoor and out door activities are situated in and around Chintpurni. Chintpurni is very well connected through roads and with good number of hotels and dharamsalas erceted in and around chintpurni, accommodation is not a problem at all. You can come here for religious visit, on a holiday or for both, you would enjoy your time there and should return with everlasting memories.

History

Devotees usually get their photos clicked in the temple complex, after the holy Darshan of the Devi

Pandit Mai Das, a Saraswat Brahman, is generally believed to have established this shrine of Mata Chintpurni Devi in Chhaproh village in the ancient times. Over the time this place became known as Chintpurni after the eponymous deity. His descendants still live in Chintpurni and perform prayers and puja at the Chintpurni temple. These descendants are the official priests at the Temple.

Hindu Records

Hindu pilgrimage and marriage records were also used to be kept at this holy place. The Genealogical Society (GSU) of Utah, USA has microfilmed Hindu pilgrimage records for Haridwar and several other Hindu pilgrimage centres. Priests (pandits) located at each site would record the name, date, home-town and purpose of visit for each pilgrim. These records were grouped according to family and ancestral home. The holdings by GSU include Haridwar, Kurukshetra, Pehowa, Chintpurni, Jawalapur and Jawalamukhi.^[3]

Offering prayers

Devotees just after the darshan

Devotees tie red crimson threads on making a wish, and come back and untie when fulfilled

The temple is open from 4 am to 11 pm.

Devotees usually bring offerings for the Devi. Sweets (e.g. suji halwa, laddoo, barfi), kheer (sugar-coated puffed rice), patasha, coconut (or other fruits), chunni, dhwaja (red-coloured flag), flowers and ghee are some of the offerings that devotees bring. You may bring the prasad from home or you may buy it from one of the shops in the bazaar.

In the center of the Temple is the temple garbha griha. The image of Mata Chintpurni Devi is installed here in the form of a pindi (a round stone). People queue up for a darshan of the Devi and make their prayers and offerings.

Its a kind of a custom at the Temple that the devotees, after the holy Darshan of the Goddess, get their photos clicked by the professional photographers in the Temple complex. The view of the Chintpurni town and the far flung scenic contours is enjoyable from the back-yard of the temple. The photos clicked here of the devotees are life-time memoirs for them.

Location and travel information

Chintpurni is situated at the altitude of 940 metres and is part, Una district, Himachal Pradesh. The temple is situated on one of the highest peaks of the Sola Singhi range of hills. It is about 3 km west of Bharwain which is located on the Hoshiarpur - Dharmashala road. This road is part of the State Highway network and is normally kept in good shape throughout the year.

Private vehicles are usually not allowed beyond the Chintpurni bus stand which is about 1.5 km from the Temple. You would have to walk this distance. About half of this distance is up a gentle incline and through a very busy market.

The temple is open from 4 am to 11 pm.

Weather

Spring : About mid-February to mid-April. The winter starts losing its bite around mid-February.

Summer : Mid-April to end of June. It is hot in summer and light cottons are recommended.

Rainy season : July - September. Still quite warm and, of course, humid. Lots and lots of rain.

Autumn : October - November. Days are pleasantly warm, nights are cool. May need light woollens at night or early mornings.

Winter: December - January. It is quite pleasant during the day and you may get by with one layer of woollens. The winter nights are cold and an extra layer of woollens is required.

In general, temperatures in Chintpurni are about 5 Celsius lower than in the Punjab and Haryana plains and in Delhi.

Accommodation

The Navaratra fairs in Aashadh (July), Ashwin (October) and Chaitra (March-April) are very popular with devotees when accommodation is very tight. Other popular days are Sankranti, Purnima and Ashtami.

There are a number of dharamshalas, guest houses and hotels of varying quality in and around Chintpurni. Himachal Tourism runs Hotel Chintpurni Heights (formerly Yatri Niwas) at Bharwain which is only 3 km from the Chintpurni temple. It has a magnificent view of the Swan valley to the south. At night to the west you can see the bright lights of the Temple and its bazaar. Looking towards the northeast are the shimmering waters of the Govind Sagar.

There are number of hotels and lodges to stay ranging from budget to luxary.On the way to Maa Chintpurni from Gagret hotels and picnic spots starts so there are plenty of options to stay and dine.

Getting there

There are a number of ways to get to Chintpurni from Delhi.

Rout 1. Delhi - Chandigarh - Ropar - Nangal - Una - Mubarikpur -Thaneek Pura - Bharwain - Chintpurni

Rout 2. Delhi - Jalandhar - Hoshiarpur - Gagret -Mubarikpur - Bharwain - Chintpurni

Buses: Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal State Transport run buses on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Chintpurni route. Buses running on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Dharamshala and Delhi-Chandigarh-Palampur route stop at either Bharwain or Chintpurni. Frequent State Transport bus services are also available from most important cities of Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

Train: A number of trains run from Delhi to Una Himachal. Closest railway stations are at Una (55km), Amb(20km), and Hoshiarpur (42km). Frequent bus and taxi services to Chintpurni are available from these places.

Jan Shatabadi: Delhi to Una Himachal. Leaves Delhi at 3pm and reaches Una at 11pm.

Himachal Express: Delhi to Una Himachal. Leaves Delhi at 11.20pm and reaches Una at 8am.

Shuttle: Ambala to Amb Via Nangal and Una.

Airport: Nearest airport is at Gaggal in Dharmshala, which is in Kangra district. Distance to Chintpurni is about 60km. Indian Airlines flies to Dharmshala via Chandigarh. Kingfisher Airlines, Indigo, Go Air also provide flights to Dharmshala. Other airports are at Amritsar (160km) and Chandigarh (200km).

