Durga Mandir (

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 ...

: दुर्गा मंदिर), also known as Durga Kund Mandir and Durga Temple, is one of the most famous temples in the holy city of

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

. This temple has great religious importance in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and is dedicated to

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

. Durga Mandir was constructed in 18th century by

Rani Bhabani Rani Bhabani () (c. 1716–1803), also known as ''Ardhabangeshwari''(অর্ধবঙ্গেশ্বরী) and ''Natorer Rani'' or the Queen of Natore, was a Hindu zamindar during the British colonial era in what is now Rajshahi Division, ...

Natore Natore is a city ("town" in some sources) in western Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of the Natore District. Its current administrator is Asha Khatun. The Narod river is passing through the center of the city with pollution from upstream industr ...

History

Durga Mandir was constructed in 18th century by Bengali Maharani-

. The temple is dedicated to the Goddess

. Next to the temple, is a kund (pond) which was earlier connected to the river Ganges. It is believed that the existing icon of the goddess was not made by a man but appeared on its own in the temple. Durga Mandir-Varanasi India-Andres Larin

Durga Mandir-Varanasi India-Andres Larin

In ''adhyaya'' (chapter) 23 of the ''

Devi-Bhagavata Purana The Devi Bhagavata Purana (, '), also known as the Devi Purana or simply Devi Bhagavatam, is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas as per Shiva Purana of Hinduism. Composed in Sanskrit by Veda Vyasa, the text is considered a major purana for Devi ...

'', this temple's origin is explained. As per the text, Kashi Naresh (king of Varanasi) called for a Swayamvar for his daughter Sashikala's marriage. The King later learnt that the princess was in love with vanvasi prince Sudarshan. So Kashi Naresh got his daughter secretly married to the prince. When the other Kings (who were invited for Swayamvar) got to know about the marriage, they got angry and went on war with Kashi Naresh. Sudarshan then offered prayers to Durga, who came on a lion and fought the war for Kashi Naresh and Sudarshan. After the war, Kashi Naresh pleaded to Durga to protect Varanasi and with that belief, this temple was constructed.

Construction

Durga Mandir was constructed in the 18th century (exact date of construction not known) by a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Bengali

Rani ''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...

'' -

. (Bengali queen).'' The temple was built in

North India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

n Nagara style of architecture. The temple is painted red with

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...

to match the colours of the central icon of

, the goddess of strength and power. Inside the temple, many elaborately carved and engraved stones can be found. The temple is made up of many small sikharas conjoined together''.'' File:Durga Mandir, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India (2007).jpg, Mandir as seen from north corner of Durgakund File:Durga Kund.JPG, Durga Kund (pond) next to the temple

Location

Durga Mandir is situated on the Sankat Mochan road, adjacent to Durga Kund, 250 meters north of Tulsi Manas Mandir, 700 meters north-east of Sankat Mochan Mandir and 1.3 kilometers north of

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

References

{{Portal bar, India, Hinduism, Religion Hindu temples in Varanasi Durga temples Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century 18th-century establishments in India

History

Construction

Location

See also

References