Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar (

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

: चण्डी देवी मंदिर, हरिद्वार) is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

dedicated to Goddess Chandi Devi in the holy city of

Haridwar Haridwar (; ; formerly Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is s ...

in the

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The temple is situated atop the Neel Parvat on the Eastern summit of the

Sivalik Hills The Sivalik Hills, also known as Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas. The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva'. The hills are known for their numerous fossils, and are also home to the Soanian Middle Pale ...

, the southernmost mountain chain of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. Chandi Devi Temple was built in 1929 by Suchat Singh in his reign as the King of

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

. However, the main

murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...

of Chandi Devi at the temple is said to have been installed in the 8th century by

Adi Shankaracharya Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedic scholar, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and his true impact lies in hi ...

, one of the greatest priests of

Hindu religion Hinduism () is an umbrella term for a range of Indian religious and spiritual traditions ( ''sampradaya''s) that are unified by adherence to the concept of ''dharma'', a cosmic order maintained by its followers through rituals and right ...

. The temple also known as Neel Parvat Teerth is one of the ''Panch Tirth'' (Five Pilgrimages) located within Haridwar. Chandi Devi Temple is highly revered by devotees as a ''Siddh Peetha'' which is a place of worship where desires get fulfilled. It is one of three such Peethas located in Haridwar, the other two being Mansa Devi Temple and Maya Devi Temple.

Chandi Devi

Goddess

Chandi Chandi (, ) or Chandika () is a Hindu deity. Chandika is a form of goddess Durga. She shares similarities with the Goddess Chamunda, not only in name but also in attributes and iconography. Due to these similarities, some consider them to ...

also known as Chandika is the presiding deity of the temple. The story of the origin of Chandika is as follows: Long time ago, the demon kings

Shumbha and Nishumbha Shumbha (शुम्भ) and Nishumbha (निशुम्भ) are two asuras in Hindu mythology, featured in the ''Devi Mahatmya''. In their legend, they were slain by the goddess Kaushiki. Legend The story of Shumbha and Nishumbha begins in ...

had captured the kingdom of the god-king of heaven -

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

and thrown the gods from Swarga (heaven). After intense prayers by the gods, a goddess emerged from

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

. An exceptionally beautiful woman and amazed by her beauty, Shumbha desired to marry her. On being refused, Shumbha sent his demon chiefs Chanda and Munda to kill her. They were killed by goddess

Chamunda Chamunda (, ), also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu mother goddess, Mahadevi and is one of the seven Matrikas.Wangu p.72 She is also one of the chief Yoginis, a group of sixty-four or ...

who originated out of Chandika's anger. Shumbha and Nishumbha then collectively tried to kill Chandika but were instead slain by the goddess. Thereafter, Chandika is said to have rested for a short while at the top of Neel Parvat and later a temple was built here to testify the legend. Also, the two peaks located in the mountain range are called Shumbha and Nishumbha.

The Temple

The Temple is located at a distance of from

Har ki Pauri Har Ki Pauri, meaning the feet of Vishnu, Lord Vishnu (Hari), is a Ghats#River ghats, ghat on the banks of the river Ganga and landmark of the Hindu holy city of Haridwar in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is believed that it is the precis ...

. To reach the temple one has to either follow the three kilometre trekking route from Chandighat and reach the shrine by climbing a number of steps or climb the recently introduced rope-way (cable car) service. The rope-way service known as Chandi Devi Udankhatola was introduced for the benefit of the pilgrims and it caters to the pilgrims also to the nearby located Mansa Devi shrine. The rope-way carries the pilgrims from the lower station located near Gauri Shankar Temple on the Nazibabad Road directly to the Chandi Devi Temple located at an altitude of . The total length of the ropeway route is about and height is . There is a dense forest on the other side of the hill and the ropeway offers scenic views of the

Ganges River The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

and Haridwar. The temple is run by the Mahant who is the presiding priest of the temple. On a normal day, the temple is open between 6.00 am. to 8.00 pm. and the morning

aarti ''Arti'' () or ''Aarati'' () is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, part of a ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'', in which light from a flame (fuelled by camphor, ghee, or oil) is ritually waved to venerate Hindu deities, deities. ''Arti'' also refers t ...

at the temple begins at 5.30 am. Leather accessories, non vegetarian food and alcoholic drinks are strictly prohibited in the temple premises.