Some distances

• Delhi - Chandigarh - Ropar - Nangal - Una - Mubarakpur - Bharwain - Chintpurni : 430 km
• Chandigarh - Ropar - Nangal - Una - Mubarakpur - Bharwain - Chintpurni : 200 km
• Jalandhar - Hoshiarpur - Gagret - Bharwain - Chintpurni : 90 km
• Hoshiarpur - Gagret - Bharwain - Chintpurni : 42 km
• Kangra - Jwalaji - Bharwain - Chintpurni : 70 km
• Naina Devi - Nangal - Una - Mubarakpur - Bharwain - Chintpurni : 115 km
• Vaishno Devi - Jammu - Pathankot - Kangra - Bharwain - Chintpurni : 250 km

Nearby places of interest

Thaneek Pura: Thaneek Pura is about 3 km from the Chintpurni Shrine. Apart from its scenic beauty, Thaneek Pura is famous for its temples like Guga Zahar Peer Temple, Radha-Krishna Temple, Mahiya Sidh Temple.

Here people can also see an ancient and unique deep well that goes down about 60 stairs and a main well further down. Thaneek Pura is also famous for a fair which is an annual event starting on the subsequent day of Krishna Janamashtmi and coincides with Guga Navami celebrations. A grand Yajna and Bhandaara is also organized which is one of the largest of its kind. A wrestling competition is also a part of this fair that is attended by all the famous wrestlers of Himachal, Punjab and other nearby states. This fair continues for three days. Krishna Janamashtami and Shivaratri are also big religious events in Thaneek Pura.

For picnic freaks, who come to visit the Chintpurni Temple, the Chaat Bazar of Thaneek Pura in Chintpurni is a big attraction. This place is also famous as Chaat Wala Mod and visitors can not only enjoy the famous spicy mix fruit chaat but along with this it is a very scenic place. The view from here is awe-inspiring with beautiful Swan Valley in sight and a huge spread of pine tree forest on Shivalik Hills. It's a favourite hangout for people from nearby states and other tourists.

Dharmsal Mahantan The place is situated 5 km from chintpurni where Baba Nakodar Das Gaddi, spiritual place., is very famous. People from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh visit here. Two annual fairs named Sair and Bsoaa in local language are held with great joy. This place is as near to the Sheetla Devi temple as to Chintpurni. Dharmsal Mahantan is also famous for its temples like Dodha Zahar Peer Temple, Radha-Krishna Temple, Godadi Sidh Temple. An ancient well called Pap Khandan is also popular where it is though that the water comes from Ganga river.

Sheetla Devi temple : This temple is located near Dharamsala Mahantan about 5 km west of Chintpurni. A winding, single lane road leads you there from Chintpurni.

Chamunda Devi Temple : Temple of Chamunda Devi is situated on the right bank of Baner river in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. The famous Temple is connected with Dharamshala - Palampur National Highway.

Jwalamukhi Devi temple : Goddess Jwalamukhi is the deity of the flaming mouth. The temple is built over natural jets of combustible gas, believed to be the manifestation of goddess. About 35 km northeast from Chintpurni.

Vajreshwari Devi temple : This temple, which is one of the most famous Shaktipeeths of North India, is located in Kangra town. About 50 km north from Chintpurni.

Dharamsala and McLeodganj : About 68 km north of Chintpurni is located Dharamsala, the principal township of Kangra district. Its dense pine and deodar forests, numerous streams, cool healthy air and the nearby snowline make it an attractive place. The Dalai Lama (with his government-in-exile) lives in the upper part of town called McLeodganj.

Masroor Temples : Located 15 km south of Kangra, this village is known for its monolithic rock temples. There are fifteen richly carved temples in Indo-Aryan style. Only known example of rock-cut temples in North India.

Maharana Pratap Sagar on Pong Dam : This reservoir and wild life sanctuary on river Beas covers an area of nearly 450 square kilometres. More than 200 species of migratory birds visit the lake in winter. Water sports like sailing, water skiing and rowing are allowed on the lake. About 20 km west from Chintpurni.

Pragpur-Garli heritage village : Located about 25 km northeast from Chintpurni, this is India's first classified heritage village. It's magnificent buildings - some decaying and crumbling - have largely remained unspoiled, giving Garli-Pragpur a medieval ambience.

Sujanpur-Tira and Nadaun : Sujanpur was established by Raja Sansar Chand Katoch, a great patron of painting, in 1758 as his third capital.

Naina Devi Temple - Temple of Shri Naina Devi Ji is situated on a hill top in Bilaspur District of Himachal Pradesh in India. About 115 km southeast from Chintpurni.

Baba Balak Nath Sidhpeeth - Deot Sidh : Located in Hamirpur district, this shrine to Baba Balak Nath is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year. Guru Adi Nath, who started the Siddha tradition, is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva.

Kaleshwar: This temple of God Shiva is situated at a distance of 5 km on the Nadaun- Sujanpur road at the meeting place of Beas river and Kunah Khad. This temple is about more than 400 years old. In the month of ‘Baishakh’ ( May-June), during the mela large number of devotees visit this place to have a glimpse of Shivling. According to the ancient grape-vine, the construction of this temple was started by the ‘Pandavas’ of ‘Mahabharata’ fame with the help of Vishva-Karma in the night during their secret exile. But the construction of the temple was abandon by ‘Pandavas’ as they were spotted by the local people. Later on, this temple was constructed by the King of Katoch dynasty. This pilgrimage place is considered as sacred as Haridwar in Uttarakhand. The people who are unable to visit Haridwar, immerse the mortal remains of their relatives, in the sacred water of this place.

References

1. ^ Chintpurni Temple
2. ^ Chhinnamasta Devi
3. ^ Hindu pilgrimage and marriage records - BBC News

External links

• Chintpurni

• Chintpurni travel guide from Wikitravel