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[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Shila Devi Temple is a temple located in the Amer Palace in the city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was established here by Sawai Man Singh II. According to the information received from the local people, Shila Devi has been the family deity of the Kachwaha Rajput kings of Jaipur. Lakkhi fair is held in this temple which is quite famous. In this fair, huge crowds of devotees come here during Navratri to have darshan of the mother. The idols of Lord Ganesha and Hingla Mata, the Kuldevi of the Meenas, are also installed near the idol of Shila Devi. It is said that here
Presently the temple is made entirely of marble stones, which was done by Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Originally it was made of lime. The doors of the temple are opened only after the daily offerings are made here and special offerings of gujiyas and coconut are offered here. In the upper part of this idol, from left to right, beautiful small-sized idols of Lord Ganesha, Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu and Kartikeya are made on their vehicles. In the right arms of Shiladevi, Khadga, Chakra, Trishul, arrow and in the left arms shield, Abhayamudra, Munda and Dhanush are engraved. Earlier the idol of the mother here was facing east.
After the establishment of Jaipur city, many obstacles started arising in its construction. Then Raja Jaisingh, after consulting with many big pundits, got the idol installed north-facing according to their advice, so that no other obstacle would be present in the construction of Jaipur, because the eyes of the idol were reading obliquely. Then this idol has been installed in the present sanctum sanctorum, which is facing north. This idol is made of black stone and is built on a rock. This idol of Shila Devi remains in the form of Mahishasura Mardini. Always only the face and hands of the idol covered with clothes and red rose flowers are visible. In the idol, the goddess is hitting Mahishasura with a trident of her right hand by pressing her with one leg. Hence the neck of the goddess is tilted to the right. This idol is considered miraculous. The idol of Hinglaj Mata of Ashtadhatu, the Kuldevi of the Kachwaha kings, is also built on the left side of Shila Devi. According to the belief, the idol of Hinglaj Mata has been brought from the Hinglaj Bhavani Shaktipeeth temple of Balochistan by the earlier ruling Meenas.
The entrance of the temple is covered with a silver leaf on which the figures of ten Mahavidyas and Navadurga are inscribed. The main entrance of the temple is made of silver and the idols of Navadurga, Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandmata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri are engraved on it. Here Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Chhinnamasta, Tripurabhairavi, Dhumavati, Baglamukhi, Shrimatangi and Kamala Devi are depicted as the ten Mahavidyas. A red stone idol of Lord Ganesha is enshrined on top of the door. There is a window in front of the main gate, inside which is kept a silver drum. This nagara is played in the morning and during the evening aarti. On entering the temple, on the right side there is a beautiful painting of Mahakali and Mahalakshmi by artist Dhirendra Ghosh. Bengali architectural style is visible in some parts and pillars of the temple.
Archaeological details of the idol are found at the entrance of the temple, according to which the idol of Shila Devi was brought by Raja Mansingh from Bengal. He was appointed governor of Bengal by the Mughal emperor Akbar. Then he was sent there to defeat the then Raja Kedar Singh. It is said that Mansingh sought blessings from that goddess statue for his victory in the war. In return, the goddess in a dream asked King Kedar to free herself. According to this condition, the goddess helped Mansingh to win the war and Mansingh freed the idol of the goddess from King Kedar and installed it in Amber. According to some other people, King Kedar presented this statue to Raja Mansingh after he was defeated in the war.
According to another legend, King Kedar married his daughter to Mansingh and received the idol of the goddess as a gift. But King Kedar had got this idol built from a boulder lying in the sea and that is why the name of the idol is Shila Devi. Another belief also indicates its origin. According to this, this idol was lying on the beach of Bengal and King Mansingh brought it straight from the sea and brought it here. This idol was only in the form of rock and was black in colour. Raja Mansingh brought it to Amber and got the idol form of Mother made on it by the craftsmen and got its life established.
A fair is held here twice a year in Navratri of Chaitra and Ashwin. On this occasion, special adornment of the mother is done. In these animals are sacrificed to please the goddess. Then here the members of the royal family of Udaipur and the feudal lords of the princely state of Jaipur participate in this celebration of Navratri. Special facilities for darshan are arranged for the visiting devotees. All the arrangements for the security of the temple are done by the police officers. Devotees take turns in the row and when the crowd is high, separate rows are arranged for women and men. After darshan in the main temple, there is a Bhairav temple in the middle, where devotees visit Bhairav after having darshan of the mother. According to the belief, Shila Maa’s darshan is successful only when the devotees return after seeing Bhairav. The reason for this is that after killing Bhairav, he had sought a boon from the mother in the last wish that after your darshan, the devotees should also have my darshan so that people remember Bhairav’s name along with the name of the mother and the mother fulfilled this wish of Bhairav. After completing this blessing was given to him.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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