Sri Uma Skathi Peeth Temple, Vrindavan

Address

Sri Uma Skathi Peeth, Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg, Goda Vihar, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh 281121

Diety

Shakti: Uma Bhairava: Bhutesh, Body part or ornament: Ringlets of hair

Introduction

Sri Katyayani peeth vrindavan temple is located in bhakthivedanta swami marg, Goda viharr vrindavan district, uttar Pradesh. Katyayani Peeth Vrindavan otherwise known as uma shakti peeth is one among the 51 Shakti Peethas. The town was named after a tulsi grove which existed here during the ancient times. Vrinda is the other name for the sacred Tulsi (Basil) plant. Vrindavan is a famous pilgrimage site where Lord Krishna is worshiped day and night.

Puranic Significance

This temple is dedicated to Goddess Parvati, in the form of Katyayani. The current structure was constructed in 1923 by Yogiraj Swami Keshvanand Bramachari. Here the worship idols are Devi as Uma and Lord Shiva as Bhutesh. According to legend, this place is believed to have been the site where Devi Sati’s RINGLETS OF HAIR fallen. ANOTHER STORY OF SATI: In Hindu mythology, the son of Brahma, King Prajapati Daksha had a daughter named Sati. Princess Sati grew up adoring the legends and tales of Shiva, and when finally her age of getting married came, she knew it was only the ascetic Lord Shiva of Kailash where her heart and soul resided. Soon enough, Daksha’s daughter left her father’s luxuries and palace and began her meditation to win Shiva’s heart. She performed intense penance in dense forests and renounced food completely. When she finally pleased Shiva through her austerities, the lord of Kailash appeared in front of her and agreed to marry her. The legend goes that Sati and Shiva were happy in their marital bliss, but their marriage had not gone down too well with King Daksha, who considered ascetic Shiva nothing short of an uncouth lad who lives a hermit’s life not worthy of his daughter. So when Daksha organized a great yajna, he invited all the deities, gods and sages–but consciously excluded his son-in-law Shiva to insult him. Hurt by her father’s decision, Sati decided to visit her father and demand the reason for not inviting them. When she entered Daksha’s palace, she was bombarded with insults directed towards the Shiva. Haughty and proud King Prajapati Daksha called him all sorts of names right from a dishevelled god who hung out in graveyard to the supposed ‘lord of the beasts’. Unable to bear anything against her husband, a devastated Goddess Sati threw herself in the glowing scared fire of yajna. When Shiva’s attendants informed him about the demise of his wife, he grew enraged and created Veerbhadra from a lock of his hair. Veerbhadra created havoc in Daksha’s palace and killed him. Meanwhile, mourning his beloved soulmate’s death, Shiva tenderly held Sati’s body and started his dance of destruction (taandav). To save the universe and bring back Shiva’s sanity, Lord Vishnu cut Sati’s lifeless body using Sudharshan Chakra into 51 pieces.

Special Features

The architecture of the temple is very beautiful. The exterior of the temple was built using white marble and huge pillars support the temple. Pillars are made with black stone and are beautiful. Just adjacent to the steps that lead to main courtyard, two gold-coloured statues of lions are seen in standing posture. The temple has shrines for five different deities. Along with the goddess Katyayani, Lord Shiva, Lord Lakshmi Narayan, Lord Ganesh and Lord Surya are worshipped here.

Festivals

Krishna Janmastami is again a huge festival and embarks the birth of Lord Krishna. During this day, people keep fast (Not eating food) and celebrate the birth of lord Krishna on Mid night. Katyayani Vrat, Navratri or Durga Puja, Diwali are other famous festivals celebrated at the Uma Shakti Peeth.