Nartiang Durga Temple is a 600-year-old temple in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills region in northeastern India. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas and one of the holiest destinations for Hindu Shaktism believers. The Hindus of Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills believe that this temple is Goddess Durga’s permanent home. The temple gets a large number of pilgrims from all around the nation during Durga Puja. The Shakti of Nartiang Devi temple is known as Jayanti, while the Bhairava is known as Kamadishwar.
The Importance of Temple
The Nartiang Devi Temple is thought to be a Shakti Peetha, one of Shaktism’s most believed temples, as Shakti Peethas are Holy abodes of Parashakti. The legend of Daksha yagna and Sati’s self-immolation gave rise to the Shakti Peethas. Shiva carried Sati Devi’s body, and 51 body pieces of the body fell in the road He had traveled. Each temple features temples for both Shakti and her masculine energy counterpart, Kalabhairava. The “Shakti” of Nartiang Devi temple is referred to as “Jayanti,” while the “Kalabhairava” is referred to as “Kamadishwar.” Sati Devi’s left thigh is said to have fallen there.
History Of Nartiang Durga Temple
Devi’s left thigh is thought to have been broken in Nartiang in the Jaintia Hills. As a result, the Goddess is known as Jainteshwari. Jaso Manik (1606-1641), the Jaintia ruler, married Lakshmi Narayana, the daughter of the Hindu Koch monarch Nara Narayana. It is said that Lakshmi Narayana encouraged the Jaintia Royalty to join Hinduism. King Dhan Manik built Nartiang as the Jaintia Kingdom’s summer capital some 600 years ago. The goddess appeared to him in a dream one night and told him about the significance of the location and requested him to build a temple in Her honor.
The Jainteshwari temple at Nartiang was built as a result. The strategic position of the temple, as well as the existence of armaments like as cannons, implies that it was part of a Jaintia Kings fort.
Worship In Nartiang Durga Temple
The ceremonies at the temple are done differently than in the plains, in a unique combination of Hindu and old Khasi customs. The temple’s primary patron is the local chieftain, or Syiem. Even now, the Syiem sacrifices goats during Durga Puja.Durga Puja is the most important festival at this temple. During Durga Puja, a banana plant is dressed up and adored as the Goddess. The plant is ceremoniously submerged in the Myntdu River at the end of the four-day celebration. On this day, the Goddess receives a gun salute.
Presently
The temple is cared for by the Central Puja Committee, the official representation of the Hindu community in Meghalaya. It finances a large portion of the temple’s daily costs and conducts development efforts on temple grounds. It is also notable for popularizing the Durga Puja performed at this old temple. Every fall, Durga puja is performed in a unique fashion that combines Bengali and Khasi-Jaintia Hills traditions. Durga is represented by a plantain trunk decorated with marigold flowers, in keeping with the Khasi norm of not utilizing figure depictions of Gods and Goddesses.
Within walking distance is the Shiva temple, where the ruins of antique cannons from the past may be found. There is currently a Hindu temple in this area, and the priests that practice there are direct descendants of the original Jaintiapur priests.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju issued a historic speech in 2017 on attempts to legally identify Nartiang Durga Temple as a historical property. This historic decision emphasizes the temple’s great historical and cultural value, solidifying its status as an important religious and cultural landmark in Meghalaya, India.
How To Reach?
However, Shillong, Meghalaya’s city, has an airport 30 kilometers away at Umroi. There is air connection from here to Kolkata and Guwahati. The distance between Nartiang Durga Temple and Umroi Airport is approximately 67 kilometers.
The temple is around 3 kilometers from Nartiang, 61 kilometers from Shillong, and 62 kilometers from the Shilong bus station. Guwahati has a nearby railway station.
Guwahati Railway Station appears to be 153 kilometers distant. It is 177 kilometers from Guwahati International Airport.