Significance

The temple is one of the most ancient temples of India. Thousands of devotees flock to the temple, especially during the festivals of Chandi Chaudas and Navratra and the Kumbha Mela in Haridwar, to seek the blessings of the goddesses who is believed to fulfill their wishes. The temple is a must visit for the pilgrims going to Haridwar. Very near to the Chandidevi temple, the temple of Anjana, mother of Hanumanji is located and devotees visiting Chandi Devi temple also visit this temple. Neeleshwar Temple is also situated at the foot of the Neel Parvat. It is said that Mansa and Chandi, the two forms of goddess

always reside close to each other. The temple of Mansa is exactly on the other side of the hilltop on the Bilwa Parvat on the opposite bank of River Ganges. This belief can also be found true in other case since near to

Mata Mansa Devi Mandir Mata Mansa Devi is a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Manasa, Mansa Devi, a form of Shakti, in the Panchkula district of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Haryana. The temple complex is spread of of the Siwalik Hills, Shi ...

Panchkula Panchkula (ISO: ''Paṁcakulā'') is a city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district in Haryana, India. It is a satellite town of the state capital Chandigarh. Panchkula is a border city with Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh ...

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, there is a

Chandi Mandir Chandi Mandir (Hindi, ''Mandir'': "Temple") is a Hindu temple dedicated to Chandi the Saktism, goddess of power, near Chandigarh, located on National Highway 5 (India), NH-5 Chandigarh-Kalka highway in Panchkula city of Haryana state of India. ...

located nearby in

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

Other Chandi Devi temples

. Chandi Devi is the presiding deity of Chandigarh. * Gandaki Chandi, Gandaki near

Pokhara Pokhara ( ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city located in central Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. Named the country's "capital of tourism" it is the List of cities in Nepal, second largest city after Kathmandu, with 599,5 ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, a

Shakta pitha The Shakta pithas, also called Shakti pithas or Sati pithas (, , ''seats of Shakti''), are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the mother goddess denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of A ...

* Mangal Chandika, Ujjaani,

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, a Shakta pitha * Saptashrangi Temple,

Vani Vani ( ka, ვანი ) is a town in Imereti region of a western Georgia (country), Georgia, at the Sulori river (a tributary of the Rioni river), 41 km southwest from the regional capital Kutaisi. The town, with a population of 3,744 as of 201 ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

* Mahalaxmi Temple,

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, Maharashtra * Hedavde Mahalaxmi Devi Temple,

Mumbai Maharashtra Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12.5& ...

Vaishno Devi Vaishno Devi (also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta, Ambe and Vaishnavi) is a manifestation of the Hindu mother goddess. She is worshipped as a combined avatar of the goddesses Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasarasvati. Origin Purāṇa In t ...

Temple, Katra, Jammu and Kashmir * Katak Chandi Temple,

Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka in Odia language, Odia ), is the former capital, deputy capital and the 2nd largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised f ...

Orissa Odisha (), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is a state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the thir ...

. * Ashtadasa Bhuja Mahalakshmi Temple, Skandhashramam, Salem,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

* Mangal Chandi Temple,

Guwahati Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

* Mangal Chandi Temple, Chanditala,

Gallery

File: Chandi Devi Udankhtola station.JPG, Chandi Devi Udankhtola (ropeway) station File: View of the Ganges River from the ropeway to Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar.JPG, View of the

from the ropeway

References

External links

Religious Places in Haridwar district
https://www.techereview.in/chandidevi/ {{Hindu temples in Uttarakhand Devi temples in India Hindu temples in Uttarakhand Buildings and structures in Haridwar