Maa Sharda Temple 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 ...

of Goddess Sharda in

Maihar Maihar is a city in the Maihar district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Maihar District. Maihar is known for the Maa Sharda Mandir situated in the city. It is one of the Shakti Peeth. Origin o ...

district of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

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 ...

. It is believed that Goddess Sharda is the incarnation of Goddess

Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

. This temple is one of the

Shakti Peethas 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 Ad ...

of Goddess Bhavani. It is believed that even today,

Alha Alha (ISO: Ālhā) was a legendary general of the Chandel king Paramardideva (also known as Parmal), who fought Prithviraj Chauhan in 1182 CE. He is one of the main characters of the '' Alha-Khand'' ballad. Origin According to the legend, A ...

visits the temple to worship Goddess Sharda. Alha and Udal are believed to be the inaugural visitors to the goddess in this remote forest. Alha, in his reverence, affectionately referred to the mother goddess as 'Sharda Mai,' a name that subsequently evolved into the popular title of 'Mata Sharda Mai.' This association underscores the deep spiritual connection between the legendary warriors and the divine presence o
Sharda Devi
in this sacred enclave.

History

In religious texts, it is mentioned that Sati, the daughter of Daksha Prajapati, wished to marry

Lord Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer' ...

. But, her wish was not approved by Daksha Prajapati. However, Sati married Lord Shiva. Once,

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

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 other deities were invited in a yagya performed by Daksh Prajapati. Lord Shiva was not invited in the yagya. So, Sati asked her father the reason for not inviting Lord Shiva, due to which, Daksh Prajapati abused Lord Shiva. As a result of the incidence, Sati sacrificed her life by jumping into the yagya fire pit. When Lord Shiva realised the incident, he opened his third eye in anger. For saving the universe,

Lord Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Vish ...

split Sati's body into 51 parts. Wherever Sati's body parts fell, Shakti Peethas were established there. It is also believed that Sati's necklace fell in Maihar. It is believed that the temple was discovered by two brothers, Alha and Udal. They were devotees of Goddess Sharda. They discovered the temple on the top of Trikut mountains in the middle of the forests. After this incidence, Alha performed penance for 12 years to please the Goddess. The Goddess blessed him with immortality. It is believed that even today, Alha visits the temple every day during

Brahma Muhurta ''Brahmamuhurta'' () is a 48-minute period (''muhurta'') that begins one hour and 36 minutes before sunrise, and ends 48 minutes before sunrise. It is traditionally the penultimate phase or ''muhurta'' of the night, and is considered an auspiciou ...

and worships the Goddess.

References

External links

* {{coord, 24.26120, 80.72316, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IN, display=title Hindu temples in Madhya Pradesh Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Shakti temples